Page 71 of Fated to the Demon Lord

His eyes darkened. “No.”

“And Mirvarax.”

“He’s dead.”

I hadn’t thought it possible, but seeing the dragon so wounded at the end, made me reconsider. “When he was at his weakest, you could have come out of him and finished him from the outside.”

He bared his teeth and snarled. “I’d rather dissipate into nothing than live in his ugly body for the rest of my existence.”

The body of someone who killed his friend.

“If you won’t take over the body of an enemy and you won’t take over the body of a friend.” I swallowed, hoping I wasn’t making him angrier at the assumption. “Then who will you take over?”

His eyes narrowed. “Get moving, Denara, your brother needs you.” He spun away and flew off into the trees.

He disappeared. I stood there as an icy breeze rushed past, as though it were digging into the hollowness of my chest and chilling my helpless fingers.

I observed Gerand, who hugged himself and shivered in the wind, appearing as lost as I felt. He did need me. I hurried over to him and wrapped him in a hug. “I’m so glad you are here and safe.”

“Are we safe?” The short grass of the valley whispered past our feet as he glanced about at all the demons. His gaze stopped on Bargoth, standing next to our mother.

“As safe as we can be in demon lands.”

“Our mother is here,” he remarked, as though he still struggled to comprehend it. Frankly, I was still processing it.

“She is, and she’ll have her own story to tell you when you are ready. But for now stick with me, and you‘ll be all right.”

He nodded. “I don’t… am I really free? I think this might be a dream.”

“You are free, Gerand, and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure you are never taken captive again.” The words were honest, though they tasted a bit sour. I’d promised to protect him before and failed. Why should he trust me?

“The ghost. Where did he go?” His gaze darted about, landing on the dragon, and a shudder ran through him. “He took over the dragon, didn’t he? I saw the orange glow in his eyes. He possessed it.” The knowledge that Vaelor had the ability to defeat a dragon shifter must make him feel vulnerable.

“He’s around.” I touched the finger resting against my chest. He couldn’t go far. “He won’t hurt us, I promise.”

“How can you be certain? You saw what he did.”

“You see this?”

“The dead finger?”

It was pretty grotesque. “Yes. This controls him. He can’t hurt us or anyone unless I say so. But to be honest, I doubt he’d harm us even without it.”

“Then why do you wear it?”

I bit my lip, the normal tremor of guilt followed by the inevitable fear ripping through me. “It’s complicated.” I took my brother’s hand and squeezed it. “But you’re safe, Gerand. Trust me. From now on you don’t need to worry.”

He gave a small nod. Mother called to us, and he looked at me uncertainly.

“Go see her if you wish,” I said.

The uncertainty didn’t leave his face, but he headed over to her.

I grasped the finger at my chest and whispered. “You must stay. You can’t leave us, we need you.”

Upon return, we gave blood to the tree and made our promises before entering. As soon as we passed through the portal, I jumped when I saw a demon standing nearby.

“Don’t worry about him,” Bargoth said. “We usually have someone come check the boundary at the tree once a day.”