Ghoul cackles in my head.“Oh, you sly, sly snakelet. Creature of my heart and soul.”
I rake my eyes over The Collector’s perfect skin as she no doubt plots her revenge on me. Crocodile skin, impenetrable even to bullets.
“Lorian is dead,” she says far too quickly, and I see the lie hovering around her like a black spot with my shark’s eyes. “He succumbed to the injury you couldn’t heal. Perhaps Boneweaver healing isn’t as powerful as we all thought.”
“Perhaps,” I sigh wistfully. “Perhaps my other powers are starting to take precedence.” I scratch the side of my mouth with my left thumb, the barest hint of my fangs showing as my lips part.
Clasping my hands in front of me, I try not to look at my mates, who only have eyes for the floor as they’ve no doubt been ordered. The rest of the beasts follow my every movement with bated breath. Just waiting for a weakness. Just waiting for blood to spill. I step forwards and hold out my hand. “Well played, Lady Crocodylus.”
Her eyes drop down to my hand, and I watch her make quick calculations about my intentions. Would ignoring my hand be perceived as a power move? But if she doesn’t, she might look weak. Might look too scared to touch me. She gives in, puffing out another plume of bitter smoke before lazily holding out her hand.
I grin with my teeth as I take her hand, squeezing just the polite amount. “A less than worthy adversary,” I say softly. My palm tingles, and I watch the smile slide off her face before I let go.
As my heart squeezes with pain, as my soul screams with rage and torment for my mates, I do what must be done. I turn my back on them all and leave.
Chapter 17
Xander
Girl with One Eye – Florence and the Machine
It’s hard to describe how I feel right now.
Aurelia had come for us. Come like some goddess of old. Like an otherworldly creature, her power thrumming in the currents of the air for all to feel. It had thrown Katerina, I could tell. Naked and glorious, with her eyesaflame, I thought I would pass out. It had been enough to pull Scythe out of the curse, just for a moment. Hell, it had made me want to tear off my collar and leap over to her, covering her body with my hands, so the disgusting creatures here would stop clawing their eyes all over her precious skin. She didn’t even try to cover herself. Didn’t even seem like she cared about her lack of clothing.
I’ve known love for my mother, my sister, and the hatchlings, but the way IlovedAurelia in the moments she stood there, the way I felt proud of her, is like something else. Something that was made in fire-blown stars far beyond this earth and now sits glowing in my chest. Something I feel solely for her. Even stripped bare, she was a force to be reckoned with and shestood alone, without backup, and stood her ground, goading The Collector, challenging her.
Then she shook her hand, and I thought the tension in the room would snap like sheet metal. Only it didn’t. Until she left and everyone loosed a breath.
Now Katerina tries to collect herself. Her heart was pounding at first. Perhaps she was worried it would test the curse. Perhaps she was worried Aurelia would shed blood tonight. If it weren’t for my warning and Ghoul’s…whatever you call that, she may have.
And a fucking unicorn? More than one group is muttering about it now. I knew The Collector had rare creatures stowed away, but a unicorn is actually insane. The dragons will riot. I’d not felt any strange presences or magics back at the compound, unless this Lorian is far, far underground.
Annoyed that I have no one to problem-solve this with, I glance over at the serpent’s lounge, where three of Mace’s generals are pouring drinks like this is a party. One of them is cleaning his nails with a fang and I scowl.
“Did you know she had a unicorn?”I ask Ghoul.
He doesn’t react physically, continuing to pour his whiskey.“Are we friends now? Did you miss me, dragon? Shall we fuck our regina together again?”I send him the mental image of a finger and he settles back in his armchair, those shadows smoking around him in lazy curls.“God she was beautiful, wasn’t she? Couldn’t even tell your dad broke her leg clean off until she came up?—”
I don’t know whether it’s the tension or the curse of seeing Aurelia tonight, but I take my earphones out and throw them to the floor. Red fills my vision, and I lunge for Ghoul with a roar, yanking Katerina with me via my chain. Metal digs into my neck, but I savour it as I wrap my hands around Ghoul’s throat and squeeze.
He chokes or laughs, I can’t tell, but his fangs are in my face before theothertype of red fills my vision. My head sears like it’s being burnt and the scent and sensation triggers me. I rear back with a snarl, ready to rip heads off, but that pain comes again and I know it’s the fucking basilisk eyes. I fall flat on my back, groaning in old pain that’s bringing back memories I can’t bear. Not without my brothers, not without my regina.
“Control your beasts,” Ghoul says, brushing off his sleeve from the armchair he never left. “This doesn’t look good for you. I’m telling Mace.”
“Tell him all you want,” Katerina says before someone shoves my earphones back into my ears. “We’re leaving.” She gives me a scathing look before addressing my brothers in a haughty command. “Savage, Scythe, Lyle, Xander, move out.”
“Ooh,”Ghoul’s voice jeers in my head.“She’s just been bursting at the seams to say that in front of an audience.”
I snort in disgust and scrape myself off the floor to follow. Someone yells so the entire floor can hear. “Say hi to the unicorn for us!”
Katerina holds out until we reach the carpark. Then, what we see tips her over the edge. One of the three Jeeps we rode in is a tangled mess of squashed metal. It and a few other cars look exactly like a dragon used them as a landing pad. That explains the noise we heard before. It’s a nice way to make an entrance and it makes my heart glow to see Katerina shriek into the sky, her hands rigid fists by her sides.
We were going to spend the night in the city. Some romantic vision of hers. But with her secret unicorn now out in the open, she can’t afford to leave her property. She sends one of her males to procure a new vehicle and climbs into a surviving Jeep, taking Scythe’s hand in a way that makes me want to rip hers off. Like they’re newlyweds or something. I get beckoned to join her.Savage and Lyle have to squash in the back with Sav sitting one of his ass-cheeks on my knee, hunched over.
“This is ridiculous,” I inform her.
“If you don’t like it, you can ride on the top,” she snaps, eyes slightly wild.
