I pick up on Maven’s subtle footfalls and glance over as she walks into the hall with the bathroom. She looks at my mom, her brow furrowing as she clearly heard that last part.
“Let me guess. Bounty hunters.”
My mom nods.
Maven’s lips press together. “I’m sorry I led them here. I doubt they’ve given up, so we’ll need to leave soon.” My mom starts to protest, but Maven quickly adds, “We have another mark to get to, anyway.”
The commander sighs. “All right. Like I said, all my kids like to fly the coop before I’m ready for it. But before you leave…remember I wanted to show you something the other night? I would still like to show you.”
“Lead the way.”
Maven and I follow my mom as she leads us past the kitchen and toward what my family has always jokingly called the War Room but is really the commander’s office. Silas and Everett fall into step with us quickly. We step into the spacious room, which is mainly filled with a massive table painted with a sprawling map of the world.
Only right now, it’s also covered in a shit-ton of little game board-like pieces and erasable marker drawings.
I frown when I see a cluster of five white pieces inside my parents’ land on the map. One of them is marked “telum.”
“Is that us?” I ask.
My mom nods and starts to say something else, but Crypt steps out of fucking nowhere and promptly dips Maven, kissing her deeply like he just got back from war.
Although, I guess with his curse, maybe he did. There’s a spray of blood on his boots, not to mention a bloodied rip in the calf area of his pants. His markings are glowing faintly.
There’s my girl,he says telepathically, grinning as they straighten.
He tosses me a testy look, his purple gaze flicking briefly between the matching mating marks healing on both my and Maven’s necks before he speaks through the bond again.
I considered all kinds of uses for dragon leather over the last couple of days. But seeing as how I possibly drove your dragon a bit mad in Limbo, we’ll call it even.
Thanks, buddy,I tease.
He rolls his eyes.We’ll make friendship bracelets later, right before we make an Eiffel Tower with Maven.
An Eiffel…? Oh—got it.
I’m down if she is,I grin.
Maven is clearly confused about what we're talking about, which reminds me that there are gaps in her knowledge about the mortal realm. There's a big chance she's never heard of the Eiffel Tower.
Hellion, that's when we're on either end of you and–I start to explain telepathically.
“Oh, my gods. Baelfire Finbar Decimus, why didn’t you tell me about this?” my mom demands, looking between us…because we’ve clearly been having a totally silent, telepathic conversation.
Oops.
“I knew your dragon was different—it’s because your curse is gone. You’re bonded?” she demands, looking at Maven in fascination. “How is that possible?”
“Because we’re fucking perfect together,” I say confidently at the exact same time Maven mutters, “Because the gods are playing games.”
Games? What is she talking about?
My mom obviously has questions, but when Maven changes the subject, pointing out the dark marker on the board and asking if it represents the Nether, the commander focuses.
“Yes. As you can see, ever since Del Mar’s death, it has grown steadily to encompass more land area. The human government is now in full crisis mode with their military on standby past these markers,” she points at a few dots on the map and then gestures at a few other green markers on the West Coast. “These are cities where emergency aid is available for those evacuating from the East Coast.”
We all examine the map. Silas tips his head, motioning at Alaska.
“You have the Sanctuary marked.”
