It came in slow motion, and as she reachedfor Cole, the glow spread from her hand to her arms and up acrossher face.
But though it came slowly, by the time shegrasped Cole’s arm, it nearly encompassed her. Her fingers grippedhis forearm as the dragons recoiled like she was some kind ofpoisonous frog.
And maybe she was poisonous to them; maybethat was how the arach controlled them, but she wasnotsticking around to find out.
“Maverick!” she shouted.
Her fingers grazed his arm, but she missedhim. He was close, though, and it had to be enough for him tofollow them through.
Lexi didn’t see what happened next as shepictured the library in her manor and a portal opened in the floorbefore them. Throwing herself forward, she clung to Cole as shefell into the hole.
Twisting, Cole’s silver eyes met hers, butwhen his gaze locked on hers, the cruelty in them eased.
Maverick tumbled in behind them… so did someof the guards.
The roar of a dragon echoed around theportal. As Cole’s arms encircled her, Lexi prayed the portal wastoo small for the dragons to follow.
CHAPTER 60
“What was that?” the Lord yelled. When no oneanswered him, he screamed the words again so loudly and violentlythat spittle flew from his mouth. “WHATWASTHAT?”
Alina knew exactly whatthatwas;she’d seen it before, more times than she could recall, but she’dnever thought to see it again. In all her life, only a handful ofthings ever shocked her.
This time defeated all the others. Somethingshe’d never believed could ever happen again had just occurred.
She’d felt something recently, a tug shehadn’t felt in years, but it faded soon after it arose. She wroteit off as a longing for the way things were… for a time when animposter didn’t control the throne.
At the time, she’d cursed herself for hersentimentality, but she couldn’t deny what she’d witnessed. Shecouldn’t deny what that woman was.
Not only was that woman the rightful heir tothis realm, but she was withthatman, the murderer ofdragons…the Shadow Reaver.
His control over the shadows meant shecouldn’t kill him, no matter how badly she wanted to. Doryu knewthis too, but that hadn’t stopped him from trying.
She’d wanted to stop Doryu, she’d chased himdown, but that monster had killed Doryu’s sister. His mind knew theShadow Reaver was off-limits, but his heart called for vengeance.However, he couldn’t lose control again.
“Arach,” someone in the crowd whispered.
Alina turned her head to see a beautifulwoman standing to the right of her. Her black hair hung in ringletsto her shoulders, and shock filled her brown eyes. She was thewoman who’d spoken.
“What did you say?” the Lord demanded.
The woman continued to gaze at the spot onthe floor where the portal had opened. She didn’t speak again, andAlina could tell she regretted having said anything.
“How did that… thatgirlopen a portalin here?” the Lord shouted.
Those closest to the woman had to have heardwhat she said, but no one replied. Instead, they remained unmovingwith their lips clamped together.
Alina didn’t know how the Lord wasn’tgrasping what happened here. The womanshotfirefromher hands, bore the mark of the dragon, and had opened a portal inDragonia.
There was only one species of immortal whocould do those things, and everyone in this room knew it. Was he sofar gone in his madness, or was he simply too dumbfounded to thinkclearly?
Either way, his inability to think clearlydidn’t bode well for the future of Dragonia or any of the otherrealms.
And then, the stupid man with the rotten mindfinally came to the same conclusion Alina was certaineveryoneelse in this room had already ascertained.
“How can an arach possibly be alive?” theLord shouted.
If he expected a reply, he didn’t get one,but Alina doubted anyone in this room had an answer for him. Shecertainly didn’t.
