Do you remember back to the day of your first kiss? What was it like? What did you feel?

My first kiss was a surprise. I was fourteen and a boy I liked asked me to step out of class at a specific time so we could walk around the school together for five minutes. This was an enormous risk for me because I’m normally such a big rule follower. However, I decided that just this once I would skip out on class. It was just five minutes, and I was an “A” student, so I figured it couldn’t hurt.

Well, as I exited my classroom, he was standing there. We both knew we liked the other, and I can only imagine the deep shade of crimson I had on my face when our eyes met. We didn’t hold hands as we walked because we didn’t want anyone to know we liked each other (you know how awkward that can be).

Then we started down the stairs just chatting about the day. I was looking down at my toes, saying who knows what, when he said from behind me, “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

I turned around, completely confused.

And then he kissed me.

I was so surprised that I just turned around and kept walking. I was elated, and mortified, that a teacher (or worse, one of our friends), was walking below us, and saw the whole thing.

Within the next two minutes, I was sitting back in my classroom, still stunned at what had happened. I’ll admit, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face for the rest of my day, and well into the night. Without going back through my journal, I couldn’t say when my second kiss happened because it isn’t cemented in my memory like this one. But that seems to be the way with important moments in our lives. They hang on when other memories fade.

Speaking of first kisses, another first kiss I’d like to share is between Reina and Tellen, in my third novel, THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT. Check it out!

35 – A Broken Promise

Nienna.

Nienna, wake up.

Reina’s body ached as gentle hands shook her shoulder. The only one who knew her real name was Darius. Her eyes opened in alarm. She sucked in a mouth full of air and coughed. Smoke filled her lungs. Panic wrapped around her chest when found herself stuck.

The last thing she remembered was Darius attacking her and Tellen as they approached Peroma. He’d given into the dragon stone after she fell. A log must have fallen over her when she crashed into the ground. The smoke was thick, making it hard to breathe or think. She strained to free herself, but the thing on top of her was too heavy.

A red, blistered arm fell by her ear. It wasn’t a log trapping her here. It was a person. Their clothing was charred, and their puckered face was covered with blisters. It was Teague. And he was shielding her from the worst of the flames.

Time was running out for the Pathfinder. She pressed her shirt over her nose and wriggled until she got free of the hulking man. He moaned, not moving. At least he was still alive.

Reina’s Earthspark wouldn’t save them here, and her burgeoning Firespark was out of commission. She called on the only spark she had left. The Sky gift answered her call to create an opening in the fire. The flames shot higher as the winds created a tunnel of blackened earth leading out to the green forest beyond.

Grabbing Teague’s burned hands, Reina tugged him to the exit. Sweat dripped down her spine and her torn shirt stuck to her skin. Her muscles screamed in protest as she dragged Teague.

After healing whatever she’d broken, she barely had the strength to keep upright. The strain of maintaining the wind tunnel was wearing her out quicker than lugging the large Pathfinder. A heavy rain fell when she reached the still green forests, putting out the fire licking the sides of the pines.

“A little late,” Reina rasped angrily to the skies.

Her head hurt from breathing in the smoke, and Aros’s latent rain didn’t help her mood. She’d nearly died in the inferno. So had Teague.

Reina collapsed against a tree and gasped in the smoke-free air. Her hand slid to the pocket where she’d placed the dragon stone. It was empty.

She lurched forward. What happened after she’d fallen out of the sky? The fog in her mind was thick. She’d have to figure that out later.

Black, charred skin covered Teague’s body. Several places revealed angry, puffy blisters where his clothing had burned away. Her shirt was torn, and parts of her had minor burns. But Teague was nearly gone.

Summoning her strength, Reina placed Teague’s head on her lap. She willed her spark to enter him, healing from the inside out. She gently wrung Teague’s airways, forcing the smoke out through his nose and mouth. He coughed, either unable or unwilling to open his eyes.

“Come on, Teague,” she whispered.

When he gave no response, she set to work on the burns disfiguring his face and hands. His swords must have been superheated to create blisters like that. Then it clicked.

Fiora.

The Fire Guardian likely followed her to the ground after she fell. Teague likely found Reina’s unconscious body and tried to fight her. She must have defeated Teague and stole the dragon stone.

