Chapter Forty-Two

Vax arrived that evening. I wasn't surprised. He only needed a few hours to fetch the stone, and then he would have sped after us. And sea dragons swim faster than any ship.

Captain Aras came for me and escorted me to the throne room. We entered from a side door next to the dais. Vax stood before the dais with his guards. Even though King Lyrandir was seated on his throne, my mate looked more like a king. His chin was lifted at the perfect angle—not too high but enough to convey superiority and disdain. His hair flowed behind him like a cape, and his eyes sparked with power. That powerful stare started to glow when it landed on me.

"Ah, here he is. Just as promised," Lyrandir waved at me. "Let's not waste time. You will pass the Eye to Captain Aras while he releases your mate to you, King Vaxarion."

Vax grunted and stepped toward us. In his hand was Ensarena's Eye.

"Wait!" I shouted.

Everyone looked at me.

"I want my necklace back," I said.

"What necklace?" Aras demanded.

"Oh, that's cute. You know what necklace. The diamond. I was wearing it when I was taken. Now, I'm not. Give it back or I'm not going back."

Vax growled, "You stole from my mate?! That jewel belonged to my mother!"

"Did you?" King Lyrandir demanded of Aras.

"I did not." Aras looked over at his men. "Hand it over! Now!"

The two men who had abducted me winced, then looked at each other.

"Now!" Aras growled again. "Don't make this any worse for yourselves."

"We didn't think he'd miss one necklace," one of them muttered as he came over and pulled my diamond necklace out of his pocket.

Aras snatched it away from him. "We are not thieves!"

All that drama was just what I was hoping for. I jerked out of Aras's grip and dove for Vax. Vax reached for me. But I wasn't going for him, not really. It was the stone I wanted.

I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't. The plan had popped into my mind, and I acted on it. It didn't occur to me that I could have simply run to Vax, and he could have fought our way out of there. Or maybe it had. Maybe I didn't want him to have to fight. I don't know. Honestly. I just felt as if the best choice, the safest route, would be for me to grab the Eye. Again.

But this time, I was going to use it.

I snatched Ensarena's Eye and shouted, "Everyone stay where you are!"

Vax gaped at me. Then he said, "Zix, give me the Eye."

"No, babe," I said. "You can't use it."

"I can if necessary."

"Let me rephrase: you won't use it. And I don't want you to risk yourself. I, however, am not a Dragon of any kind."

"And that only means that using the Eye will destroy you," King Lyrandir said.

"Will it?" I lifted a brow at him as the Eye began to glow. "Or will it destroy you?"

King Lyrandir, who was now standing, went still.

"Leave," Aras said to me. "Just go now."

"No!" Lyrandir roared. "The Eye belongs to me!" He looked at Aras. "Get me what you promised, Captain!"

"Fuck you," Captain Aras said.

The room went silent.

"What did you say to me?" Lyrandir hissed.

"You heard me, Your Majesty," Aras said. "Fuck you. I'm done with this. As far as I'm concerned, I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. There is the Eye." He pointed at it. "If you're not strong enough to take it, that's not my problem."

Lyrandir shrieked with fury, then dove for me.

Everything slowed down. I don't know if it was that way for everyone, but I suspected not. Because in my hand, Ensarena's Eye was pulsing. Responding to my desire. Heat ran up my arm, then down it, gathering in the stone. In my hand. I could direct that power. I knew I could. The stone wasn't a slave to Dragons. It was a mercenary. A fucking assassin for hire. Assassins demanded payment, but I couldn't worry about that now.

I felt Fire rush through me and gasped. If this was the payment, it was worth it. I barely felt the burn. And if I did this right, Lyrandir would never come after us or the Eye again. But what to do? How exactly should I direct the Eye?

That's where the slowness helped. Everything moved at a snail's pace except for me. In fact, my mind seemed to speed up. I saw Lyrandir's eyes widen on my hand, heard Vax call out to me, and then watched Aras leap between his lover and me. Lyrandir's shock turned into fear. For Aras. I saw the love in his eyes and my plans changed.

