“My life flashed before my eyes like umpteen times,” she told him. “And there wasn’t a lot of it. So if we get out of here--”
“When,” he corrected her even as his own heart was in his feet at what Raziel had said.
“When we get out of here, I really want us to do more things than argue philosophy with Wally all day. Don’t get me wrong,” she said, “I love doing that, but I’d like to make some memories with you guys outside of the shop.”
“You never really wanted to hang outside of the shop before,” Caden said softly.
She moved her bangs out of her eyes. “Did I tell you how stupid I was before all of this?”
“Not stupid.” He gave her a watery smile. “Not stupid at all.”
“Well, I disagree but I won’t argue with you. Give me a hand up?” she asked.
Caden helped her up to her feet. Her legs wobbled a little beneath her. She reached down and rubbed them.
“I know we don’t have bodies, but do you think all this exercise will have an effect on my thighs?” she asked hopefully.
Caden snorted and patted her back.
“Help us up, Landry!” Ross called.
“Holy shit, my arms are going to give out!” Harvey whined.
“No bodies, remember, you idiots?” Landry rolled her eyes.
But both she and Caden went over to give her brothers a hand up onto the ledge. Once they were safe, Caden turned back around to face the Black Dragon. Raziel regarded these human spirits with a wary eye. Landry gulped while Ross and Harvey cringed as they really saw Raziel then.
Friends of ours, Little Dragon? Raziel asked.
Raziel saying “of ours” instead of just Caden’s had Caden’s heart squeezing a little. How far Raziel had come in such a short time! The misanthropic Dragon still looked like it wanted to blow the humans off the ledge or turn them into charcoal briquets in the case of Jasper but it was not doing any of that.
But it will all end once the Behemoth absorbs Iolaire and then Raziel… all of it will end.
But Caden forced himself to speak and said, “Well, these three are. He’s…” Caden gave Jasper--who was now pressed against the mountain, trying to meld into the rock--a jaundiced look. “He’s someone we should bring back to Earth so he can be tried, convicted and sent to prison.”
I see. That sounds like an awfully long process. I could just reduce him to ashes. Quicker, Raziel remarked as he regarded the leader of Humans First.
“Ah, well…”
“What’s it saying? It wants to kill me! I know it!” Jasper cried.
“If you don’t want it to kill you then shouldn’t you be like worshipping it, Jasper?” Landry suggested with a small smile as she put her hands on her hips.
Jasper shot her a horrified look. “What--”
“Raziel is the king of kings,” Caden said, realizing where Landry was going with this and way onboard with making Jasper kneel.
“But--”
“I think you should be getting down on your knees, Jasper,” Landry said, gesturing to the ground. “And begging for forgiveness.”
Jasper looked like he would rather eat glass than kneel, but the leader of Humans First slowly lowered himself to the ground, regarding the Black Dragon warily. Even he knew that his philosophy would not save him from hellfire.
“You better not tell anyone about this!” Jasper growled.
“Oh, you are going to tell everyone about this, Jasper,” Caden retorted. He pointed at the man’s chest. “Because right here and right now, you’re going to pledge on your life that you will serve Valerius and Raziel from now on. You will disband Humans First and you will spend whatever time you have left trying to undo the damage you’ve done.”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded and opened his mouth, about to speak, but Caden cut him off. This was too easy. Jasper thought he could play everyone, that he could hold two disparate things in his mind at the same time: still being the leader of Humans First and pledging allegiance to Raziel too. Well, Caden was not about to let that happen.