Reina healed everything she could without blacking out. Teague’s blisters had disappeared, and he breathed easier. The pounding behind her eyes was nauseating. She closed her eyes and surrendered to her exhaustion, drifting in and out of consciousness.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but the sound of boulders colliding with the forest, followed by shouts, broke through the darkness in her vision. Teague stirred and rolled to his side with a loud groan. Reina urged her eyes to open. A snarling bellow rattled the woods, and Teague sat up with a jerk.

“Reina?” he asked.

“Mmm?”

“What happened to the fire? Where’s Fiora?”

“Firre?” she slurred. Her eyes threatened to seal shut.

A roar from a wounded dragon boomeranged off the trees, causing her to jump. Despite this, her eyes refused to stay open.

“Tellen!” Teague was up and had her arm over his broad shoulder before she could focus on him. The Pathfinder carried her as they trudged through the ferns and rotting logs. The movement cleared her mind enough for Reina to take half her weight as they climbed over the obstacles. However, when she tripped over a log, both of them crashed to the ground.

“Leave me, Teague. See what’s going on,” she said when he attempted to help her up.

He appeared eager to go, but tried not to show it. “You don’t know your way around these woods.”

“I can follow the noise. I just… need to rest for a few moments.”

She was so tired that her eyelids were closing again, even with the racket in the next clearing.

Teague gave her a nod, then bounded away through the trees, following the shouts. Reina laid her pounding head on the damp earth. The light rain rinsed the soot from her face. The cool water soothed her inflamed skin.

Small eddies of wind currents swirled around her, begging to be put to use now that Aros wasn’t commanding them. She needed to get her Skyspark in check before she approached the others.

If they knew about her extra gifts, they’d think her too dangerous. She’d be turned away without hesitation. With Darius on the prowl, she couldn’t let that happen. To block out the call of the Sky, Reina focused on the plants, the trees, and the feel of the crunching pine needles beneath her hands. She dug her fingers deep into the black soil.

The Earthspark pulsed in the space between her palms and the ground. Suddenly, her vision cleared, and the burns on her skin melted away. She lifted one of her hands to stare at it in confusion. The Earthspark had always come from within her. Yet, the plants, the soil, all of it, had responded to her touch with the familiar green magic, giving her strength.

She reached deeper, connecting to the spark that lay in the forest. It flashed against her palm again, filling her with a power she’d never encountered. Before she could do more than absorb it, multiple people shouting drew her attention to the clearing.

She’d have to continue her experiment with the Earth another time. Green fire lit up the trees, followed by an angry snarl. Things weren’t going well. Reina staggered toward the noise.

The trunks of monstrous pines stood like jagged spears. Their broken tips pointed to a growling black dragon holding his foreleg close and protecting his damaged wing. Teague and Fallon were sneaking behind Tellen while Aros kept his attention in front.

Still caught in the throes of the dragon stone, Tellen snapped at his brother. The Sky Guardian baited his brother with the tip of his gleaming longsword. A jet of green flames barreled toward Aros. He quickly put up a shield of wind to split the fire around himself. The Sky Guardian’s sons, Cael and Corwin, braced themselves behind him.

The must be trying to remove the dragon stone, she thought.

Tellen lunged at the Skydwellers. They took to the air where he couldn’t follow. The black dragon flapped his wings, roaring as the damaged one flopped from side to side. More trees snapped as the dragon’s club-like tail scythed through them.

Reina blinked. Had she fallen into one of her nightmares? They’d lost tellen to the stone and he couldn’t tell friends from enemies. Tellen whirled, teeth glistening, when Fallon stepped on a dead branch behind him.

The woman screamed and ran while Teague rolled away as Tellen sent another jet of flames. The Guardian’s eyes were slits. Several cuts and scratches littered his face and his features were almost unrecognizable in his fury. Reina cowered beyond a fallen log, paralyzed by fear.

Aros shouted something, then dove for Tellen’s chest. With a swipe of his paw, the black dragon grounded his brother. A breeze urged Reina forward, and her knees threatened to buckle. There was no way she was walking out there.

Go, urged the same voice who’d spoken to her earlier. He needs you.

The breeze pushed her again, and she stumbled into the open. Tellen’s reptilian eyes flashed as they landed on her. Every awful memory and nightmare flooded her mind. His mocking, jealous face. The look of disgust before he placed the dragon stone to his throat on North Pointe. Each new thought threatened to drag her under as his eyes blazed.

“Reina, get out of here,” Aros cried as Tellen advanced.