I pulled back on the Eye, drawing its magic back into me. Instead of blasting Aras with the full force, I shared it with him. We were thrown apart. Time returned to normal for me, and I was welcomed back with the sound of screams—Aras's and mine. Then there were shouts from the two Dragon kings.

"Zix!" Vaxarion cried and gathered me in his arms. "Damn you! What have you done?"

"Aras wasn't my target," I gasped.

Vax snarled and glared at Aras. The Captain was severely burned, injured far worse than I, but he was alive. Sure, his fur was gone and his skin charred, weeping blood and other fluids, and he whimpered pathetically, but it was better than the alternative. As I said, I fared better. The Eye had sucked back most of its power. But like a petulant child, it had struck out at me for denying it. My arm was charred and bloody up to the elbow.

"I'm all right, Vax," I said. "Don't take it out on Aras. He was just trying to protect his lover."

Meanwhile, that lover wept.

"Aras," Lyrandir moaned as he cradled the Hulfrin carefully. "Oh, my love. Why? Why did you do that? I'm immune to fire."

"Not that fire," Aras said in a gurgling voice. "It would have killed you."

"No, it wouldn't have. You beautiful fool."

"Uh, yes, it would have," I said as Vax helped me to my feet. "It would have incinerated you, and you know it. That's why you want the damn thing. Not even Dragons are immune to its fire."

"Then how did he survive?" Lyrandir growled at me.

"My mate pulled back the magic!" Vax shouted. "You fucking moron! You pathetic asshole! My beautiful, kind, generous mate protected your barbaric lover, and your only response is to snarl about it. He risked himself for the man who once tortured him."

"Then who is the fool?" Lyrandir demanded.

I snorted. "He's got you there."

Aras wheezed a laugh, shocking us all.

"My love?" Lyrandir looked down at the Captain.

"You are a fucking moron," Aras said.

"Healers!" Lyrandir shouted. "Bring me healers now!" He looked back at Aras to say, "Shh, now. You're delirious. It's the pain, but don't fret. Help is coming."

Aras snorted and, as we watched, his skin turned pink, wounds healing, and his fur regrew.

"Dear Gods," Lyrandir whispered.

"It looked worse than it was," Aras said and sat up. "He truly did pull back his strike. Unfortunately, fur burns faster than skin."

"No. Don't move." Lyrandir pulled Aras back onto his lap. "Move slowly. Just relax here for now."

"Ly, I'm fine." He pushed the Dragon King's hands away and stood up. "And I'm leaving."

"What?" Lyrandir gaped up at him.

"No one's leaving," Vax growled. "Not before I fucking slaughter them. Then they can be carried out."

"Shh!" I hissed at Vax. "I wanna hear this."

"What?" Vax scowled at me, then followed my stare to the drama unfolding between the land king and his lover. "Oh. Huh."

"Shh!" I hissed again.

Vax rolled his eyes, then took my hand, using the motion to take Ensarena's Eye from me. I grimaced at him, so he knew he wasn't fooling me. But then I was drawn back into the turbulent romance between the Hulfrin Captain and the Dragon King.

"—don't respect me," Aras was saying. "You're not as invested in our relationship as I am. And I deserve better. I fucking demand it. So, I'm leaving. Get one of your pretty courtiers to fuck you. Just know that no one is going to drill that ass like I do."

"Oh, shit," I whispered.

"He's a bottom?" Vax asked. "Didn't see that coming."

"What? Like a bottom can't be a king?" I asked.

"No, that's not what I meant. He just acts like a top."

"Didn't you say something about kings being alphas?"

"Acting like a top and being an alpha are two different things."

"In what way?" I lifted a brow.

"Are we seriously arguing about this?"

I chuckled and looked down. "My arm is healed!"

