AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He looked at his hand and laughed again maniacally. “Endless magic. I’m not even tired. I feel invincible. You and I are going to rule the world.” The hand that was on my shoulder snaked down to my waist and pulled me against him, making me aware that playing with fire — or maybe it was the thought of world domination? — made him hard.
Disgust had me stumbling forward to put some space between us. I expected him to get angry, but he just laughed.
“Of course, My Sweet, I will wait for our wedding night. Enough play for today. You look ill. This must be draining you.”
I only looked ill because of his touch, but I didn’t correct him.
He reached for the necklace to take it off, then frowned. “The clasp is gone.”
That didn’t make any sense, but I was secretly relieved that he wasn’t able to remove it. The thought of not wearing it, not being whole anymore, made me sad.
“The clasp is gone. And the chain is…different.” He took the chain in his hands and pulled, but only managed to jerk my head and neck forward.
I yelped, but only because I hadn’t been ready for the sudden movement. It hadn’t hurt, even though it should have, given the force he’d used.
“What the fuck?” He took the chain in both hands and tried to pull it apart.
Nothing happened except he yanked at my neck again, and irritation flared within me. What a jerk! How dare he try to separate us! What a strange thought.
There was a sizzling sound, and Augustine jerked his hands away with a cry. The chain had left burn marks on his palms.
I looked down. The chain and locket were now glowing red-hot, but I felt nothing against my skin. I touched it with my hands. It felt normal.
He looked upset, but maintained his composure. “It is useless to me on its own anyway. You can wear it.” He stared intently at his hand for a moment, and the burn marks healed and faded. “Come. We will retire for the night.”
I looked up and scanned the sky as we walked back into the mansion, but it was empty.
Chapter 28
Mateo
I saw red at the sight of Eva pressed up against the wizard. She looked almost like an extension of him and had the same fake plastic look, the glamour hiding her natural beauty. They looked like they belonged together. He had a hand on her shoulder possessively, like he owned her already, and that made the beast inside me turn murderous.
She was mine. All mine. How dared he lay his hands on her?
I didn’t care who this wizard was, or how powerful. He was a man, and I was a man-eater. My kind hadn’t eaten humans in a long time, but today seemed like a good day to resurrect old traditions.
With a low growl and a flap of my wings, I turned toward them with only one thing on my mind. I would not rest until the wizard was no more and Eva was mine again. Then I’d lock her away and spend my days convincing her that I was the better choice. She would soon forget all about this wizard.
The fire dragon controlled by the future dead man was busy chasing down one of Desmon’s drones. Now would be a good time to swoop in and—
Two sets of large hands suddenly held me back. I swished my tail, ready to strike, but transparent tendrils wrapped around me, holding me in place.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Mateo?” Prax snarled. “This wasn’t the plan.”
“I have to go to her.”
“With that thing under the wizard’s control, and the scepter bolstering his power? What are you, suicidal? Even Liam and I would get burnt; that’s magical fire. You’d be charred to a crisp.”
I hissed at them. If they really were my friends, they’d help me hide the body after I separated this Wizard’s head from his shoulders, not stop me from attacking.
I did not fear his magic, not when Eva was right there. Her eyes darted up at us, and I knew she had seen me. But she didn’t react. Her face remained an impassive mask, and she was not fighting the wizard. Did she really care for me so little? Had she switched sides? Had this wizard offered her something I could not?
Pain tore through me at the thought that she would choose him over me. And yet, this powerful man came from wealth, whereas I’d had to work for everything I owned. He had a revered family name; I had been discarded at birth. He could give her the perfect life. What could I give her? I had called her a thief when we first met, for fuck’s sake. The worst part of all this was how perfect she looked next to him, like she was destined to be more than a mate to a nobody manticore.
Distracted by my thoughts as I was, Prax and Liam were able to pull me back behind a cloud and out of sight of the fire dragon. Then we were traveling through a portal to where Seth was waiting in a nearby hotel.
I roared and shook the two demons off me.
