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Heart slamming against my ribcage, I pulled Venom towards the right, flying around our Sky Legion, to meet him head on… Stupid, I knew that, but what exactly were my options? I had done this. I had antagonized him by attacking him in the mindscape, and these were the consequences of my actions.
“What in the gods’ names are you doing?!” Lachlan raged from Saithar’s neck, holding his place in the protective wall. “You are going to get someone killed!”
The true hatred he felt for me oozed from not only his voice but his gaze. The men surrounding him, his guard, and even his ride gave me the evil eye, but I ignored them. I had more important things to worry about right about now.
When I reached the front, Evie’s head snapped towards me. As expected, Kingston was beside her, and the Elevated Warriors flanked them both. Not as expected, Tharion was all up in Azazel’s face, the main one with the missing eye—although the green light still glowed through the empty socket.
I swore my soulmate had a death wish.
Sure, out of those here, Tharion was by far the largest and fiercest Dragon compared to Azazel, and he had fought him to protect me in the past, but where did his bravado come from? He’d been hurt during that fight, so what on earth made him think he was bad ass enough to actually kill Azazel?
Tharion didn’t seem to care that the four-headed beast could probably roast us all with one combined breath, but now I understood why the four heads were moving as they did, they were getting ready for a showdown with my Dragon.
Throngs of embers floated out of Tharion’s nostrils with each feverish breath, and I could feel it was taking everything inside him to hold back and not ignite a new war.
“Enough!” I shouted at Tharion, calling everyone’s attention to me—well, everyone’s except my Dragon’s, who only bothered to twitch one eye in my direction for about a millisecond. He wasn’t letting the four-headed beast out of his sight.
Standing on Luna’s neck and extending her spear in the same fluid movement, Evie squared off to him. “What are you doing here, Raithian?!” Evanna roared, calling everyone’s attention back to the threat.
“Is it not obvious?” he answered, his head tilting towards me, glowing eyes taking in the sight slowly before returning to her. “I’ve come to claim what is mine once and for all. I have grown tired of these games.”
“My people are no longer your slaves. They are free under my ruling, and Iwill notallow you to take them from me,” Evie declared. “I will fight you to the death if I have to, Raithian.” Her firm words carried the kind of courage I was certain few people experienced in their lives.
There was no doubt in me that fear lay just below her bravery, yet it wasn’t for her own safety but that of our people’s. She would do anything for them not to fall prisoner to the Warlock King’s cruelty once more. It was that dread that pushed her forwards to fight without respite, to give her life for our people if it came to that, just like her parents had.
I had admired Evie for many reasons since I first met her and came to Caelisium, but it was in that moment that I saw her as the rightful queen she truly was. Pride inundated my being, and at the risk of sounding like a misogynistic asshole, I couldn’t help but think…
That is my woman.
“The princess doesn’t stand alone. I fight with her,” Kingston proclaimed, spinning his retractable spear to fully open. His stance widened, and he squared off to Raithian too, pointing the blade of his weapon at him as he prepared to fight.
The chief seemed ready to run and jump from Spartan onto Azazel if he were given the chance.
“I, too, fight with the princess!” Asher announced, following his chief’s movements, and like a wave, every singlesky riderspoke their vow and took a fighting stance, pointing their weapons at the Warlock King.
So did I.
I couldn’t exactly see the Warlock King’s face, but something told me that irritating smirk of his had returned. The glow in the sphere above his staff flickered, and Azazel’s jaws opened the next second, a new growl escaping his four mouths. The force of his roar sent a wave of ripples in the air that swept through us, forcing us to falter on our feet. Correction, forcingmeto falter, the other warriors were locked into their fighting stance and successfully fought it. They didn’t even blink.
My gaze connected with Lachlan’s, who regarded me as though I was an embarrassment for losing my balance. Damn, how I hated his stupid guts. I may not have been a warrior for as long as he had, but I had earned my place here, and he was going to have to deal with it. Holding his gaze defiantly for one more second, I pulled my attention back to Raithian.
Azazel’s wings slightly lifted him, but Tharion was not having it. He rose with him, remaining in his face, as though to protect Evie and everyone behind him…that is my Dragon.
“You are not here to take back our people, Raithian, so stop the theatrics,” I countered, pulling his gaze to me. “Tell us what it is you truly want.”
“Braxton, I’ll handle this.” Evanna’s gaze burned holes through me, telling me she wanted to strangle me herself. Yet, I looked into her eyes, hoping she understood that she was no longer alone in this. This kingdom was ours, and I would protect it as fiercely as she did.
“Listen to your princess, Braxton,” Raithian mocked, turning to fully face me. “Well, isn’t this an oddity,” he added when his attention fell on my ride. His eyes bounced from Tharion to Venom, and then he tilted his head at me. “It seems Tharion has abandoned you. Is this another… friend?” Humor danced in his voice, and it irked me to no end because in a way, he was right.
My Dragon hadn’t even looked back as he left the mountain without me. Neither Luna, Spartan, nor the others would ever do that to their soulmate. If we were going to fight this war together, then Tharion needed to find a way to follow my word as law.
“Stop the games, Raithian,” I shouted back, fuming. “You, yourself, said you no longer cared about the slaves taken from you. So, I will ask you one last time. What is it you want?!”
The warriors’ gazes shifted from Evie, to our chief, and back to me, probably wondering what the hell I was doing, and whether or not I was disrespecting their authority by addressing the enemy myself.
“I’ll tell you what I want,” the Warlock King replied, suddenly disappearing into green smoke. “I want you.” His voice came from behind me, and I whirled around to find the smoke swirling at his feet as it vanished, leaving him standing on my ride.
“Easy, Buddy…”I sent to Venom when he shuddered, clearly sensing the evil presence on top of him.“It’s going to be okay. Stay calm… please.”His electrifying energy began to spark just under the surface of his scales, and my pulse raced while I checked on Kingston and the others. Tensions were rising fast.
