Keeping my voice cool, I said, “You should be scared of me. In fact, you should be terrified.”
His face paled at my words. I stepped away from him, rising to my feet before eyeing the remainder of my army. “Let this be a lesson for those of you who survive this day.Iam the queen now and I will not allow insolence. Anyone who speaks back to me will be sentenced to immediate death.”
The soldiers gasped, and the male at my feet cried out. I did not feel even a twinge of pity for him.
His sentence had been decided as soon as he opened his mouth and spoke. Reaching within myself, I pulled on my magic and shifted.
My talons dug into the ground, and Iroared. Smoke and ash tinged my maw, and I called on my fire. The elf’s screams were the sweetest music as he burned alive.
Every single person in the Four Kingdoms would learn to fear the Dragon Queen—or die.
Secrets and Reunions
XANDER
When I first smelled the faint traces of the damp earth and heard the whisper of wind, it seemed like a trick of the mind. We had been under the mountain for so long that time itself felt distorted. Last night we had slept in this tunnel, sharing our dwindling bread rations in near silence before taking resting in shifts. If the dampness in the air was any indication, we would not have to sleep inside this mountain again.
Aileana squeezed my hand, and a burst of excitement came through the bond. “Do you feel that, Xander?” she asked, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. The purple orb of Kysha’s light moved with her, casting violet shadows on the stone walls. “The earth is calling for me. Its song is reverberating through my bones.”
“We must be getting close.” I smiled, the sight of my mate’s joy kindling the fire of my own happiness.
It was nice to see Aileana feeling better. She thought I didn’t notice, but I saw the way the stress of this quest was getting to her. She was nauseated, sleeping less than normal, and tiring far faster than she used to. I was going to have Nonna look at my mate when we got back. Then, maybe, we could arrange a small wedding. Something at Nonna’s cottage with our cobbled-together family.
Let’s just get out of this gods-damned mountain and find the treasure,the dragon said.Then we can deal with everything else.
That’s the plan,I replied.
“Hold on.” My Earth Elf dropped my hand, pulling off her gloves and baring her skin.
I wasn’t sure why we were stopping now, when the exit seemed so close, but I had long since learned the pointlessness of arguing with Aileana when she wanted to do something. It was much easier to just go along with whatever she had planned. Besides, we were almost out. What were a few more minutes beneath this mountain?
Sighing, I ran my fingers over the hilt of my sword and leaned against the dark stone wall of the tunnel. Extending my senses, I listened to the life around us. I would not let our group fall prey to danger.
Luckily, we were still alone. The soft hum of Kysha and Maiela’s voices came from behind me, but that was all I heard. Nothing else penetrated the silence of this mountain. Not the skittering of mice on the shale, not the chirping of insects. Not even water dripping on walls. This place was empty. The spiders that weren’t truly spiders had never returned, leaving the city as silent and empty as a mausoleum.
Maiela and Kysha grew closer, and I stopped listening to give them privacy.
In front of me, Aileana crouched, placing her hands flat on the ground. Her skin glowed, the tattoos flaring as she poured her magic into the land. My mate hummed a wordless tune, and a feeling of content came through the bond as she shut her eyes. Her body swayed from side-to-side, and she exhaled softly.
I would never tire of watching her. Aileana was incredible, wielding her magic like an extension of herself. Proficient with both her daggers and her power, she was the definition of a fierce female.
And she wasmine.
There was no one luckier than I in all the Four Kingdoms.
A few minutes later, footsteps approached. I straightened as Kysha and Maiela rounded the corner. Their purple lights bobbed in front of them as they came toward me, eyeing Aileana’s prone form.
“Does she do this a lot?” Kysha asked when Aileana didn’t even look up at the two of them.
I shrugged. “It comes and goes. The pressure of her magic becomes too much to bear, and she needs to let it out.”
“She must have an immense amount of power,” Maiela murmured.
A rustling of fabric came from my mate, followed by a cheeky, “I do.”
My gaze dropped to Aileana as she lifted her hands, dusting them on her cloak and grinning.
“Feel better?” I asked.