“I’m pretty sure I helped,” I said, out of breath. “Pretty sure.”
Sable scrabbled up and grabbed Hannon, hugging him hard.
“Come on, let’s go check on Dash and Dad, okay?” Hannon said comfortingly, as though he hadn’t just gruesomely killed three demons.
“You missed your calling, bud,” I told him as he turned and stuck out his hands, offering to carry his sister piggyback. “You should’ve been a librarian. No, no, let me carry her. I’m not doing anything else anyway—”
Three dragons flew directly overhead, heading in the same direction we were about to go, off to help the villages while Finley stormed the castle. My mouth dropped open, and my heart froze.
I knew that dragon. The whole kingdom knew that dragon. She would be azure in the day, nearly matching the color of the sky, but her glimmering scales would give her away. She was so graceful and silky smooth in flight. I’d watched her in fascination throughout my youth.
“That’s—”
It was at that moment, when I was awestruck and confused and not paying attention, that Weston’s wolf song rose in the distance. The wolves near us took up the call. The music rolled over my flesh and down my spine before reaching in and grabbing my wolf in a hard grip.
Before I knew it—before I could stop it—my wolf surged forward and overcame me. He forced the shift, in control. He tilted his head back, easily falling into the pack, and I knew I was lost.
THIRTY-FOUR
NYFAIN
The deal hung heavy between the demon king and me as I put out my hand to seal it. It wouldn’t ensure the kingdom was completely safe—Dolion was nothing if not cunning and great at bargaining—but it would give my people time. They would be able to get out, at least, and find somewhere else to go. Finley could lead them and help them find a future away from this accursed place. As soon as they scattered, Dolion would lose interest.
My fate, however, was about to be sealed.
My dragon continued to roar inside my head, drowning out my thoughts. He tore at me, trying to steal control, trying to stop me. He was urging me to wait just a little bit longer. Finley’s dragon hadn’t accepted his goodbye. He thought that meant something.
Little Dash stood just off to the side, tears of pain streaming down his face and blood dripping from the blade at his throat. They were slowly sawing at his neck. His father lay at his feet, barely moving, his head bleeding profusely.
I’d stalled all I could, and they were paying the price. My time was up.
Dolion’s greasy smile curved his blue lips. “I’d say I won’t be too hard on you, but why lie? The entire castle will hear your screams…and then watch your pleasure as you suck my cock.”
I took a deep breath and moved my hand forward. She was worth it. They were all worth it. This was my duty. Dying for them was the least I could do after what my father had done to them. I would do it without regret, but I’d still do everything in my power to try to drag Dolion straight to hell with me.
The roaring sped up my heart. Drowned out everything around me.
And yet my dragon had stilled within me…
Confusion seeped in as I realized those roars hadn’t been coming from my dragon at all.
The demons who’d gathered around, watching in glee with satisfied smiles, suddenly flinched and ducked and looked right.
My dragon’s anguish and agony had turned to smug pride and a desperation to rise into the sky. To fight. Right now.
And then I saw her.
I knew it was her the instant I laid eyes on her.
Beating her wings for more speed, soaring out over the Royal Wood, she bore down on Dolion’s party with such unspeakable rage that it made my stomach flutter and a grin tug at my lips. The demons around me, including Dolion, cowered in fear…
Finley. Her dragon.
I couldn’t do anything but stare, locked in time like my castle, struck dumb by her majestic beauty and glittering rage.
She was the most stunning dragon I’d ever seen, and she took my breath away.
Even in the moonlight I could tell her scales shone a deep burgundy, glimmering and sparkling. A light dusting of gold coated her, shining yellow in the low light. I’d never seen anything like her color.
And I knew, without a doubt, that the gold dusting would match the color of my once-dragon. She was my true mate in heart, body, and soul. And it didn’t matter that I stood in a kingdom of ruin. She would always fight to be with me—and then fight at my side.
She was my princess. One day she’d be my queen.
And she’d proven that she would walk through hell and come out on fire to make me her damsel. The woman sure knew how to get her way.