But if he catches feelings for her and his curse hurts her, my dragon has full permission to eat him. Or roast him. I'm good with whatever.
"You still owe me scales," Silas mutters beside me, low enough that only I'll hear.
I do a double-take. Is he fucking serious?
He is. This asshole really thinks he's entitled to my dragon scales. As if that's even important—I know he wants them for fancy spells or some shit, but how the fuck is he even still thinking about that bet when we all saw how it hurt Maven?
"Not happening, dickhead."
"So, you're openly admitting that the word of a Decimus means nothing?" Silas snarks.
Irritation prickles over me. I can take a lot of shit, but not jabs at my family. My family is anythingbutdishonest. I bare my teeth at him.
"I said it's not. Fucking. Happening. You should have already groveled your ass off for Maven's forgiveness for ever suggesting that bet in the first place, you insensitive prick."
"I did." He pins me with scarlet eyes. "Fine. If you refuse to honor the first agreement, name another price."
Name my price?
Wow. He must be really desperate.
That gets my attention, and I glance ahead to check that Everett and Maven are still out of earshot. We're almost out of the woods as we pass a smoldering, charred section where a fire elemental or fire spell got out of hand. We skirt a couple of lumps of charcoal that might've been legacies at one point.
"Why the hell do you want them so bad?" I demand.
"That's my business."
"Does it have something to do with your curse? Maven? Some random spells you want to try? Just spit it out."
Silas clenches his jaw and looks forward. "I can't."
"Because you're a shady little prick," I huff.
"Because I swore I wouldn't, and I can't tell a lie."
I flip him the bird. "My scales, my rules. I'm not giving you jack shit until I know what it's for."
"I hate you," he mutters.
"Right back at you."
20
MAVEN
It'sdifficult to ignore the fresh wave of intoxicating, destructive magic humming through my veins while Coach Gallagher begrudgingly awards us points for winning against the rival quintet.
Other matched quintets emerge one by one from Everbound Forest, most heavily injured and exhausted and some missing entirely. I'm aware that my blood-splattered appearance is earning some suspicious looks, just as I'm aware of how Silas subtly steps in the way to block me from their sight. He's clearly put together that I don't want other legacies to know how dangerous I am.
Finally, combat class is over, and everyone limps back to the castle. Some are carried or dragged by their quintet members. As they do, I spot the real Monica with her quintet out of the corner of my eye. She leans heavily on a fae girl with lavender hair and cries quietly.
Whatever happened, I'm just glad she's alive.
I still need to track down Harlow and get answers, but that will have to wait until tomorrow after I've safely gotten Kenzie back.
As we step back into the vaulted stone hallways of the castle, Baelfire flags, pausing to brace himself against the wall like his head is spinning. Seeing him weak from the attack makes my fists clench. The puncture wounds all over his skin have healed, but he makes for a gruesome sight, with shredded, red-soaked clothes and blood all over. When a couple of legacies passing by take notice and approach, trying to talk to the overwhelmingly popular Decimus, my dragon shifter snarls at them, and they scamper away.
My dragon shifter.
