As they neared the centaur army, Dash stopped.
“Why do you hesitate,waga ko?”His mother’s voice was loud and clear in his head.
He jerked his chin at their enemies. “Take Meara hostage. Do not kill her.”
His mother gave him a fierce scowl. “Why ever not?”
“Because I want to torture her.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you say so?”The proud smile on her face sent a chill down his spine. There was the evil mother he knew so well.
The world had no idea how lucky it was that his father had been married when the two of them met. Though to be honest, he was surprised neither of his parents had murdered Renata’s mother just to get her out of their way.
He really did wonder how Shalia had escaped that death sentence.
Not that it mattered.
Right now, the only thing of importance was the army that had yet to detect them.
Dash met his mother’s gaze. “They’re your troops,Gosei no kimi—” Sovereign lady. “You call it.”
She didn’t hesitate. Her order for battle rang out. The oni rushed forward to attack.
Turning into a unicorn, Dash ran straight for Meara as she and her troops turned around in a panicked frenzy to battle them.
Decades worth of pent-up fury drove his hooves into the ground and carried him quickly toward his sole target. He wanted to bathe in Meara’s blood. To let her know the fear and horror that she’d mercilessly meted out to him and his brethren.
Over and over, he saw the faces of the young hostages who’d died from her beatings and abuse.
Saw Yutaka. The guilt, grief and anger inside him demanded blood vengeance.
Meara would pay for it.
One of her human soldiers rode out to cut him off. Dash was having none of that. He turned human to slash at the first one who reached him, then blasted the second one with a fireball Tanis would have been proud of.
He cut through them with little effort. Returning to his unicorn body, he leapt over the third one.
Meara drove back the oni she was fighting just as Dash reached her.
He lowered his head, intending to skewer her with his horn just enough to wound her.
His unicorn horn caught her shoulder at the same time he felt something hot pierce his side. Thinking it was a dagger or sword, he started to laugh until he realized what she had in her hand.
Renata’s wand.
Dash went down hard. Everything around him began to swim. He couldn’t focus his gaze. Unimaginable pain tore through him as he lay on his side and looked up at the cold bitch he hated most.
Hers was the last face he wanted to see. Meara had haunted him enough.
Closing his eyes, he conjured an image of Tanis. His only regret was that he would break her heart, after all.
Please forgive me, my dragon.
Naomi feltthe pain in her side and knew in an instant that her son had been stabbed.
Not by regular means.
That damn horn from that whiny little bitch she should have strangled at birth.Damn you, Cratus!
