“I suppose the Vampire in question must find a human worth biting so many times,” Griffin murmured, smiling at her.
“Not now.” Megan blushed and slapped him playfully on the arm. “Anyway, humans who can be changed are called Mutatios. But they’re really rare. You have to have the Semina Magnitudine—the Seeds of Greatness—inside you to begin with or it can never happen.”
“And then the seeds have to be activated,” Avery went on, picking up where Megan had left off. “Usually by some traumatic event in your life.” He looked at me. “In your case, the fire that took your parents.”
“But then why didn’t she turn into a Drake right away?” Emma asked. “Why did she have to become a Made Nocturne first?”
“I don’t believe Kaitlyn could have become a Drake without being a Nocturne first,” Megan said thoughtfully. “She needed that period of time where she was living exclusively off a Drake’s blood to help complete her transformation from human to Nocturne to Drake. It was the only way her body could make such a drastic change.”
“That’s also why you couldn’t heal her scars—even with your Blood Magic,” Avery pointed out to Megan. “Because they were marks of transition—they weren’t meant to be healed, they were meant to be changed.”
“Your theory would certainly explain why my Drake was so instantly attracted to Kaitlyn,” Ari said thoughtfully. He had been sitting quietly beside me, holding my hand as I talked to my Coven-mates. “He sensed these ‘seeds of greatness’ in you.” He smiled at me. “Of course, he couldn’t put that into words. And all I knew was that there was something special about you, L’lorna—though I couldn’t put my finger on it. But you stole my heart completely and never gave it back.”
“Ari…” I blushed and smiled at him, squeezing his hand under the table.
“So are you going to go back and be the Queen of the Drakes?” Emma asked curiously.
I shook my head.
“Not right away. Ari’s father is still ruling. He just had to crush a coup attempt so it’s not a good time for him to hand the throne over.”
“Not that I want it, yet,” Ari said, shrugging. “I am quite happy and content to spend a few more years here at Nocturne Academy. Besides, I have to look after my cousin and my little sister, Jalli.”
As if mentioning her had called her to us, Jalli herself appeared carrying a tray and right behind her was Saint, making certain she didn’t trip or fall. Jalli still had her odd, hopping way of walking so the contents of her tray were in constant jeopardy, but it wouldn’t be a problem much longer…
The morning after the Battle of the Feasting Hall, as it was being called, Ari’s father had called both me and Saint before him in the Audience Chamber.
“You have both had a hand in saving the Sky Lands from a base usurper,” he said, formally nodding to Saint and me as he stood on the golden dais. “Santiago, you brought my brother and his Drakes to save us from Sanchez and the traitorous Chamberlains who followed him in his treachery. And you, Kaitlyn,” he said, looking at me, “Persevered the lives of my lovely queen and of my most beloved daughter, Jalissa.”
Saint and I both bowed and I had thought the ceremony of thanks was over. But the Alpha Drake had surprised me by speaking again.
“It is my wish to grant you both a boon,” he said to us. “You may have anything you ask as long as it is within my power to grant it. Now, name your desire. Kaitlyn, you may speak first.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say that I didn’t want or need anything. My scars had been replaced by the lovely bronze scales and I was Blood-Bonded to the love of my life. But then a movement in the shadows happened to catch my eye.
Little Jalli was hiding behind a tall curtain behind the dais, peeking out. The look on her face was so wistful it made my heart squeeze in my chest. Without giving myself time to think about it, I said,
“Your Majesty, for my boon, I would like to take your daughter Jalli back to the human world with me for a little while. She can attend Nocturne Academy where Ari and I can keep an eye on her and she can have the surgery on her foot that she needs to walk without limping.” I bowed to him again. “That is what I wish for, with all my heart and there is nothing else I want from you.”
When I came up from the bow, I saw a strange mix of emotions on Ari’s father’s face. There was anger there but also wonder and surprise. He seemed to take a moment to master himself. Finally, he said,
“You use your one boon for another, Kaitlyn? You might have asked for half my kingdom or to be crowned queen immediately.”
“I don’t want any of that,” I said firmly. “I just want Jalli to be healed. I know…” I cleared my throat. “I know what it’s like to live with a…problem. I’ve been healed since being here in the Sky Lands—I want to take Jalli back with me so she can have the same experience in the human world.”
The Alpha Drake frowned.
“We have never held with human practices or believed in human medicine here in the Sky Lands. It often does more harm than good.”
“You’re thinking of the state of human medicine back when your people came through the rift in Spain hundreds of years ago,” I said earnestly. “Please believe me, Your Majesty—it’s changed a lot. There are doctors and surgeons who specialize only in curing club foot, which is what Jalli’s condition is called. They can heal her and she’ll be able to walk and run normally the rest of her life.”
At that moment, Jalli apparently
