“And you promise to help us?” Jason said, eyeing the dragon.
The dragon snorted, a low growl rumbling behind the red and black glint of her scales.
“I promise. For the love of the goddess, our blood is my priority. We are both werewolves. We can work out our differences. Give me a chance to prove to you I’ve changed.”
Alex couldn’t be trusted. He was in league with the dragon, likely planning to give her the amulet in exchange for his own life. But as Selene crawled out of her prison behind him, Jason knew he couldn’t save her on his own.
And then the dragon stilled, its throat swallowing and its chest glowing red with burgeoning flames. “Jason! I’ve been locked in a jar for months. I’ll never outrun her. If you want to make it out of here alive, you’d best throw me that damned amulet!”
On impulse, Jason removed the amulet from his neck and tossed it to Alex.
“No!” Selene yelled from behind him. “What are you doing?”
25
Flashing a wicked grin, Alex snatched the amulet from the air and looped it around his neck. The dragon’s mouth opened and fire raged toward him.Pulse. The flames flowed around Alex as if he were safely locked inside an asbestos bubble.
When the dragon ran out of juice, Alex was left standing among whiffs of steam that curled from the floor. A deep, psychotic laugh echoed through the chamber. “Oh, my dear Nickelova, you have always been full of hot air.”
The amulet pulsed again and Jason stared in disgust as the dragon was skinned alive. In a wave of angry screams, blood and gore and the break of bones, the reptile was transformed back into a woman. Nickelova lay helpless and naked at his feet, weeping in pain.
“You thought you could replace me.” Alex spat in her face. “You fucking bitch.” His foot connected with her ribs.
“You were weak. I thought you might die. I needed help to continue our plan,” she whimpered.
He snorted. “Our. Plan. Key words, Nickelova. Do you know I could see and hear everything in that pickle jar you locked me inside? Don’t lie to me. You wanted Jason from the start. Enjoyed his company a little too much when you were doing my dirty work at Hunt Club.” He gripped a fistful of her hair and pulled her head off the ground only to slam it back into the floor.
“Hey!” Jason yelled. “If you’re going to kill her, do it.” He couldn’t stand to watch him beat her, no matter what she’d done.
Nickelova’s lips parted. “See? He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.”
Alex shook his head. “Ever since we were kids, all the ladies loved Jason. And who are you, sweetheart?” he said to Selene. “Flavor of the month?”
“Don’t talk to her.” Jason glared at him. “Don’t even look at her.”
“I’m a fair man,” Alex said, his steely eyes flashing in the firelight like a madman’s. “A man of my word. I told you I’d help you slay the dragon in exchange for the amulet, and here I am making good. Just one more thing to do.” The amulet pulsed and Alex plunged his hand straight into Nickelova’s chest.
For the rest of his life, Jason would remember the scream. Nickelova’s mouth opened and a high-pitched shriek erupted from her lips, with an edge that seemed to slice right through him.
“By the goddess,” Selene murmured. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her turn away, unable to watch the horror happening before them.
Alex squeezed and pulled, the tear of flesh and crack of bone making Jason feel almost as ill as the painful gurgle that came from Nickelova’s parted lips. The svelte blonde turned her face toward Jason and held out one hand in a plea for help.
“Please,” she begged. But there was nothing Jason could do, even if he’d wanted to help the woman who’d threatened his pack, his love, and his life.
Alex tore Nickelova’s heart from her chest, sending her toppling to the floor, writhing in pain. As he raised the heart above his head, blood ran in rivulets down his arm. The heart was not the soft, beating organ of a human, but a sparkling jewel, a gigantic red ruby that glinted between Alex’s fingers in the firelight. A bright pulse at the center beat with a steady rhythm.
The wound in Nickelova’s chest would have been fatal in any other creature, but not in a dragon fae.
“Look,” Selene said, grabbing his hand.
The hole in Nickelova’s chest filled, flesh knitting together magically. The bleeding stopped. The wound transformed from bright red to pale pink. Whimpering, she crawled away from Alex, curling into a ball against the far wall.
Alex’s eyes fell on Jason and Selene. “I could kill you. With the smallest effort, I could shatter you like glass. But I’m a man of my word.” He pointed at Nickelova. “She’s mortal now. Kill her or leave her to die, I don’t care. I don’t need her anymore. But this makes us even. And next time I see you, Jason, all bets are off.”
Alex headed for the mouth of the cave. Jason followed at a distance until both of them were staring out through the blowing snow. “It’s almost nightfall,” Alex said into the wind, not bothering to turn and look at Jason. “I wouldn’t dally if I were you. If your wolf runs straight down the mountain, he might make the portal before it closes. Her mountain is in Siberia. The only reason you’re here is because her magic transported you here. And I’m about to leave with her magic.”
“You need to give us time to get out,” Jason said. “I don’t know the way. I’m not sure my wolf will know how to reach the portal.”
