“No!” Charlotte protested. “Braxton would never do that! Right?” Swallowing, she glanced at the rest of my guard, waiting for them to back her up, then at me, heartbreak growing in her eyes. “It's not true, Braxton, right?”
My hands fisted at my sides as the betrayal that captured her gaze cut through me.
“Deny it!” Quinn demanded, tears of anger and despair falling from her eyes.
“I can’t,” I croaked. “My mother was the Warlock King’s daughter.” Their sharp intake of breath strangled my own, but I forced myself not to look away from the disappointed faces of my friends.
Lachlan’s triumphant expression turned towards Evanna and Kingston, expecting them to instantly hate me, only to find them both exchanging a dreaded glance.
“You knew?!” he bellowed at Evanna, appalled by the realization, and his eyes searched for Harper, Asher, Imogen, and the rest of Kingston’s Elevated Warriors. “You all knew?”
Their heads lowered, all looking at me pained.
“You are all as evil as he is. Andyou,”he faced Evanna.“You sold us all to the Warlock King to be enslaved again. You single-handedly wrecked the Kingdom of Hope that our king and queen built and entrusted to you. You spit over their memory by being with him, betraying the trust and fate we all put on you! And for what? Just for a good lay? Your parents would be ashamed of you, wench!” he spat.
Before I even realized I’d moved, my fist slammed against Lachlan’s face, my Dragon strength snapping his head to the side from the force as he was blown back by my magic. His form soared over half the stage, crashing into his men like a bowling ball against pins, and sending them all hurtling to the floor.
“Do noteverdare to talk to her like that again!” I warned, suddenly standing over him while golden smoke swirled around my feet.
Raw fear spread over his features, and he dazedly scrambled to his feet, his jaw hanging gruesomely out of place from the force of my punch. I’d dislocated it. The reflection of my slitted, glowing Dragon Eye became visible in his gaze, sending realization through me. When his gaze fell to my arms, I found scales covering my fist, the same scales that were now imprinted on his cheek.
Taking a deep breath, I calmed the ire that swirled through me, my scales and smoke receding. When I turned around, I found everyone rooted in place by fear after witnessing only a fraction of what I was capable.
“Leave now, and never come back,” I ordered Lachlan, taking another step towards him. “This is no longer your home.”
A gruesome sound reverberated when he cracked his jaw back into place, spitting a mouthful of blood. All while trying to hide the terror capturing him when he looked at me. “You have no authority—”
“Leave!” The word boomed through the air much louder than it should be possible, the order amplified by my magic. I was done with his shit.
Tharion and the rest of my Dragons rose to their full height along the perimeter of the arena, their fierce roars echoing my demand. The power of our combined voices caused the earth to shudder beneath our feet, the ruins trembling around us while I advanced on him slowly and he continued to retreat.
“Evanna considered you a dear friend. She forgave you more than once, against her better judgment, and long after you no longer deserved forgiveness. She protected you and those who joined you even when you doubted her, turning them against her because their safety was more important to her than her feelings. If anyone should be ashamed here, it is you, Lachlan. You are a disgrace to our people.”
The men who stood alongside him staggered away from us, giving me a wide berth, and abandoning their leader’s side while he continued to back away, trying to keep some distance between me and him.
“I am Braxton Devenish Skystorm,” I declared, “Son to the Harbinger of Justice and the Princess of Caelisium. I am the Dragon Master, and the onetrue kingof this realm. You are no longer welcomed here, or in any kingdom I rule with my queen. You are here and now banished!” My piercing gaze turned to his men. “Pray to the Sky Gods that Ineversee your faces again.”
Nikau’s devastated eyes found mine, making it clear how horrible he felt about what his cousin had done.
“Get him out of my sight,” I ordered.
“My king,” he began, completely crestfallen, “may I return after he’s escorted out, or am I exiled for his faults?”
Contrary to the piece of shit his cousin turned out to be, Nikau was an integral man. He helped my father long before he was the Harbinger. He’d helped my dad and Evanna’s parents free many slaves throughout the years, risking his own life each time, and the pain and shame now pouring through his eyes spoke louder than any words.
“If your good faith and loyalty to my queen and I remain intact, then you may rejoin us.”
“I pledged my allegiance and sword to you just like I did to your father once, that will never change.”
With my nod of acceptance, he gestured for his men to seize Lachlan, who swayed on his feet, trying with everything inside him to remain standing. It was likely he’d suffered a concussion from the blow the combination of my fist, Dragon strength, and magic inflicted, but I found it difficult to feel sorry for him.
An aching pull reached me while Nikau and his men dragged Lachlan and his goonies out, and I turned to find Saithar, Lachlan’s Dragon near the stage, her whines cutting through me. One by one she sent the memories she’d shared with him into my mind, from the day she claimed him as her soulmate, to this moment, and the depth of her sorrow made my chest constrict. Letting our tree of light form all around us, I sent a surge of warmth and unconditional love towards her.
“It’s okay,”I offered sincerely, feeling how torn she was between leaving with him and remaining by my side. She knew who I was, and how deeply connected we were because of it.“If you want to leave with him, I will not hold it against you. I know you love him. He is your soulmate, and he needs you.”
The shimmering tree dissipated, and she bowed her head to me, her appreciation coursing through me before she communicated with the soulmates of Lachlan’s men, telling them it was okay to leave with them. Grateful, they all moved towards the exit where Lachlan and his goons were taken, meeting them there. Silence descended in the arena as the men were forced to mount their Dragons, no longer welcomed here.
Turning around slowly, I scanned the faces of my guard, my friends. They still stood there, taken aback, feeling deceived by me, confused, just like our people were.
