Page 72 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

His Dark Fire flared in the back of my mind, his fear warring with resolve. Don’t you dare get yourself killed.

I lifted my chin and turned back to Veralin, letting my mouth curl into the kind of smirk Tae would’ve worn like armor. “You know, for all your talk, you really are pathetic.”

His eyes narrowed, sparks of power swirling in the air.

I tilted my head, feigning a thoughtful glance. “What’s the matter? Lost your stamina along with your honor? Or maybe it’s your virility. Centuries of scheming and this is all you’ve got to show for it? A crumbling castle and a throne that does all the heavy lifting for you?”

His nostrils flared, the muscles in his jaw as tight as steel.

I pushed harder, each word dripping poison. “You’ve built an empire of illusions, Grandfather, but in the end, you’re just a pathetic old man with an ego bigger than your shriveled cock.”

The silence that followed was razor-sharp, and I felt Zander’s surprise pulse through the bond, almost a laugh smothered by the gravity of this moment.

Veralin’s power lashed the air like a storm about to break, his fury boiling over. His eyes blazed so brightly they bled into fire.

Veralin’s gaze cut like a blade toward my friends, his smile a slash of cruelty. “Baiting me with petty inadequacies will not work. I have been playing this game since before your dragon was born. I care nothing for vanity or sex. I crave power, and you will deliver your dragon to me.”

Kaelith? My thoughts cracked like a whip. Any ideas?

Her voice coiled through me, steady but fierce. Give him what he wants. Bring me to him. You must trust that I will not fall.

No way. My chest burned with refusal. He’ll corrupt you.

Kaelith’s growl vibrated in the back of my skull, pure defiance. Do not mistake me for something so easily broken.

I lifted my chin, glaring at the monster on his throne. “Eat shit.”

A bark of laughter echoed beside me, Tae, ever the shameless idiot even standing at death’s door.

Veralin’s crimson eyes slid to him, unamused. “I have use for a person with the power of Influence.”

An illusion shimmered before Tae, a woman cloaked in shadows, her eyes gleaming with false desire. For a few seconds, she seemed solid—tempting. But then the shimmer cracked, dissolved, and Tae spat at the empty air.

“Stop fucking with me,” Tae growled, his voice hard.

Veralin only smiled, that slow, cruel smile that made my stomach twist. “Yes. Your power will be useful.” His gaze turned—predatory—toward Zander. “And you… you will be useful too. But only as a leash for my granddaughter.”

A black cloud roared into existence and slammed into Zander, wrapping around him like a living shroud. He staggered, Dark Fire erupting in violent bursts, but the shadow clung, tightening like a noose.

“Zander!” I screamed, rushing forward, but an unseen force shoved me back so hard I nearly hit the wall. Jax and Ferrula lunged for him, their blades striking air, repelled as if the darkness itself were a shield. Naia’s power flared, arcs of energy lashing at the cloud, but nothing penetrated.

Zander’s voice strained into my mind, ragged and raw. It’s more than an illusion. It’s… pulling at me.

My heart clawed at my ribs. Then play along, I ordered, desperate. Scream. Make him think he’s winning.

Through the bond, I felt his hesitation, his pride chafing against the command. But then the air split with his cry—anguished, guttural, perfect. It echoed off the stone walls, and Veralin’s throne pulsed brighter, drinking it in like blood.

I clenched my dagger tighter. Hold on, Zander. Just hold on.

I lifted my hands, the dagger limp at my side, my voice raw. “Stop. Don’t hurt him.”

“No, Ashe,” Ferrula snapped, stepping in front of me as if she could shield me from Veralin himself. “Don’t give in to him.”

I shook my head, jaw clenched. “Kaelith is on her way.” My voice cracked, but I forced steel into it. The others—Jax, Naia, even Tae—looked sick, as if I’d just slit my dragon’s throat with those words.

I turned my gaze to my grandfather, my voice trembling with fury. “Promise me you won’t hurt Kaelith, or I won’t make any deal with you.”

His red eyes glinted, cruel and knowing. “The whole point, child, is to make you and your dragon stronger. Your lifeforce tied to hers for all time. You will have immortality—at least that of a dragon’s.”