Page 129 of Mate of a Monster

Cosima, still lounging in her chair like she didn’t just light a match and toss it into the center of our lives, again, swirls the wine in her glass. “Then by all means, children. Go chase your answers but be warned. In order for magic to give, it must take.”

I want to throw the damn glass at her head, but Creed beats me to it as hellhounds leash around her wrists. They wipe the smirk clean off her mouth as she growls, attempting to break free, but the leashes hold steady.

“We’ll deal with you later, Mother.” Sinner chuckles. “Can’t have you disappearing into thin air to come bite us in the ass down the road.”

Okay. Guess I’m in charge here.

I push back from the table. “Cool. Great. Love that. Let’s go.”

Knight straightens. “Where to?”

“Outside.”

London moves first, already cutting toward the archway that leads back into the courtyard. Silver and Vicente follow, Creed a step behind them, still carrying guilt around him like a second coat. Zev hops down from the table with a stretch, expression bright in a way I don’t trust.

“Please tell me the plan involves violence and terrible decisions,” he says.

“It involves you shutting the fuck up and keeping up,” I shoot back.

He grins. “So yes.”

We spill out through the broken hall and into the open courtyard where skies wash the stone silver-blue. For one strange second, it almost feels peaceful. Then the wind shifts and drags smoke over the walls, and the illusion dies like it should.

Knight lifts his hand, power already gathering at his palm, the familiar shimmer of a portal starting to bend the air. “I’ll open—”

“No.”

The word leaves me hard enough to cut.

He pauses, frowning. “What?”

“No magic markers.” I keep moving, boots striking the stone while my eyes sweep the open space ahead. “If Arabella’s watching for us—and she is—then the first thing she’ll look for is portal use. You tear open enough sanctioned magic and we may as well send her a handwritten fucking invitation.”

London’s brows pinch. “Then how are we getting there?”

A smile pulls at my mouth before I can stop it.

I step into the center of the courtyard and tip my chin toward the open sky.

The dragons are already there.

Every single one of them lined in perfect formation along the outer wall, wings tucked, claws gouged deep into stone. Great heads lift toward me as if they’ve been waiting for my next breath to move. The moon catches scales in flashes of different colors—red, green, gold, smoke-black, bronze, silver. Massive bodies. Ancient eyes. Fire banked behind teeth and bone.

All of them.

Except—

My heart gives a vicious little wrench.

Except Thyrix.

The empty place where he should be hurts worse than I’m prepared for. The grief hits fast enough that I have to swallow around it before it claws its way up my throat.

Legend comes in close without making a show of it, his knuckles brushing once over my cheekbone. I hate how easy it is to breathe when he touches me now. Or maybe I love it. Hard to tell.

Worse to admit.

“Who do you want to ride with, baby?” he rasps.