Shards of Hope – Ulrik & Eilish

Many readers know how much I love Ulrik. He was never supposed to be redeemed, but somehow, he proved to me that he could—and would—do exactly that. I loved writing TORCHED and watching Ulrik and Eilish’s romance develop. So, when I was asked to contribute a short story to benefit a charity, I knew immediately that it would involve Ulrik and Eilish.

I hope you enjoy this bonus short story!

Chapter One

Dreagan

Ulrik rolled over and reached for Eilish. His hand met the cool sheets of the bed. Instantly, his eyes were open. He looked from the empty spot beside him to the room at large, but his mate was nowhere to be seen. This was the fifth night in a row that he had reached for her and she wasn’t there. Usually, she was in the room, but not this time.

He threw off the covers and rose from the bed, grabbing a pair of sweatpants that he had discarded over a chair. He shoved his legs inside them and was out the door. Once in the corridor, he peered first one way, then the other. The manor was quiet with light coming from the moon spilling through the windows and the soft glow of a lamp from beneath the bottom of a couple of doors.

Ulrik knew Eilish wouldn’t disturb any of the other couples, but he was concerned enough to find her. He strode toward the stairs and looked over the banister. He caught a glimpse of her robe before it vanished out of sight. Ulrik launched himself over the rail and landed silently on the main floor.

He turned his head the direction Eilish headed and followed. Her silver robe billowed behind her as she walked through the moonlight as silent as a ghost. She paused outside the library and reached for the handle. Ulrik stilled, watching. Waiting. A red-orange glow of firelight seeped beneath the bottom of the doors. A feminine laugh sounded from within, followed by a deeper, masculine chuckle. Another Dragon King and his mate were inside. Eilish lowered her hand and continued walking. Ulrik followed her, his unease growing.

He started to call out to his mate when she diverted and headed into the conservatory. He was some twenty paces behind her when he slipped into the room. It was easy to spot her long, dark locks and the bright sheen of her silk robe among the greenery. As she meandered through the plants, her hand rose, fingers caressing each leaf and flower. The long, bell-shaped sleeves of the robe fell back to expose the winding tattoos on her arms, made of the same special red and blink ink that marked each King with their dragon tattoos. There were more of the winding tats on her legs. They were from a time when he had nearly lost her. She had been trapped… somewhere. They still didn’t know where it had been, but he’d found her and brought her back, none the worse for wear other than the new tattoos.

They didn’t bother her, or so she said. But Ulrik knew that she had received them for a reason. They might not know what that was yet, but he suspected they would eventually. What bothered him the most was how her tats were the same color as a King’s. Magic gave them their tattoos. Was that what had marked Eilish? Was that what kept her up?

Ulrik saw her profile when she turned to the side. Her beautiful face was pinched in worry lines. His heart clutched. What was wrong with his mate that she couldn’t tell him? They shared everything.

Or they usually did.

Something bothered her enough to keep her from sleep. And from telling him. That would end tonight. Whatever it was, they would deal with it. Together. It’s how they had defeated his uncle. It’s how they approached everything.

Ulrik cut through one of the aisles of plants and started toward her. The tall, potted trees prevented him from keeping his eyes on her. When he emerged, he saw her glide through the hidden door that exited into Dreagan Mountain, a place he and the other Dragon Kings used before and after their patrols of the sixty thousand acres they called home in the Scottish Highlands.

He trailed Eilish into the mountain. The tunnel was lit by the magic of the Dragon Kings. They could see as well in the night as during the day, but the mates didn’t have such an ability. Her steps were purposeful as she strode through the twisting shaft, passing openings that led to other tunnels and caverns they used for meetings, interrogations, and, not so long ago, even as a prison.

Eilish stopped once she the tunnel opened up to the cavern at the back of the mountain. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the massive opening that was vast enough for the largest of them—which included himself as King of Silvers, and King of Dragon Kings, Constantine—to fit through when they were in their true form. The cavern itself was enormous, with a ceiling that soared high above them and allowed natural light to spill in and showcase the dragon carvings that graced the walls. Many that he, himself, had etched into the rock.

She walked to one and stood before it. He hung back, watching curiously as she lifted a finger and traced the carving. When she sighed loudly and rested her forehead against the stone, he’d seen enough.

Ulrik came up behind her and covered her hand with his. Her head lifted and swung to him. He looked into her green-gold eyes and saw pain. “I think it’s time you told me what’s going on.”