“I can’t keep running from this,” she told herself, clenching her trembling hands.

“Reina!” shouted Teague, trying to intercept her.

Tellen knocked the Pathfinder aside with a sweep of his tail.

She held Tellen’s gaze. The black dragon took another step, his maw opening once more. This wasn’t Tellen. This monster was going to kill her, just like he did in her dark visions.

But this wasn’t a dream.

Reina took slow, deliberate steps toward Tellen, the way the castle trainers had taught her to do with young horses. She raised her palms, forcing each breath to equal out. Quietly at first, Reina sang as she approached.

So take my hand

Come fly with me,

To the forest pines

Where our cares will flee.

I’ll love you

’Til the end of time

And your dreams

Come true like mine.

Tellen stopped, his snout drawing near to her outstretched hand. Reina’s lungs constricted as the scaly nose touched her palm. Green sparks radiated from the point of contact.

“You broke your promise, Tellen.”

36 – One Worth Waiting For

No one moved.

“You promised me you wouldn’t let it control you,” Reina said.

Tellen’s pupils vacillated between their normal round shape and the dragon’s slits. Her pulse wobbled as she compelled herself to stay put.

“Rei?” rumbled the dragon, as though from far away.

“I’m here.” Her tone was gentle, though shivers raced up and down her spine. It was like the fingers of fate grasping hold of her.

She slid her hands along the dragon’s jaw to his compact neck. At Tellen’s throat, she noticed a completely round scale that protruded like a dull spike.

Reina glanced at Aros, who nodded. This was the stone. Reina pried the scale from Tellen, pulling it free as a black-and-emerald sphere fell into her hands. The dragon shrank, and the scales receded.

The Earth Guardian fell forward onto his hands and knees, trembling. Reina pocketed the stone. She kneeled before him, waiting for his pupils to stay round. The others slowly drew closer, wary.

“You survived?” Tellen choked out.

“Through help. Teague was swift to find me.”

Reina stiffened as Tellen lunged at her. His arms wrapped around her, and the Guardian pulled her into a fierce embrace. She leaned into him, burying her face in his neck. Tears crept down her cheeks. He’d remembered her. The fear she’d carried for months washed away as Tellen folded her into the protection of his arms.

“I thought I lost you,” Tellen whispered in her ear.

He kissed her cheek, and the Earthspark tingled on her skin. Reina’s face grew hot. When she pushed away from him, Tellen kept hold of her hands.

“I’m tougher than most people think,” Reina said with a ghost smile. It slid from her face as she remembered Fiora and the fire.

“I’m afraid I lost the stone you gave me, though,” she said.

“I thought as much when Fiora returned to Cadaras. The forest was on fire,” Tellen said in a dejected voice.

“I’m guessing Teague tried to confront her while I was out. She nearly burned us alive.”

Tellen found Teague. “Thank you for coming to Reina’s aid.”

“I’m afraid Reina’s the one who pulled me out of the fire,” Teague said. “You should thank her for saving my sorry hide.”

Tellen brushed a finger along her jawline. “Even with the loss of the stone, I have many things to be grateful for.”

Aros watched Reina through narrowed eyes, saying nothing as she and Tellen rose to their feet. Fallon looked as though someone had stabbed her. Cael and Corwin regarded Reina with something akin to respect.

“I need you to gather the pack. Fill them in on what happened. We need to make a plan to retrieve the remaining stones before they fall into enemy hands.” Tellen’s voice was strong, but Reina saw through it. The stone had taken his strength.

“What about you?” Teague asked. His gaze flicked between her and his master.

“I need to speak to Reina alone.”

Tellen held Teague’s gaze for a moment longer, and an understanding passed between the two men that was lost on her. Teague strode over to Fallon, who, after a swift glance at Tellen, allowed herself to be led away. 

Turning to Aros, Tellen said, “Brother, we need to discuss what happened and how we can recapture that stone.”

“As soon as you get to the fortress,” Aros said. As an afterthought, the Sky Guardian added, “You’ll be making this one a Pathfinder tonight?”

“Yes.” Tellen squeezed Reina’s hand. “So long as she agrees.”

Aros studied Reina. “I’m sure the tribes will wish to attend.”

The Sky Guardian gave a dismissive gesture to the sky, and it immediately stopped raining. Then he spun on his heel and launched into the sky with a spray of feathers.

“Sorry for jabbing you in the eye, Tellen,” Cael said from behind them. “I was afraid you were going to eat us.”

