The Dragon's Match

XXXIV

"And the residue left behind? Was it traceable?" Blayne asked, frowning.

"Only in the sense that it was similar to what remained all those years ago."

Thereby ensued a pensive silence with only the crackle from the grate to echo around them as they reflected all that Aëghan had revealed to them- from his purpose to extricate his kind from this realm and return them to the next, to his revelations regarding Lillian, to his perceived lawlessness and deliberate provocation over the years- all of it was out in the open.

Something he had never intended- something he had never thought possible.

All because of her.

He rubbed his tightening chest, his throat constricting, wondering if this was how he would finally die- through asphyxiation at whatever was causing such horrible discomfort.

It was Caël who finally spoke, his tone more curious than anything else, "Do you think it is possible? To return?"

"Only way to find out is to keep searching," Aëghan muttered. "Let Della keep reading the signatures and pray for a prophecy, I suppose." He felt deflated, lost despite the purpose he still grasped hold of with the tips of his fingers, and he didn't want to be here presently discussing these things with these males. Petulantly, he realised, he wanted Lillian to talk to, to reason with him, to argue and cajole with. He could sense her consistently, her proximity rendering him senseless with need, and knew her general location all the time thanks to their bond, so her own sadness and longing and hopelessness were like three arrows piercing his soul.

"And if the option was available," Holt posed, interrupting his morose ruminations, "would any of you return?"

Rogane folded his arms, a thoughtful expression settling on his face as he mulled over the question. "Curiosity compels me to answer yes- should it come down to it. But there are events unfolding here presently that... may favour our kind."

"I'd return," Caël said easily.

When no more answers were forthcoming, Aëghan tilted his chin towards Blayne. "What about you, Leo?"

The other male's lips tilted in a knowing smile. "My life is with Millie and Ravensfield- this is my home. There was never a choice for me- I have already devoted my life to a different path and I am eager to see what change it may bring."

A few more beats of silence lingered after that statement before Aëghan abolished it with aplomb, thumping his tumbler down so loudly on the side table nearby that all occupants jumped. He rolled to his feet, stretching his arms above his head. "With that nauseating bit of flowery diatribe tainting the air," he taunted, ambling towards the exit of the study, "I shall retire for the evening. I bid you all adieu- try not to miss me."

"Like a backside misses a wart," Caël snorted.

"You would know," Aëghan tossed back before he retreated down the darkened passage. He was eager for the privacy of his chambers where he could pine away in private without having to avail of his normal façade. It was tiresome.

How pathetic he felt, wretched and alone. No woman had even rendered him so pitiful before and he rather thought he was seconds away from getting on his hands and knees and begging Lillian not to let him spend a moment longer without her.

But that wouldn't be fair.

Not to either of them.

Pressing against his chest, he continued through the passages, the house silent and imposing as he wound through the halls towards the wing where he had been issued a chamber for the duration of his stay. Just how long that was, however, Aëghan couldn't be sure- not long, if this pressure and despair didn't abate soon. He made a mental note to track down some more Elusia Shade, to stock as much as he could of the blooms, and layer it between Lillian's pillows and his.