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

At the strain he heard in her American accent tinged with Irish, he pulled her against him. She wound her arms about him and rested her cheek against his chest. Ulrik kissed the top of her head and tamped down the mounting unease.

“Whatever it is, lass, we’ll deal with it. Just tell me.” When she didn’t immediately reply, he said, “Please. I doona like you hurting. Let me help.”

“I’m not sure you can.”

“I know I can no’ unless you share what’s keeping you from sleep. And our bed.”

Eilish raised her head and met his gaze. “I fall asleep. That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is?”

“The dream.”

He frowned. “Dream. One dream?”

“The same every night for the last five.”

His stomach clenched in dread. “What is it?”

“A cave.”

Ulrik paused, wondering if he heard her right. “A cave? This cave?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Come,” he said and took her hand to lead her back to the manor. “We’re going to get you some tea so you can start at the beginning and tell me everything.”

She threaded her fingers with his. “I wasn’t excluding you. Or I didn’t mean to make it feel as though I was. I’m just…” She shrugged.

“I know, love,” he said and lifted her hand to kiss it.

They didn’t speak again until they were in the kitchen. Ulrik sat her at the table and heated the water in the electric kettle. He lifted two bags of loose-leaf tea, both of which had come from Zora, the realm where their dragons resided. The tea was crafted by Nia, a resident of Zora who fell in love with Shaw, the quietest of all the Kings.

“Lavender chamomile or matcha rose?” he asked.

She shrugged, not bothering to look at either. “You pick.”

Eilish loved tea. She chose her blends based on her moods. The fact that she was uninterested spoke volumes. Knowing his mate as he did, he made a cup of each. He leaned against the counter as they brewed. Eilish stared out the window with a faraway look, her dark waves falling becomingly against the silver of her robe. Beneath was a short slip of a gown in a slightly darker silver.

Ulrik added honey to both cups and brought them to the table. He sat the lavender chamomile before Eilish.

“Thank you,” she said and wrapped her hands around the cup. After she warmed them, she took a sip of the brew.

Ulrik folded his hands together atop the table and waited.

She licked her lips and played with the handle of the mug. “There isn’t much to tell. It’s a cave.”

“Describe it for me. We dragons tend to love caves. If I doona know of it, one of the others might. One way or another, we’ll find it.”

She took another drink, then set it aside and reached for his cup. After two sips, she wrapped her hands around the matcha rose blend, claiming it for her own. Ulrik grinned at her swap, but it wasn’t unusual.

“It’s dark and cold,” Eilish said, a small wrinkle marring her brow.

He frowned as she shivered, as if she stood in the cave at that very moment. “Is anything in there with you?”

“No. I’m alone. Something keeps bringing me to the cave, to that exact spot.”

“Can you see anything around you?”

“Rocks,” she stated, shooting him a flat look.

Ulrik rested his hand atop her arm. “Did you see an entrance?”

“There is light. It’s faint and coming from the side. In the dream, I try to turn toward it, but I can’t. I’m staring at a wall.”

“What’s on it?”

“Carvings.”

A fission of awareness shot through him. “What kind?”

“There’s no design to it. It’s like a child was let loose in there. Etchings on top of others. No discernable pictures or writing. At least none that I can make out.”

Ulrik sat back and dropped his hands into his lap. Shock reverberated through him. It couldn’t be. Surely not. He looked away as his mind struggled to make sense of what Eilish had told him. It had been eons of time, but no matter how much time passed, he’d never forget that cave. But…how could she know it? He’d told no one what he’d done within its walls.

And he wanted it to stay that way.

“The wind.” Her gaze slid to him. “I hear wind in the cave. It howls, as if I’m—”

“Verra high up.”

Her lips parted in shock. She searched his eyes for a long, silent minute. “Do you know this cave?”

Unfortunately. “Aye.”

“Where is it?”

“The Caucasus Mountains.” He had to be wrong. Please let him be wrong, but even as he silently said the words, he knew he wasn’t. Whether it was something to do with Eilish being a Druid, or the magic that welled up on Dreagan, she had been shown his cave.

She nodded firmly. “I need to see it in person.”

Blood rushed in his ears as dread soured his stomach. He broke into a cold sweat.

Eilish rose. “Let’s go now.”

“I-I’ll tell you where it is.” He could barely get the words out.

Slowly, she sank back down and studied him. “Tell me?” she repeated softly. “Why not take me?”

“I swore I’d never return. I willna. I can no’.”

