Arianna nodded. “It would have, but none of the elders or leaders of the Nephilim are willing to get that close to a human as powerful as Dacia, not after Draconian.”
“Will they let me go to him?” The idea stole the breath from me and sent a jolt of adrenaline through my veins. “If I opened myself to him, he’d be able to see that I don’t want to hurt anyone.” My words rushed out.
“No.” Aurelia shook her head. “He could destroy your mind.”
“He doesn’t trust you.” Malcolm looked like he wanted to protect me from some threat I couldn’t see. His muscles were taut, and his face was strained. “He’d think it was a trick.”
“This is no longer your fight.” Aurelia sat on the floor next to me. “You need to let us handle Argentum.”
Cody wiped his mouth on a napkin. “Is it over?”
“I hope so, Cody.” Aurelia patted my shoulder, but she didn’t sound convinced.
L
“Forgive me, Dacia.” Tye focuses on the snow-covered ground between us instead of looking into my eyes. His shoulders slump forward, and the star-flecked night seems to swallow him up.
Unrecognizable mountains surround us, pine trees stretch toward the heavens, and in the middle of this beautiful scene, we face each other. I stand with my feet shoulder-width apart and my knees slightly bent. My arms hang loosely at my sides, ready to defend myself at any sign of trouble from him. “How can I? First, you were going to let them cage me. Then when that didn’t work out, you were going to let Argentum eat me.” The wind tosses my hair over my shoulders, and I pull it away from my face, tucking it inside my hoodie.
“I didn’t know he wanted to kill you.” He looks up at me, and his eyes are red-rimmed. “The others are hunting me. They’ll kill me. Please … if you forgive me, they’ll leave me alone.”
I shake my head. He doesn’t want my forgiveness because he feels guilty about what he did. He wants it for his own selfish reasons. “How can I? You’ll stab me in the back the first chance you get.”
“No.” He falls to his knees. “No. I thought you’d try to control all of us.” Lowering his head to the ground, he says, “I thought that with time, you’d come to enjoy the peace of the sanctuary. I thought it was what was best for everyone.” His head drops even farther. “I never wanted to see you hurt.”
“Get up.” A deep voice rumbles through the clearing, and a wizened man strides from the trees. Long, opalescent hair flows to his waist. Braids at his temples pull his hair away from his slender face. “You sniveling fool. The elder council imprisons me for five minutes, and you run to this girl like she is your only hope.” He narrows his hard, gray eyes, and there is no compassion in them. “Pathetic whelp.”
Tye scrambles to his feet, careful not to look either of us in the eye.
The man strolls toward Tye, keeping his gaze on me. “You have caused me more trouble than any of your kind has ever been worth.” He clasps Tye’s shoulder, and Tye cringes under his grip. “Because of you, I’ve been hunted and imprisoned. You nearly stole my minion. And, yet, you remain free to terrorize the world.”
“Maybe because I never threatened to eat anybody.” I lift one shoulder and flip my hand up. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Argentum squeezes Tye’s shoulder. “I met Draconian when he was a starry-eyed whelp. All he wanted back then was to save the world. I hunted him when he allowed innocents to burn for witchcraft. He was like you, and in the end, you’ll become just like him.”
My mouth falls open. I have no idea how to respond. “No.” I shake my head. “He was evil. I saw his mind. There was nothing good in him.”
“There was.” Argentum softens his voice. “You see. That is why I cannot allow you to live. I cannot make the same mistake again. I cannot permit the dragons to suffer because I stood by and allowed another human to become corrupted.” Still clutching Tye’s shoulder, he reaches his other hand toward me.
Pain erupts inside me, and I drop to my knees.
Argentum puts his hand on my head. “Humans are not meant to be immortal. It breaks something inside of you.”
“I’m not—” I gasp through the pain “—immortal.”
“You won’t be when I’m finished.”
“No.” I shove his hand away. “Death said he’d see me again.”
He snaps his fingers and points to the ground beside him. Tye runs to him, and Argentum clutches his shoulder again. “Presently.”
I picture my dorm room and try to teleport to it, but my power doesn’t answer my call.
“Don’t fight, Dacia.” Argentum’s command takes hold of me, and my body goes limp. “This won’t hurt for long. Once it’s over, you’ll finally be at peace.”
I relax further. My eyes drift closed. His voice lulls me to sleep.
No! Tye’s voice snaps me out of my stupor.
My head jerks back. I scoot away from Argentum, trying to call my powers to me.
He lifts his hand, and pain courses through my body. It flows through my veins like lava. Burning, searing agony. A scream tears from my throat.
“Wake up, Dacia.” Malcolm’s voice was a growl.
Cody clasped my shoulder. His eyes were wide. “Okay?”
I dragged my hands down my face. “This needs to end.”
Chapter 38
Preparing For The Worst
I slumped back against the couch. I’d been dreading this call all semester. Thanksgiving was next Thursday, but there was no way I could bring all my craziness home. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, Sweetie.” He sounded excited to hear from me. “Are you looking forward to coming home next week?”
Tears welled in my eyes, and I squeezed them shut. “I don’t know if I’ll be