"Yes, you have Sea Dragon healing now." He lifted my hand and kissed my forearm. "But you will never risk yourself like that again. Understand me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." I winked at him.

Vax shook his head, but before he could say more, we were interrupted.

"Don't go!" Lyrandir shouted as Aras strode away. "Please, love. I'm sorry. I was so focused on gaining the Eye that I didn't see how poorly I was treating you. Forgive me."

Aras spun to point a finger at the King. "Don't fucking use that stone as an excuse! You were trying to control me. You wanted to make me jealous. Well, I may not be a king, but I'm the captain of one of the fastest ships on the sea, and I don't fucking get jealous. I don't need you. I don't need anyone. You were a great fuck, that's all."

"You don't mean that, Aras."

"Yes, I fucking do!"

"Then why did you save my life?!"

The question echoed through the room and everyone in that room stared at Aras, eager for his answer. Aras looked at me.

"When you spend your life fighting, it can be hard to know when it's time to lay down your arms and walk away," I said. Aras started to scowl, but then I went on, "Or when to pick them up again and settle in for a good battle."

Lyrandir looked from Aras to me and back again. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means you should fight for the man you love," Vax snapped.

"I am!" Lyrandir shouted.

"No," Aras said as he strode back to Lyrandir. "It means I should." He grabbed the back of Lyrandir's head and yanked him into a savage kiss.

King Lyrandir grabbed him back, locking his arms around Aras. The Hulfrin sailors and Lyrandir's Dragon knights all started to cheer. As the men kissed, I grinned at my mate.

Vaxarion grimaced. "These men tried to take you from me. One of them tortured you. I vowed to kill him. You have no idea how the urge to fulfill that vow claws at me."

"But you're not just my mate," I said. "You're also a king. And you know that it would be better to foster an ally here than gain the animosity of an entire dread. Aras is the King's lover. You can't kill him."

Vax sighed deeply. "King Lyrandir will not form an allegiance with me."

"Yes, I will," Lyrandir said.

Vax and I looked over at the Dragon King. He held Aras's hand, both of them looking delighted with themselves.

"What did you say?" Vaxarion asked.

"I will be your ally," Lyrandir said. "I renounce my claim on the Eye, and I'll even help you protect it if need be."

"Why the change of heart?"

Lyrandir chuckled. "That is it exactly." He looked at Aras, then back at my mate. "I see what's truly important now. I don't hear the Eye's call anymore. Even though it's right there."

"It was calling you?" Vax asked.

Lyrandir nodded, his expression going grim. "Day and night. It was driving me mad."

"That explains a lot," Aras huffed.

"What happened to not blaming it on the Eye?"

"That was when we were fighting."

"You're an asshole."

"Yeah, but I'm a sane asshole."

"True."

"You're all insane!" Vax shouted. "And I've had enough with you fucking landers! Let's go, Mate!" He tugged on my hand as his knights gathered around us.

"Vax, come on. At least accept his offer of friendship."

"We will not be friends," he grumbled.

"Allies," I amended.

"Fine." Vax looked at Lyrandir over his shoulder. "I accept. But come at me or mine again, and I will fucking demolish you and your entire kingdom."

Lyrandir chuckled. "My kind of man."

"Hey!" Aras growled.

"Oh, please." Lyrandir rolled his eyes. "He's mated. Do you know nothing of Dragons and their mates?"

The question seemed important, and so even as Vax dragged me away, I watched the couple.

"No," Aras said. "I don't know shit about Dragons and their mates. Why would I?"

"As I suspected." Lyrandir glanced at me, saw that I was watching, and did a double-take. Then he winked.

Smiling from one Dragon king to the other, I left the throne room of Gavemor. Or rather, I tried to leave it. On the threshold, I faltered.

"Zix?" Vax grabbed my upper arm to steady me.

"Vax," I whispered as I looked up at him, eyes gone wide. "Something's wrong."

That's when I started to scream.