Her face went slack, and she squeezed her eyes closed briefly. “Of course. It’s where you were during your banishment.”

He nodded, unable to speak.

“The dreams want to show me something. I need to go,” she told him. “I understand if you can’t. I wouldn’t want to return to a place like that either. But I have to go. There’s something there for me to see.”

“There’s nothing there.” He knew that for a fact.

She squeezed his hand. “I have to do this. I can’t explain why.”

Ulrik was so lost in memories that barely felt her lips on his as she kissed him. He watched her walk from the kitchen. He wanted to call her back, or to follow, but he couldn’t. Those horrible recollections had hold of him. He thought he had faced them and accepted the past, but he hadn’t. Not fully.

There was no reason for Eilish to see that cave, to see him at his worst. When madness had taken him. She would see how crazed his mind had been, how utterly unhinged. She might even discern how many times he had attempted to take his own life, only to continue to live. He had cursed the fact he was a King unable to be killed except by another King. He had cursed Con and the other Kings. He had cursed everyone and everything, his hate turning him into something that he hadn’t recognized.

That place was a reminder of everything he had lost. When he’d ventured from that cave the last time, he’d vowed never to return. In all the centuries since, he hadn’t.

He’d come back from that time of his life he wished he could erase. He had once more taken his place with the other Kings at Dreagan, and he had found his mate. He wasn’t that same person.

Or was he?

Was that what kept him away? Because the cave would show who he truly was? If Eilish saw, would she still love him? She could leave him and find another, but dragons mated for life. He was bound to her, heart and soul, for the rest of his life.

Ulrik stood up so fast the chair toppled backward. He rushed from the kitchen and took the stairs three at a time after her. He burst into their room to find Eilish dressed and putting on the silver finger rings that allowed her to teleport.

“Doona go,” he pleaded.

Chapter Two

Eilish had witnessed her mate in many circumstances, but she’d never seen him gripped by such trepidation. His breathing was rapid, and his eyes held a wild look about them that frightened her.

But his request cut her to her very soul.

Despite the many times they had spoken of his past, Ulrik was still held by it. The only way he would ever truly be free was when he faced it, and she wouldn’t force him. It would have to be on his own terms. She knew he’d get there eventually, but that wasn’t his issue tonight. It was about her seeing his past.

A part of him that remained forever, waiting for someone to stumble across it. He didn’t care if it was strangers. They would never know who had marked up the walls or what he had been through that brought him to such a place. No, his concern was her seeing it.

She walked to him and placed her hands on his chest. “I love you. Heart and soul, sweetheart. There is nothing from your past that scares me. You’ve told me all of it.”

“Telling is one thing. Seeing…is quite another.”

“You think I’ll look at you differently.”

A muscle jumped in his jaw. “I know you will.”

“Then you don’t know me at all if you believe that.”

He turned away, shaking his head. “You willna be able to help it.”

“It’s just some drawings.” She didn’t point out that she had seen some of them in her dream. That might make things considerably worse.

He halted with his back to her, his hands braced on the wall, as if that was all that held him up. “I might have…glossed over some things when I told of you of that time.”

“Do you remember when we met? You were still banished from Dreagan. You and Con so at odds that you wanted to challenge him for the position of King of Kings.”

“Aye. I recall all of that.”

“You told me then that you recognized the darkness I carried.” She walked to him but didn’t touch him. “You saw that darkness because you carried it as well.”

He turned his head slightly. “You might have had some, but it was nothing to what I possessed.”

“That darkness was anger, love. Rage and exasperation. And frustration. It might have consumed you for a time, but you set that aside. You joined Con and the other Kings to defeat your uncle. That decision led you back into the fold with your brethren. That’s why you were so lost and enraged. You need them. You need Dreagan.”

Ulrik blew out a breath and dropped his arms. Then, slowly, he faced her.

She cupped his face and stared into gold eyes as a lock of black hair fell over his forehead. He was a Dragon King. Commanding, powerful, cunning. Drop dead gorgeous. And hers. He had helped her through rough times. Just as she was going to be there for him now.

“I see you. The man who was betrayed by a lover, whose friends loved him so much they sought revenge on his behalf.”

“A dragon who began the war with the humans and ruined everything.”

She shook her head seeing some of the panic fade from his eyes. “That war would’ve happened eventually. That isn’t solely on you. And trust me, Con knew what he did when he and the other Kings searched for your lover. You know what else I see?”

His gaze searched hers. “What?”

