The two males shared a long look before Blade pointed to the bag. “I went ahead and packed a few things for a couple-day trip—rations, water, weapons. Not that a big, strong male like you isn’t weapon enough already, but you can never be too careful. I know how much you hate humoring assholes, but who doesn’t love another unscheduled adventure?”
Onyx’s jaw ticked, his eyes molten. “And why are you delivering this message instead of Void if it was him who Artemis reached out to?”
“He’s dealing with the dragons we found in the Borderlands. Might be connected to the Stormriders. You know how he gets when he works,” Blade cut in, visibly shuddering. Then he aimed his charming smile at me. He took my hand in his before kissing the top of it. “Hello there, gorgeous. Fancy a little Blade time while Mr. Snarls here is away doing boring political bullshit?”
I giggled by accident because the nickname was beyond fitting and I hadn’t expected to hear it. When I did, Onyx dragged me into his side, and the sound that left him was so wild and deranged even his flirtatious brother who had nothing to truly fear took a couple steps back.
“I’ll deal with it.” Onyx shouldered the bag with clear irritation. “And you’ll keep your bloody fucking hands to yourself, or I’ll use a dull knife to cut them off,” Mr. Snarls warned.
Oh gods, the name was too good, too perfect. I liked it too much, and I feared I’d never be able to call him anything else in my head.
Blade’s eyes went wide for a few seconds before a devious grin split his face. “So Iris wasn’t wrong. Oh, things around here are about to get very fun. I can’t fucking wait.” Arm over his waist,the other demon bowed. Yeah, he was definitely an asshole. “My Liege, I’ll eagerly await your return. The location has been sent to your phone, but I’m sure you’ll just continue to scream at me over our mind link until you’re out of range.”
Mind link? I’d never heard of it. Was that another device they used? Maybe I’d chance asking him at some point.
Onyx exhaled a tired sigh and led me the opposite direction of his room. We made it out to a courtyard, but it was an area I’d never seen before. A massive stretch of barren land met my glance everywhere I looked, its purpose not immediately clear.
My demon turned to me, jaw clenched and arms folded. “There are things we need to discuss, but it’ll unfortunately need to wait. We can’t discuss anything out here, and certainly not tomorrow in Black Mountain. But wewilldiscuss it. Until then, I’ll need you to trust me. If I could leave you behind, I would.”
“Why aren’t you?” I found myself asking. “I could stay with Iris if you’re—”
“No,” he said with all the authority of someone who commanded armies. “I won’t let any harm come to you, trust that much, but I can’t let you out of my sight.”
“Because you believe what that asshole said? Vektor, was it?” I asked, surprised when my chest burned with guilt and regret.
Because Iwasa spy. Worse, I’d planned to assassinate one of them if given the chance. Now I wasn’t sure what I’d do. I needed to know more about my sector before I made any hasty decisions.
The powerful male in front of me stepped closer and tipped my chin with a finger so our eyes met. “Because I know far more about the people you call Rebels and leaders than you do. I know what they’re willing to do to their people to feed their own power and greed, little Moon Beast.” His thumb passed over my bottom lip, his striking eyes a deep current I could get lost in. “When we return, you and I will speak at length with Iris, and you’llunderstand what I mean. You might not trust me, but you trust her, yeah?”
“Yes,” I breathed the truth of it for the first time, mouth moving against his thumb. The relief it gave me to acknowledge my faith in Iris was worth any consequence it earned me.
His gazed dropped to where my mouth met his thumb. “Good. That’ll have to be enough for now.”
Despite everything I’d been taught about dragons, I wanted to trust Onyx and Iris. It wasn’t a coincidence Iris reminded me of my sister. It wasn’t a coincidence Onyx chose to save me when he’d been given every reason to kill me. In that hopeful part of my heart I’d buried with my sister, it felt like fate.
My throat was dry, and I was overcome with the sudden urge to kiss him, but Onyx backed away before I could.
After setting the duffle bag on the ground, his shape throbbed and pulsed. The sky above us crackled. Lightning streaked across the cloudless expanse out of nowhere. Oddly, it reminded me of the wind that happened in Onyx’s room that first day. My eyes went to the sky before they fell and a huge beast straight out of my nightmares appeared in front of me.
The massive creature had all black scales with hints of metallic blue when it moved, four powerful clawed legs, and tapered, leathery wings. The many colors of dusk along its dark, looming shape struck a haunting visage. It took all the air in my lungs. I’d never felt so small staring at something until this moment.
The beast was easily half the size of the castle, larger than I ever imagined them being. Any time I caught sight of them in the sky, they didn’t seem so large. But this creature in front of me couldn’t be replicated by imagination or dream.
Even as terrifying as it was, when it cocked its head to one side and huffed at me through flared nostrils, I smiled and found the ginormous beast nothing short of adorable. Whether it was shock or stupidity, I couldn’t be entirely sure.
Should I be worried about myself for finding this huge monster cute? Probably.
The air throbbed with power as the beast lowered its horned head and breathed over the earth. Dirt kicked up around me in a mystical vortex, sparkling in dusk like magic, and I watched it in awe. Luminous blue eyes broken apart by black and barely-there slivers of silver settled on me as I chased the sparkling twister with an excited stare and soft smile.
I wanted to laugh, or maybe cry. I thought the first time I saw a dragon in person, I’d want to run away. But in front of Onyx’s beast, unrecognizable emotion rose into my throat and my heart beat hard and fast. Not with fear, but with excitement.
His dragon I wanted to touch and understand. I wanted to rub my cheek over its fierce scales and sense the enormity of its power against my skin. His dragon, like Onyx’s intense ocean eyes, was a current I couldn’t escape. A current I didn’t want to escape.
Then the creature slowly stretched out its wing. A deep, familiar voice rumbled through my head. It wasn’t exactly his. It was closer to those times when he was angry, but I recognized it immediately.
Come here, little Moon Beast. Use my wing to get onto my back and find a comfortable place to sit,Onyx growled.
Was he in my head?
