Hearing my new name brings a blissful smile to my face. I draw circles on his bare chest. “I love you, too, Husband O’Mine.”
He lies down beside me, and I rest my head on his chest. He smells like a cold winter’s day, crisp and cool. His hand trails up and down my spine. I pull the sheet up, covering us both.
I close my eyes and slowly drift off to sleep.
D
I stared at Cody, lying on the couch beside me, wondering if my dream was a premonition or if it had just been wishful thinking. I wanted to believe in it. If it was a portent, it would mean I’d survive my encounter with Argentum and end up with the life I longed for.
I reached my hand up to trail my fingers along his jaw but pulled them back. I didn’t want to wake him up. Sleep had removed the stress from his face and left him looking peaceful.
You need to sleep, Dacia. Malcolm’s voice entered my thoughts.
I glanced over at him and nodded. I know. I lay back down and closed my eyes.
L
The cavern smells like blood and fire. Flames still blaze. Their light dances along the walls and ceiling. My dragon guards are strewn across the ground, their bodies contorted into impossible positions. Their lifeless eyes stare at nothing.
Argentum stands above me, holding me down under his massive paw. One of his claws pierces through my shoulder, pinning me to the ground. “This death and destruction were avoidable. Why did you bring them with you? Why couldn’t you face your fate alone?” His voice is filled with profound sadness.
“You … didn’t … have to … kill them.” Pain makes it hard to say more than a word or two without gasping.
He narrows his eyes at me. “They came here to kill me … because of you. Now, you shall die.” He lowers his head. Saliva drips off his fangs, landing on me.
I press my eyes closed and send up a prayer.
I jolted awake. My heart raced, beating against my ribcage, begging for release. I pressed my hand over my chest and took deep, calming breaths.
I can take the dreams away for the night. Malcolm’s voice startled me.
I turned toward him and nodded. Please.
Chapter 42
Like A Lamb To The Slaughter
Standing in my room, six dragons surrounded me. When I looked at them, I saw them lying on the ground in Argentum’s cave. Their eyes were glassy, their lives extinguished. I couldn’t allow that to happen. No matter what it took, I needed to keep the dragons safe. They’d lived too long to die for me.
Each of them placed a hand on me. Their strength flowed into me. Their powers felt as unique as their auras. Aurelia’s energy streamed through my body, and I felt her shame and regret.
When she’d come to my room this morning, her dragon had been nearer to the surface than I’d ever seen it. She’d paced behind the couch. When she’d spoken, her voice was feral. “The elder council decided the risk outweighed the reward.” Her slender fingers had turned into taloned claws. “They will not share their secrets with the Nephilim.” She’d stared at me with inhuman eyes. “They have sentenced you to death. Any dragons who choose to protect you will be on their own.”
Cody had jumped up and grabbed a duffel bag. He’d thrown anything and everything into it. “We’ll leave.”
“We can’t.” I’d pulled the bag away from him. “He’ll bring the fight here.”
His face had twisted with agony. “Not if you’re gone.”
“We don’t know that.” I’d walked to the window and looked outside. It’d been gray and dismal to match my mood, but there was still beauty. I hadn’t been able to help but wonder if I left with Cody, would Argentum leave it this way? “I have to face him, Cody.”
He’d crumpled, looking like a balloon that had been deflated. “I know.”
He sat on the couch, watching me with his expressionless mask in place. Even though I couldn’t see his fear for me, I felt it. It crept over my skin like a thousand spiders, filling me with dread and uncertainty.
Dan and Samantha sat next to him. Samantha chewed on her lip, watching me with wide, unblinking eyes. Dan smiled at me, but it was a mere shadow of what his smiles could be.
I pictured Argentum’s cave, the dark, deep lake, the bone-strewn floor. My body stretched out and pressed in, brushing against the dragons’, holding the seven of us together. The light shining in through my eyelids dimmed. The air grew cooler, and the sounds from the hallway became the gentle lapping of water.
While I changed my eyes into a dragon’s, the others transformed into their natural bodies. The cave was just how I’d seen it last time, dark and damp. A swell tore across the lake, advancing toward shore.
“Too scared to come alone.” Argentum rose from the depths, shaking his massive head. Water showered from his body. Thousands of ripples spread over the surface of the lake. “Maybe you aren’t as formidable as everyone seems to think. Maybe I should just let you live.” He sucked in a deep breath and shuddered. “If I hadn’t tasted your blood, I might actually believe your pathetic act.” He glanced into the darkness, then back at me.
I felt him tug on my powers, and the mighty serpent slithered under my skin. It lifted its head and hissed at Argentum before tightening its coils around me. You are mine.
And you are mine, I thought back.
“Argentum—” Aurelia stepped forward “—Dacia means you no harm. Give up this madness and return with us.”
I stared into the shadows where Argentum had looked before tugging on my powers. Tye cowered in his dragon form.
Argentum tossed his head. “Return with you to be held captive for all eternity. I think not.”
“It’s no more than you wanted to