“I see a man who was utterly lost once. His soul adrift in a world he didn’t understand or want. A man who came back from the very brink and found a path that he could walk. Maybe that path was originally set on bringing down his best friend, but in the end, that road led the two to reunite and wipe the past away. That path led you to me. To this very moment.”

His shoulders dropped as he pulled her against him. She held him tightly, pouring all of her love between them.

They remained like that for several moments. Then, Eilish said, “One day, you should face the cave and whatever hold it has over you. I think it’ll be what fully heals you so you can release the past once and for all.”

“Your right,” he whispered. “I’ll go with you.”

She pulled back and shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. You need to go on your own time. If it means that much that I don’t go until then, then I won’t. Not until you’re ready.” As much as her dreams were shouting at her to find the cave, she would ignore them for him. Because she loved him that much.

“You said you needed to see the cave,” Ulrik replied.

Eilish shrugged. “It can wait.”

“The dreams are trying to tell you something.”

“Maybe I’m reading too much into them.”

He gave her a stern look. “You’re a Druid, love. You never read too much into anything. We’ll go.”

“Honey, no,” she said, trying to hold him when he walked away.

He paused and looked at her. “You’re right about everything you said. I need to face the past.”

“Not tonight.” Why hadn’t she realized the cave still upset him? She should’ve seen it, should’ve recognized his hesitation. If only she would’ve kept her mouth shut about needing to go that night.

He grinned, his eyes filled with an abundance of love. “I’m verra lucky. Do you know why?”

“Why?” she asked suspiciously.

His smile widened. “Because I have a beautiful, intelligent Druid who stole my heart. We do this. Tonight.”

She started to argue, but he slipped out of her grip and walked to the closet to change. Within moments, he was back. He paused beside the bedside table and put on the silver cuff bracelet given to him by a Dark Fae imbued with their magic which allowed him to teleport.

It was a running joke among the Dragon Kings that the only two non-Fae at Dreagan who had that ability were mated. She never parted with her finger rings, but Ulrik was known to lend his bracelet to Kings who had need of it.

His shoulders lifted on a breath as he faced her. His features were set in determined lines as he returned to her side with a coat for her. Once she had it on, he held out his hand, waiting for her. Eilish eyed it as she considered refusing to go, but she knew that look in her mate’s eyes. Ulrik was going with or without her. There’s nothing on this Earth or any other realm that would prevent her from being with him in case he might need her. She slipped her hand in his.

“Prepare yourself,” he said as his fingers closed over hers.

In the next instant, they stood within a dark cave. The cold was the first thing that she acknowledged. The wind whistled against the cold stones, but her gaze was locked on Ulrik. His breathing was shallow, his hold on her hand tight.

“It’s just a cave. It’s just a place you spent some time,” she told him. “It has no hold over you.”

He squeezed his eyes shut as a shudder went through his body. “Being here brings it all back in horrifying detail.”

“Let’s go home. We’ll do this another time.”

“Nay,” he stated firmly. “I need a minute, is all.”

She kept her eyes on him, ready to return to Dreagan on a moment’s notice. But, as she watched, the tension began to ease from his body little by little. Eventually, he lifted his head and opened his eyes. He whispered something and his magic created light to fill the area.

“It’s just a place,” he murmured, repeating her words. “It’s just a cave.”

Her eyes burned with tears of pride. She couldn’t imagine the onslaught of emotions he experienced, but he stood his ground, once more proving why the magic of this world had chosen him as King of Silvers. His gaze began to move over the walls. He didn’t push away the emotions, but greeted each one, accepting it. Revulsion, alarm, panic. He flinched a couple of times, but gradually, it became easier for him to look at everything. Only then did she chance a look herself.

Her heart missed a beat when her eyes locked on the wall nearest her, because it was exactly as she had seen it in her dreams. Scribbles and marks that looked as if they might have been creating something before another image was drawn over it. A part of her wanted to try to discern each layer, but Ulrik tugged her after him as he ventured deeper into the cave.

That’s when the drawings became clearer, more concise. They were remarkably done. The skill alone was mindboggling. Most of what Ulrik carved were dragons. Different sizes and in different situations from flying to sleeping to battling. Some were as small as her hand and others taking up most of the wall. Among the dragons were carvings of deer and an eagle or two.

As beautiful as these were to behold, she didn’t know why she’d dreamed of this place. Perhaps there was nothing there for her. Maybe the dreams had been to remind Ulrik that he should come so he could heal fully.