Tellen gave the blocky man a half smile. “No hard feelings. I might have if you hadn’t intervened.”

With a nod, Cael and Corwin flew off, leaving Reina and Tellen alone. The Earth Guardian fell to his knees in the damp earth. Reina sat with him as tremors racked his body. Sunlight filtered down among the trees, making everything glitter. The refracted light cast millions of mini rainbows on them.

Birds picked up their songs, and animals bounded through the boughs. Steam rose in curls from the damp earth. The pungent smell of fresh-cut pine permeated the air. Water dripped from Tellen’s matted hair. Though his pupils were now round, the dragon stone’s influence was still there.

“Why do the stones hold such power over you if you created them?” Reina asked, watching one pupil shrink while the other grew so large that it nearly blotted out Tellen’s iris.

The Guardian barked a laugh. “I created them with the help of a dragon. They don’t fully obey me. Besides that, they pull to the surface things I thought I’d left behind.”

“Like what?,” Reina asked.

For a moment, Tellen’s pupils became slits again before he closed his eyes. “After using the Earthspark, you know the rush that accompanies using significant amounts of power.”

Reina knew this too well. The magnitude of power she could summon still frightened her.

“Try to imagine that rush enhanced a hundred times. Before humans arrived, Fiora and I created and destroyed on whims. My power controlled me, dictating my actions. I’d unleash the full potential of my gift and raise mountains fueled on the inside with Fiora’s Fire.”

It was easy to imagine him leveling mountains as his power got the best of him.

Tellen continued. “I’d let Fiora force the energy out in great volcanic explosions. We’d break up the landscape only to reshape it into something new. I was a slave to that addiction.”

“It’s hard to imagine you as a slave,” Reina commented, giving Tellen a measured stare. “What changed?”

“Humans.”

Reina cocked her head in confusion.

“The Great King created humans, and my world changed.” Tellen closed his eyes, basking in the sunlight. “I wanted to show them how to find their sparks, regardless of the element that called to them. My desire to destroy disappeared.”

“Is that why Fiora felt so betrayed?” Reina wondered. “You left off spending time with her in exchange for being with the humans.”

The Guardian’s gaze fell to his hands. “Part of the reason, yes. She claimed I’d abandoned her. And perhaps I did. I didn’t want to destroy the life now present in the world. I created animals shortly after the Comstock family arrived and showed them how to care for each one. Those meant only for food and those they could use to build their lives. I showed them how to care for plants, raise crops, and cultivate the ground. Soon I lost myself in the role of guide and teacher, becoming the Guardian I was supposed to be.”

“How do the dragon stones fit in?” Reina asked.

Tellen gave her a pointed smile, showing his still-sharp teeth. “Dragons appeared after the Comstocks had established their first settlement. They were wild and unpredictable. Much like I’d been before humans arrived. But the dragons were helpful. We only clashed occasionally because they reveled in their power too much.”

“Just as you had with your medallion,” Reina guessed, piecing it together.

A six foot tall fern unfurled its leaves next to Reina, dousing them both with a shower of water. She brushed off the raindrops as Tellen shook the water off like a dog, drenching her even more.

“Sorry,” he said as he caught Reina’s glare. “Some instincts are hard to deny. Anyway, with the combined effects of my medallion and the stone, it’s harder to keep a level head when I feel the tug to give in. I’m like a man who gave up drinking, only to fall prey to that addiction again when someone slips him a glass.”

He traced a finger along the edge of his medallion.

“When Aros struck me with that bolt, and you fell, all I could think was that the battle needed to end. And the quickest way to do that was to allow the extra power to infuse my body. It might have worked if Aros hadn’t tried to interfere more.”

Tellen shook his hair to dispel the water gathered on the end of his curls. 

Reina leaned away, holding up her hands to fend off the droplets. “Come on.”

He chuckled. “I’m sorry.”

“You have more doglike traits than a dog,” she said, wiping the water from her face.

“It’s always been an easy shape to assume.”

“I can see why,” she said, flicking water from her fingertips.

Tellen’s expression became serious. “Reina, I came so close to losing you today. You were dying when you hit the forest floor. I tried so hard to reach you. Then Aros continued to throw lightning bolts. He struck Cadaras a few times, missing more often than not, and enraging me further. I lost myself to the stone in a way I never have before.”

“I’m glad I was knocked out for that.”

