Her back arched as she stretched, her tail swiping across the dirt floor like a cat's. The last time I was here, she was hugely pregnant. Now, her belly was flat.
I shifted my gaze behind her, and my mouth dropped open.
“That’s a dragon egg.”
Samael nodded. “Scylla has passed her egg and will now stay in this cave until it hatches. She spent her pregnancy eating more food than she needed so she can stay with her baby until it has hatched. Come, Danica, introduce yourself to the dragon you tricked.”
I glowered at him, and he merely raised his eyebrow back. Fine. I took a few steps closer, until I was within touching distance of the dragon.
“Hi,” I said, shifting awkwardly on my feet. “My name is Danica.”
She stared at me for a long moment and then lowered her head. I went exceedingly still as she inched her head closer, watching me out of gold eyes.
She nudged at my hip, and I nodded. “Yeah, that’s the dagger. But Samael said I could have it.”
She blinked at that, her gaze shifting to Samael. He nodded at her and she let out a low growl. A drop of sweat slid down the back of my spine.
“Your hoard is still more than large enough,” Samael soothed. “If you like, I can bring you some more rubies. I know you enjoy them the most.”
Scylla let out a sound like a purr and I pinched my arm. Ow. Okay, so the dragoncouldunderstand everything we said. Great.
I glanced at Samael. His smile said he was very pleased by how this date was going. He should be. Screw a fancy dinner or a night at the movies. The way to this girl’s heart was through meeting a dangerous beast that could tear me into pieces.
“Would you like to stretch your wings?” Samael offered. “We will stay with your youngling.”
Scylla went still. She surveyed the egg, and then her eyes turned longing as she shifted her attention to the cave entrance. Torn between her responsibility to her kid and her desire for a few moments of freedom. Mom life in a nutshell.
She stared at me. That stare said that she wouldn’t hesitate to turn me into small pieces if I dared step any closer to her baby.
“I won’t go near your egg,” I promised. She shifted her gaze to Samael, and he nodded. He raised one hand and stroked along her neck, smiling as she closed her eyes. I was not jealous of a dragon, Goddamnit.
With a final warning look at me, Scylla ambled toward the cave entrance. The cave was much, much larger than it looked from the outside, but she still had to duck her head and tuck her wings in close to her body.
“She must trust you a lot to leave you with her baby.”
“Scylla and I have been bonded for centuries. She knows I would not harm her young. Come with me.”
He turned and I followed him toward his hoard. The first time I’d seen it, I’d nearly swallowed my tongue. The benefit of knowing what was coming hadn’t dulled my shock.
Demons bonded with dragons by offering them a hoard to guard. And Samael had been alive for more than enough time to build incredible wealth. He likely considered this to be little more than a few trinkets.
It was definitely more than a few trinkets.
I’d seen it once before, but I’d been desperate to get Misty and get out of here. Now, I took a moment to simply stare.
Last time, I’d seen one small section of the hoard and nearly swallowed my tongue. I’d seen the strands of Persian pearls, dangling from hooks along one stone wall, the luminous glow muted against the fiery flash of rubies.
Loose diamonds spilled from a muslin bag on the floor, and gold coins the same color as Scylla’s eyes were stacked in at the back of the cave.
The sword I’d admired was still here. It looked like the kind of sword a mythical knight had taken into one of the great battles. Crowns, brooches, rings, bracelets, it was all here. And it was a sensory overload.
Samael was silently scanning his hoard. I was too busy staring at an antique letter opener to pay him any attention.
“The diamonds around your neck are tiny.”
I frowned.
“Diamonds?” I dropped my gaze but all I could see was my lanyard. Oh no, he wouldn’t have…
