“So, what exactly happened today?” Lord asks once we’re all together.
“I fucked up,” Mac says. “Isn’t that what I do? The family screwup?”
“Hey, bro,” Arson says, a slight tone of amusement in his voice. “You’re being hard on yourself. Besides, we all know I’m the family screwup.”
“No one is a screwup.” Lord rubs one of his temples. “We’ve all had our share of troubles.”
Mac scoffs at that. “Really? What have you ever done?”
Everyone, mates included, turns to Lord in anticipation of his answer. I can’t remember a time when he’s done anything out of line. Not Lord. That’s why we let him basically run things. It’s his thing.
“Specifics aren’t important,” Lord deftly answers. “What is important is that you’re not alone. You have us and our experience to guide you through it, but you have to let us help you.”
“I’m here, right?”
“Yes, a smart decision, but according to Lake, you stomped off on your own in an unprotected area.”
Mac huffs a puff of smoke, shooting dagger eyes at Lake, who raises his hands in protest.
“Hey, don’t get mad at me for making sure you don’t get hurt. Do you understand what your brothers would do if something bad happened to you? There’d be no more demon realm when they were done with it.”
“I don’t see how that’s a problem,” Mac mutters.
But the very idea of destroying the realm Montrose comes from disrupts my peace, and another wave of scales flashes across my chest and neck, drawing a raised eyebrow from Lord. I avert my eyes quickly, hoping to avoid questioning later.
“What did the demon do when he was chasing you?” Nico asks, thankfully redirecting the conversation.
“I could hear him laughing,” Mac says, visibly shivering. “Like he was taunting me. I felt so… vulnerable. He could just snatch me, and I wouldn’t see it coming.”
Guilt washes over me. My little bro is terrified, being stalked by a demon, and all I can do is get horned up for Montrose.
“That’s not going to happen,” Hemingway growls.
“You guys can’t see him either,” Mac says. “Right, Tino?”
“I couldn’t, but I could smell him.”
“So could I, but big deal.” Mac huffs. “I’m so fucked. I really screwed up this time.”
“What exactly did you do to this demon?” Lord asks, his tone softening. “It’s time to fess up so we can truly help.”
Mac shifts in his seat, his face contorting with embarrassment. He’s unable to control his emotions as well as we can, and his muted scales, still not at full color, ripple across his arms.
He slides his hand into his pocket, producing a thick band of gold with gems of different colors embedded in it. As he twirls it between his fingers, my own dragon pushes to the surface, desperate to get closer to the pretty ring.
“Give me that,” I say, snatching it from Mac before I even have time to process my reaction to it.
Once I’m holding it, feeling its weight and able to see the intricate details of it up close, a new, very confusing sensation takes over. My dragon purrs, curling up and flicking its tail, oddly soothed by the trinket.
“You stole a ring from a demon?” Arson asks, a smirk on his face as he looks at Dray. “We haven’t even done that.”
“Give it back,” Mac demands.
“No chance,” I whisper, sliding it onto my index finger. It fits perfectly, so I know it’s too big for Mac. “It needs to be returned to Xazedose.” I shudder as the words leave my lips.
Mine.
My dragon’s feelings about the ring are loud and clear. What is going on? It’s pretty, but I’ve seen and currently own many pretty rings. I tilt my hand back and forth, watching the gems catch the light with satisfaction.