“The place where you fell went up in flames shortly after, and I tried to get to the ground. Cadaras pursued the fight. I unleashed everything I had to get to you.” Tellen’s nails became pointed as shivers raced up and down his arms.

“I could have had him if Fiora hadn’t appeared on his spiked head. Between the three, I ended up flat on my back with a crushed wing and a broken arm. I would have tried to eat them all if you hadn’t shown up.”

Reina swallowed hard. “I almost didn’t. My nightmares held me frozen. Though I don’t think I will have troubles with those particular visions anymore.”

Tellen brushed a hand over a half-healed burn on her arm, finishing what she started. “I’m glad to hear it. I’d hate for those sunken eyes of yours to disappear.”

“Yes, what a shame,” Reina said sarcastically.

“It would be. For the first time in my long life, I finally feel complete.” Tellen met her eyes. “I’d do anything to keep that feeling.”

Reina offered him a shy smile, but quickly squashed it. Her path to destruction would be sure if she gave in to him now. Darius needed to be bound and Saul’s plans stopped before Reina could indulge in happiness. She wouldn’t allow those two to ruin this.

“It’s time you relayed your tale,” Tellen urged.

Reina gave him the details of waking up amid the flames and finding Teague. She told him about the voice that had woken her up and urged her to approach Tellen. The Guardian pursed his lips.

“If I had to guess, the Great King was watching over you. Have you never heard his voice?”

“Not so far as I can tell. It was something that I felt as much as heard.”

The corners of Tellen’s mouth turned up. “If the Great King speaks, it’s important to listen. I don’t think we’ve seen your full capabilities yet.”

Tellen finished healing what remained of her time in the fire and anything she’d missed from her fall.

“Do you ever try to heal without your medallion?” she asked.

“Not willingly. This medallion is like an extension of myself, responding to my every whim.”

Tellen’s shudders lessened until he grew still. Reina finally allowed herself to relax as all traces of the dragon melted away. The ground had soaked her trousers, but the tranquility of the forest permeated everything. 

“What’s causing the smile?” Tellen asked, moving closer to her.

Reina hadn’t realized she’d been grinning. “I suppose it’s several things. The first is that for the moment, I’m free from Darius.”

He tucked a piece of Reina’s wet hair behind her ear, causing her pulse to quicken.

“What else?” Tellen asked, his voice pitched low.

“That I’m here with you,” Reina said.

Tellen moved closer and cupped her face. Her breath hitched. “I’m glad,” he said.

Move, you stupid girl, Reina chastised herself. No matter how hard she urged them, her muscles refused to move. Don’t give in, not yet.

Reina wanted to fall into Tellen’s touch and never leave it. He was her safe haven from all that threatened her peace.

Tellen stroked her cheek, apparently thrilled by the brilliant glow of the sparks that trailed the touch. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers. The touch lit up every fiber inside her, entrancing as a piece of sweet music.

Tellen’s scent of rain-washed meadows and pine wafted around them. The battle within her stilled, and Reina returned the kiss. The sparks intensified, even as the voice in her mind warned her how this would end. At the moment, she didn’t care.

“That was a kiss worth waiting for,” Tellen said, his lips still lingering close to hers.

“Surely you’ve kissed someone before,” she teased, pulling away to see him better.

“You’re my first,” Tellen said. His eyes sparkled. The dragon was gone. “I’ve never wanted to until now.”

“I agree. It was one to remember. As will this.” Reina kissed him again, and the tingle traveled to her toes.

“You deserve to be free, Reina,” Tellen said, when they broke apart. “I won’t rest until I’ve broken every chain that binds you to that dragon.”

Reina gave him a sad smile. “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep, Tel.”

“I never do.”

For the third time, they shared a kiss that was just as glorious as the first.

“Will you become my Pathfinder?” he asked as they broke apart.

“Will it break Darius’s hold over me?” Reina touched the wolf ring on her finger.

“I can’t guarantee it, but at the very least, it should weaken his curse until we figure something else out.”

Reina fished out her beaded necklace and pinched the symbol for Tellen’s pack. “Let’s make this bead mean what it was intended.”

Thanks for reading my friend. I hope you enjoyed today’s read. To read the full novel, check it out in the Book Shop! (Shipping is included in the price).

Also, before you go, I have something for you. I’m giving away the first chapter in THE FIRE DRAKE for FREE! So check it out here.