Ulrik released her hand when he squatted down to peer at a carving near the ground. She walked around him to continue her perusal. All thought vanished like smoke when she found herself staring at…herself.

Her heart skipped a beat. She’d never felt so discombobulated before. Simultaneously like a rug had been snatched from beneath her as well as if a piece of a puzzle had snapped into place. Eilish reached out a shaking hand and touched the markings of a face that was so exact it was like looking in a mirror. “How is this possible?”

“I have no idea,” Ulrik said from beside her. “I drew everything, but I doona remember this.”

Eilish turned and looked at the opposite wall. There, among more dragons, was her face, again and again. Some smiling, some serious. Some in profile, some facing forward. But there was no doubt it was her.

This was what she was supposed to see. “What does this mean? Did you see someone who looked like me?”

“Nay. I hated humans. I didna go near them. And they never ventured here.”

She swung her head to him. “Does that mean…”

He met her gaze, shock reflected in his gold depts. “I saw you. Thousands of years before we were to meet, I knew your face. Every beautiful contour. I captured her courage, your beauty, and your power as precisely as you are.”

There was no refuting what she saw, but she could hardly wrap her head around it. She swallowed and looked at one of the carvings. There was only one explanation for this: they had been destined for each other all along.

“I need to see something,” Ulrik said.

She didn’t have time to respond before he teleported them again. The light was gone, leaving her bathed in inky darkness. Ulrik began to pull her after him. She went two steps before tripping.

“Wait,” she bade.

He might be fine striding in the blackness, but she wasn’t. Eilish called to her magic and readied a chant to create fire, but Ulrik beat her to it. Another small ball of light rose above them.

“Sorry,” he said with twisted lips. “I’m just in a hurry.”

“Where are we?”

“My ancestral home in the Andes Mountains.”

Another place he hadn’t been back to since the war with the humans. There was excitement in his eyes as he studied her, waiting for her approval. She nodded. “Lead the way.”

They set off with the light keeping pace with them overhead. The tunnel was large enough that she suspected Ulrik had traversed it in his true form. They didn’t walk long. He drew her into a tunnel that branched off to the right which led to a sizable cavern.

The light rose, setting the entire space aglow and showing that it was filled with carvings. More of Ulrik’s work. She grinned when she spied dragons. There also jaguars, llamas, and a condor or two.

“This way,” Ulrik said.

She forced her gaze away from the walls and followed him as he searched for something. She hungrily ate up every little nugget that she saw of his past as questions filled her mind. She had to bite her lip to keep them to herself until later.

Suddenly, he stopped and pointed to a place on the wall where she saw her face again.

“After the mortals arrived on the realm and we shifted for the first time, I came here and drew for hours,” he told her, his gaze locked on her drawing. “Half the time I didna know what I carved into the stone. It was here,” he said and tapped his head, “and I needed to get it out.”  He looked at her. “You were with me even then.”

Eilish looked back at her face carved in the stone, the eyes locked with hers. “Then we were destined.”

“Aye, love,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her. “It took eons to find you, though.”

“Pretty sure I found you.”

“Nay, lass. I did the finding.”

They shared a laugh as she slid her eyes to him. It was amazing—startling—to know that Fate or destiny or whatever was at work had known all along of their love. It proved that each person had to navigate tricky terrain before they could find their person, the one that was the other half of them. But once they were found, everything made sense.

Ulrik’s fingers caressed her face. “If you hadna dreamed of the cave, I would’ve never returned, and I would’ve never known that you’ve always been with me. Even in my darkest days.”

“That means you were always with me, too.”

He grinned. “We have proof. I wonder if any of the other Kings do?”

“I’d like to keep this our secret. This is ours.” She glanced at the carvings. “I’m not sure it was meant to be shared with others.”

“Anything you want. It was your love that helped save me.”

She grinned and slid her arms around his neck. “You were already on that road. You just didn’t know it. I only gave you a little push.”

“I knew from the first that you were my mate. This confirms it. If you had any doubts.”

“I never any doubts about you, our love, or our future. Now, shut up and kiss me.”

He chuckled. “Bossy, wench. I like it.”

“I know,” she whispered right before his lips claimed hers.

If you’ve enjoyed the Dark Kings series so far, be sure to grab the next book, Dragon Night, to find out what happens next!

And if you’ve finished the Dark Kings, don’t worry. The Dragon Kings spin off is ready for you to discover a whole new world with Dragon Revealed!