“The other option is we retrieve the dagger and use it to kill Maggard. It’s a bit of karmic justice really.”
Kill Maggard? I have no cause unless he does something to me directly, and I can’t even prove he’s the one who’s actually after me.
“What’s wrong?” Tino asks, rubbing my back.
“Demon code shit.”
“Talk to me.”
I shake my head as Lord’s intense gaze lands on me.
“You’re caught in the middle,” Lord says, his voice soft with sympathy. “Is that it?”
I nod as my stomach flips. “Maggard is a piece of shit, but he’s a demon. I’m supposed to protect and defend my own, like you guys do.”
Tino’s grip on my hand tightens.
“But I care about all of this.” I have no idea why. “I don’t want to see Mac hurt. Any of you. What you’re proposing is dangerous. Wherever you go to confront Maggard, topside or in my realm, armies of demons will rush to his aid, no matter what we think of him.”
“But we’ll have the dagger,” Lord says. “That’s quite the advantage, isn’t it?”
I nod as visions of murder and mayhem flow from the dragons to me. I lean into it, letting it coat my tongue and my insides.
“We won’t ask you to join us,” Lord continues, “but we must ask that you don’t intervene and warn Maggard.”
I scoff at that. “Warn him? Maggard will torch me alive the second he sees me. I’m pretty sure he’s already tracking my scent.” I shift my gaze to Valentino and find his dragon watching me. An emotion rolls off him that I can only describe as possessiveness. As it washes over me, my eyes flutter. “I’ve chosen my loyalty. May Hades grant me mercy, but it’s time Maggard’s hold over us was over. I’ll take you to my realm. It’ll be easier if I come with you.”
“Thank you,” Tino whispers.
This may be the last choice I make, but if I have to die, I’d rather it be in the dragon’s arms than anywhere else. And this time, I can’t convince myself it’s the pheromones talking.
Chapter Eighteen
VALENTINO
“It’s settled then,” Nico says with a low growl in his voice. “Mac is going to go get this magic dagger and then we’re all going to storm into hell and slay some demon ass.”
Dempsey makes an excited little squeak and Hem raises an eyebrow, wrapping a protective arm around his mate.
“Allmeaning all the dragons or otherwise non-human creatures,” he clarifies, and Dempsey huffs.
Lake rolls his eyes. “We never get to have any fun.”
Nico makes a rumbling sound and drags Lake close to whisper something in his ear that makes his mate squirm and breathe heavier. “How’s that sound for fun?” He nips at Lake’s earlobe.
“Yes, please,” Lake pants.
“Mac shouldn’t go to Switzerland alone,” Arson says, trading a look with Draydon like they’re communicating silently. Maybe trying to decide whether they should be the ones to volunteer to chaperone our little brother to his hoard. The brief, passingmoment between the two of them makes my chest ache with something that feels a hell of a lot like longing.
I glance over at Xazedose, and the tugging in the middle of my chest gets even more intense, like my heart wants to leap out and flop right into his waiting hands.
With my heart still thundering, it takes a second to realize I only think of him now as his true name. Apparently, my dragon decided using his human name is no longer acceptable.
“Dahlia, I think you should remove the binding spell.” I surprise myself with the words, and the chatter in the room about whether it makes more sense for all of us to go with Mac or not quiets immediately.
The witch flips her long hair over one shoulder and leans forward, studying me with a slight frown. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“No. Or maybe yes?” I run my hand over the back of my neck and Xaze shifts beside me, his lips tilted down with displeasure and a little wrinkle between his eyebrows. I would have thought he’d be jumping for joy at the suggestion of breaking the leash, as he called it. I rub the center of my chest absently. “I think I’m having a weird reaction to it. Plus, feeling his emotions is kind of too much.”
