PART ONE: DRAGON’S BURNING DESIRE
The ground beneath her was damp and cold, and Vivian shifted against it uncomfortably before opening her eyes. Above her, stars so vivid they were like shattered glass sparkled against a deep, velvety sky. Her body felt heavy, pulled down toward the ground as if she didn't have control over it yet, as if she was still dreaming.
"Vivian?" a familiar voice called from somewhere in the area around her.
The ability to move seemed to flow back through her body along with the words and she pulled herself up into a sitting position to look for the source of the voice. A strange, foggy cool rushed against her back as she sat up and she felt a shiver ripple across her skin. In the distance, she could see a figure step into the milky silver moonlight that pooled across the ground.
"Aurora?" she asked, meaning to yell but realizing her voice had only come out as a soft, powdery sound.
The figure started jogging toward her and when it came within a few yards she could see Aurora's face glow in the moonlight, the pale beams creating a shimmer in the coppery hair tumbling down her shoulders that made her look almost ethereal in the light. She wore a long dark dress that concealed her feet, making her seem to glide as she came closer. In her confusion, Vivian struggled with grasping what was happening and began to fear that Aurora had, in fact, died and that somehow, she was visiting the plane where her best friend now existed.
Vivian climbed to her feet and took a cautious step toward Aurora. A moment later Aurora swept her into her arms in a tight hug and the solidness of her body told Vivian that she was still alive and that this moment, as distant as it still felt from her grasp, was reality.
"I'm so glad you're here," Aurora said into Vivian's hair.
Vivian gripped her more tightly, afraid that when she let her go she would disappear again.
"I am, too," she said, then paused, "But where exactly is 'here'?"
Aurora laughed. The sound was clear and honest, the most genuine laugh she had heard come from her best friend in months, possibly a year. She finally sounded relaxed and calm again after so long of being tense, uncomfortable, and grieving. Though she had rarely said anything to her, Vivian had seen the pain and devastation in Aurora's eyes and watched as the girl she had known since they were in elementary school faded away into the artificial image her father and Greyson had created for her.
"This is Killington," Aurora said, stepping back from their embrace and taking her hand so she could lead her toward the path through the forest where she had first appeared.
"Vermont?" Vivian asked, feeling even more confused with each step.
Aurora laughed again and squeezed Vivian's hand.
"Not quite."
They stepped into the forest and Vivian was immediately taken by the intensity of the space around her. Plants gleamed with a glaze of new-fallen rain and she filled her lungs with the pure, earthy scent. Beneath the smell of the rain and the leaves was a light floral note that seemed to dance around her, sometimes stronger, sometimes fainter, luring her as they followed along the path.
Vivian suddenly stopped and turned to Aurora, holding her by her shoulders and looking directly into her wide blue eyes.
"Everyone thinks you're dead, Aurora," she said sternly, enunciating each word to ensure the other woman understood exactly what she said.
The smile on Aurora's face faltered slightly and she lifted her hands to hold onto Vivian's arms so that they gripped each other tightly.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"What happened at the wedding?" Vivian asked, skirting Aurora's question.
She knew that she would have to tell her everything soon enough, but for now she needed as much information as she could gather. Aurora glanced up the path and then back at her.
"What do you remember from the wedding?" she asked.
"I remember standing up at the altar and Greyson saying his vows. Then everything went completely chaotic. Three men in black suits ran down the aisle and grabbed you, and then Greyson chased after you."
Aurora nodded slightly and looked deeply into Vivian's eyes as if trying to connect with her on a level beyond the existence where they now stood.
"I need you to think about it again," she said softly, "Think about the wedding again and remember what you actually saw. Those weren't men that came in the middle of the ceremony."
Vivian narrowed her eyes at Aurora, confused by her words, but her best friend kept nodding at her as if guiding her into her thoughts. Continuing to stare at Aurora, Vivian forced herself to think back to the wedding two days before. In her mind, she could see the pristine ceremony location, the long white aisle runner, and Greyson standing at the end. She saw Aurora walking down the aisle and taking Greyson's hands in hers. Somewhere in her thoughts he said his vows, but the words didn't come through, just the muted sound of his voice overtaken by a steady, deep rhythm in the sky.
"Think about it, Vivian," Aurora whispered to her as if she could see what Vivian was seeing in her memories.
Vivian saw the three men running toward the aisle, and then the strange sound in the sky got louder and louder until it was all she could focus on, all she could perceive. When the image in her mind clarified again, the men were gone. In their place were three massive creatures. The one in the middle straightened and spread powerful wings, tilting its face to the sky and releasing a stream of fire that darkened the clouds and the smell of smoke and singed earth.
"Dragons," she gasped.
Aurora rubbed her arms and offered a gentle smile.
"Let me introduce you to my clan."