How to Make a Sinner Sleep

114 | faces; yet you are familiar

"Nicola," said Kaden quietly, swinging his head around as his hands pressed against the scaled surface underneath. "We left her behind. We need to return for her."

Niklas stared at him and shook his head. "It was the plan. If we had more time, I wanted to sneak into the castle. But we were rushed and now she's there—and he won't hurt her."

"He is capable of many cruelties—"

"He won't hurt the woman he once wanted to be his Queen."

Behind the pair, Holly frowned as she wildly clung to Noah's body, her hair whipping around in the air and unraveling her frizzy braids. "Queen! What? Hey, what are you talking about?"

Arlo's head was lowered, thrown onto Noah's back in the commotion, his expression mixed between confusion and wild fascination of soaring high in the skies. Despite his mature atmosphere, on the back of a dragon, he was reduced to a little child with big dreams.

Niklas opened his mouth to reply, his cloak wrapped around his neck and bristling in the rushing wind, before the surface underneath them trembled.

The dragon faltered, his weight sinking lower and lower. A suddenly drop, and then an insistent hovering midair as if he were trying to remain flying.

There was blood everywhere, soaking their clothes as it drew a hideous line down his back.

"Bellamy, go down. Go down." Kaden stared at his blood-covered gloves and felt his stomach turn.

He could try to endure it, the ghosts that haunted him from his crimson-coloured past. But if Noah died, consequence of saving him, he would never sleep again.

They dropped another meter in the air, and Niklas grabbed Holly's hand and Kaden's arm. Kaden grabbed Arlo, and the young teenager looked at him with delight despite their impeding situation.

Soon, they were all spiraling to the ground, towards a thick cluster of trees. Noah's breath stagnated as he struggled to turn, large wings enveloping the three in protection.

The branches scrapped past their bodies, tearing skin and fabric as they collided into the ground.

Kaden groaned, rolling over as his hands pressed into the membrane of Noah's wings, curled around him. The large wings covered all four, shielding them from the brunt of damage.

He pushed himself up, hurrying to examine the dragon—still kept in his beast form. Noah was so still, like an exhibit placed on display, that Kaden feared the worse.

Then, a hoarse voice penetrated his mind, filling the cavity of his thoughts.

"I can't change back."

Niklas, his one arm twisted oddly, winced and looked over at Kaden's startled expression. "What did he say? He said something, didn't he?"

Kaden remained crouched, palms resting on the dragon's leather skin. "He can't change back."

All three fell silent, at a loss. It was one thing to treat a faerie—they were more commonplace—but a dragon? Was there anybody capable, and if they were, would they be willing?

Dragons were one of the most discriminated species, even when they were revered or glorified.

Holly shuddered where she sat with her knees drawn in, and didn't think there would be a person. Noah's demure was intimidating and cold even in his human form but this was different.

Here, she felt a fear running across her arms like needle points and burrowing into her bloodstream. Her chest squeezed and her palms were slicked with sweat.