The Eye screamed,Betrayed!
My rage compounded. Fire burned inside me. I had to have the Eye! Nothing else mattered. Not even my mate. He had abandoned me again. I would punish him for it. Chain him. Sliceinto his pretty flesh. But first, I would ensure his survival by claiming Ensarena's Eye. I shrieked and dove for Zixin.
Ensarena's Eye pulsed with light. I saw the magic run up the pirate's arm, then down it, to gather in the stone. I gaped at that. It was working. For a fucking Neraky! It was supposed to be a Dragon relic, its power accessible only by one of my kind. Even the Sea Dragons couldn't use the Eye. And yet, this Neraky buffoon was proving all the myths wrong.
King Vaxarion shouted his mate's name.
I looked from the Eye to the Neraky and knew he was going to kill me. The Eye had been wrong. My death wouldn't be on a battlefield. It would be here, in my throne room, at the hand of a Neraky pirate, mate to a Sea King, and it was the Eye itself that would kill me. How ironic.
But then Aras leapt between us.
Fear shot into my chest like a lance. I shot toward Aras, but it all happened too fast. I wouldn't reach him in time. My mate was going to take the full force of the Eye's power. And if it could kill a Dragon, a Hulfrin didn't stand a chance. My mouth opened to cry out and as it did, I met Zixin's stare.
Something shifted in his eyes. The glow of the stone lessened. It ran backward, up the Neraky's arm. What was this? Was he withdrawing the magic? Was he trying to save Aras? Aras had abducted and tortured this man. But in that look, I saw a fear that mimicked mine. Zixin didn't want Aras dead. Was that a testament to my mate's honor or Zixin's?
All those thoughts zipped through my mind in seconds. And then a light shot from the Eye and hit my mate. Aras screamed, but so did Zixin. So did I.
“Aras!” I finally got the cry free of my throat as I caught my mate. “Aras, no!” I fell to the floor with him and cradled his charred body in my arms.
All that beautiful fur was gone, the skin beneath blackened and cracked, fluids leaking from it. I wept, my hand hovering over Aras, unable to touch him without hurting him. He was monstrous, a gory thing out of a nightmare, but I saw the man I loved in those bright eyes—eyes made even brighter by the burned skin around them.
“Zix!” King Vaxarion cried. “Damn you! What have you done?”
“Aras wasn't my target,” Zixin gasped.
I glanced at them and saw that Zixin's arm was burned and bloody up to the elbow. He was fine. He'd heal that in no time. But Aras was on the verge of death. I wailed as I wept. I wouldn't survive his death. If he succumbed to his wounds, I would lie down beside him and never get up. And that would be preferable to living without him.
“I'm all right, Vax,” Zixin said. “Don't take it out on Aras. He was just trying to protect his lover.”
I didn't care about what was happening with the Sea King and his mate. Fuck them. They didn't matter. All that mattered lay across my lap, bleeding and gasping as he clung to life. “Aras,” I moaned. “Oh, my love. Why? Why did you do that? I'm immune to fire.”
“Not that fire,” Aras said in a gurgling voice. “It would have killed you.”
“No, it wouldn't have. You beautiful fool.”
“Uh, yes, it would have,” Zixin said as King Vaxarion helped him up. “It would have incinerated you, and you know it. That's why you want the damn thing. Not even Dragons are immune to its fire.”
“Then how did he survive?” I growled at Zixin.
“My mate pulled back the magic!” King Vaxarion shouted what I had already guessed. “You fucking moron! You pathetic asshole! My beautiful, kind, generous mate protected your barbaric lover, and your only response is to snarl about it. He risked himself for the man who once tortured him.”
“Then who is the fool?” I demanded, furious at everyone, myself included. All that time wasted. All that energy spent on chasing something that may have killed my mate. All the suffering we'd gone through only for it to come to this.
Zixin snorted and surprised me by saying, “He's got you there.”
Aras wheezed a laugh, shocking us all.
“My love?” My stare shot back to Aras. Holy fuck! He was healing! And if he was healing, physicians might be able to help that healing along.
“You are a fucking moron,” Aras said.
“Healers!” I shouted. “Bring me the royal physicians now!” Then I cradled Aras's bare skull to say, “Shh, now. You're delirious. It's the pain, but don't fret. Help is coming.”
Aras snorted and, as I watched, his skin turned pink, his wounds pulled together, and his fur started to emerge.
“Dear Gods,” I whispered, partially in wonder and partially in gratitude. Deep, reverent gratitude.
“It looked worse than it was,” Aras said and sat up. “He truly did pull back the strike. Unfortunately, fur burns faster than skin.”
