That must be where he went. I tear off in the direction of the tiny shack, confident he went to stroke his pretty things. I’m sure he’s safe. I mean, how would Maggard catch his scent so far from home, but then again, we demons are a shifty bunch, so I’ll just make sure, tell him to get back before the sun comes up, and then return tomydragon.
It only takes a few minutes of speed walking to get to the edge of the lake, but the shack is silent.
“Mac?” I whisper loudly, though I don’t know why I’m trying to be quiet. “Are you out here?”
Still hearing nothing, I pull the rickety door of the shack open, peering into the darkness. That’s when I catch Mac’s scent. He must be down in the hoard room. I scan the floor looking for access, only spotting a few uneven boards.
Seriously, Mac? Good thing I can slip through any crack I want to. With a deep inhale, I suck it all in and drop down between the cracked boards. I have to admit, it is actually a pretty good disguise.
I land lopsided, my feet sliding on a pile of gold coins. It’s pitch black, but that’s not a problem. I call forth my natural self, illuminating the space with a dim glow that rises off my skin. Movement in the corner catches my eye, and I turn my head sharply.
“Mac?”
Walking in that direction, I realize how big this space really is. It’s filled with objects that reek of demon, smoke, and magic. Kid has a good eye. The sound of shattering glass spurs me to move quicker, stopping abruptly when I see the broken box on the ground.
The dagger.
I look up, panicked, just in time to spot one of my brethren waving the dagger in the air and bouncing on his toes.
“Give me that!” I lunge in the demon’s direction, but I trip on another relic and fall on my knees. Thick black boots with metal toes appear before me.
“Oh, Xazedose. I’m so disappointed in you.”
The sound of Maggard’s voice rips through me like the shards of glass under my knees. I look up to see a stunned Mac in his clutches, clearly frozen in a state of shock by demon magic, only able to move his panicked eyes.
“Let him go, Maggard. You have the dagger. You don’t need him.”
“Youdon’t tell me what to do.” With his finger in the air, he effortlessly lifts me to my feet. “I can’t believe you. Frolicking with dragons and choosing them over your own. What kind of demon are you?”
My throat tightens as he squeezes without even touching me, leaving me unable to speak or react.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know it was you? You reeked of the dragons and tainted our realm with it. I guess destroying your apartment wasn’t enough warning.”
A ripple of panic spreads through me. He does know I betrayed them.
“I can’t decide whether I want to kill you or ban you from your own realm,” Maggard continues.
“Kill, kill, kill,” his demon minions chant.
“It is tempting,” he says. “And I have the dagger now, so it wouldn’t even be difficult. Then what would your dragon do, hmm, Xazedose? He’d suffer, that’s what. He’s already going to when I roast his brother for a feast in hell.”
The threat seizes my chest as bile rises up my esophagus. Maggard laughs like the villain he is. With a flick of his wrist, he tosses me across the room, slamming me into a far wall. I land with an “Oof” and fall to the floor, weak from his use of force.
I pull my head up, and when I see the look of terror on Mac’s face, a thousand images rush through my mind of the horrible things Maggard will do to him before he finally kills him. Then he’ll hunt me down, and Valentino, my deliciae, will spend eternity waging war on the demon world to avenge us.
There’s no way I’m going to lie here and let that happen. I have to save Mac.
With every ounce of strength I can summon, I launch myself forward, landing on Maggard’s back just as he transports to the demon realm. Pain from an unknown source sears through my side, but I have bigger issues when I see where we’ve landed.
The lower level of the underworld. Difficult to find and even harder to leave. I tumble to the ground again, rolling until I reach the edge of the lake of fire, burning my fingertips. Maggard roars, stretching his long arms impossibly wide as he throws a helpless Mac into a cage.
Before I can react, his hand is around my throat, holding me up to his overblown height to see his grotesque face. “You should not have followed, Xazedose. You’ll never leave this place.” He snarls, baring his teeth at me. “You’ll watch as I torture the stupid, misguided dragon, and then when I’m bored in a few centuries, I’ll destroy him. I’ll rip him limb from limb and serve him for a feast.”
“Fuck you, Maggard.”
He laughs. “I will fuck you. I will do whatever I want to you. You’re my slave now.” He holds up the dagger, stained with a bit of my blood. “And since you were stupid enough to follow me and get yourself cut, you’re powerless.”
My heart sinks. That was the pain. Now how the hell am I gonna get us out of here? How will Tino find us?
