Chapter 31

Lillian

I don't know when or even how I fell asleep against Nicholas, but I woke up as the limo stopped. The princes watched me as I looked out the windows to peek at our surroundings.

We were definitely not in the city anymore. Everything was brown and rocky, and there were no leaves on the trees. In fact, they all looked singed. There was no grass, no plants, only dust, rocks, and lifeless trees.

Aiden pulled me out of Nicholas's lap, lifting my chin and kissing me deeply. "I love you, little one. We are here, and we won't let anything happen to you." He glanced at his brothers, who nodded.

Nicholas got out of the car first and helped me out before wrapping his arms around me. "Just remember to stay calm. Don't let those voices of doubt cloud your judgment. You can do this." He kissed me. "You will do this."

I nodded as I wrapped my arms around him.

Aiden walked past us. "They're up ahead. Let's go before they come looking for us."

Nicholas and I began to follow him, but something grabbed my hand, and I was pulled back.

I wasn't expecting anything from Keir, but he held my hand, staring at it while his thumb glided across my knuckles. I could tell he was trying to find the words, but he was coming up short.

"Thank you," I spoke with a smile. He looked into my eyes, and I saw an emotion I couldn't quite place, but I felt the depth of it anyway. I gave him a reassuring bob of my head then gestured toward the twins. "We'd better follow them. I'd hate to give your father a reason to make this even harder."

He clenched his jaw and nodded.

I expected him to let go of my hand, but he kept holding it, interlacing our fingers as we walked up the path. I would have been lying if I said the gesture didn't do something to me. My stomach fluttered with giddy butterflies.

I had a better view of our surroundings as we got further up the path. We were on a mountain—a giant fucking mountain. I couldn't tell exactly how high up we were, but it was incredibly high, too high, and the air was thin. Up here, there was no variation of colors, but down below, I saw a spread of green vegetation everywhere.

"He burned everything up here," Keir answered me. "The dragon, I mean. That's why there's nothing living. He's destructive, impossible to train or control. His name is Aridam: Destroyer of Enemies."

Of course, that was his name.

"Whoa…" I breathed out, the pounding in my chest becoming painful, my sides burning like they were being stabbed.

Keir stopped us and held my face in his hands. "Hey, it's going to be okay." His words were starting to sound muffled. "Lillian? Talk to me." The ringing was getting louder, and it was hard to focus on his face. "Shit…" He looked me over, clearly worried.

I could've never prepared myself for the way Keir's lips would feel on mine. He pulled my face forward and leaned in, crashing our lips together. His were soft but demanding as he kissed me gently at first, but when I didn't react, it turned into a kiss of desperation. He thrusted his tongue into my mouth, immediately claiming every corner of mine.

My knees buckled, but one of his arms looped behind my back, holding my body to his. I moved against him, kissing him back, our tongues dancing. He groaned so loudly, it vibrated in my chest. My poor panties had no chance of survival against a kiss like this.

I felt like I was going to go up in flames, burn for him right here, consume us both.

He moved his hand from my face to my hair, running his fingers against my scalp and then tugging, pulling my head back, separating us. We panted, staring at one another.

"You're the strongest woman I've ever met, princess. You've been to Hell and back before ever arriving here, and somehow, you still smile, laugh, love. Your world tried to squeeze the life from your bones, and you wrenched yourself from its fucking grasp and gave it the biggest ‘fuck you' this universe has ever seen. You are going to march into that cave, get the treasure, and walk out like a fucking queen. Understood?" He sounded angry, but his eyes burned with passion.

Fuck , he gave good pep talks.

I couldn't do anything but nod, my brain still trying to reform after being obliterated by his kiss.

He kissed my forehead then helped me steady on my feet. "Let's get this over with and get you home."

After weaving his hand back in mine, we walked to the twins, who were staring at us like they'd just witnessed Jupiter and Saturn align.

"You okay?" Nicholas asked me, fighting a smile.

I nodded, my cheeks hot. "I'm good. I'm better than good."

My princes surrounded me, Nicholas and Keir flanking my sides and Aiden leading the way. We walked up the path until we reached a small crowd.

"And there she is!" I heard someone announce loudly.

After a quick glance around, I realized the voice belonged to their father, the reason for this whole fucking fiasco. He was standing on a platform hovering a few feet off the ground, facing the small crowd. I recognized most of the faces as the council members and possibly their partners, as most of them had someone holding onto their arms or standing nearby. There were a handful of others surrounding the small stage.

Much to my surprise, while most of the attendees looked excited, some looked at me with pity.

"Of course, he'd make this a fucking event," Keir muttered under his breath.

"Don't let it get to you, little one," Aiden told me. "He has always been a prick about this sort of thing. He's just an evil, power-hungry bastard. Pay no mind. In and out, okay? That's all you have to focus on. He's such a coward; he's not even standing near the cave."

I looked around and saw he was right. There was no cave around here.

"Up there, baby." Nicholas pointed, and my eyes followed.

Above us was more mountain, a steep, rocky path leading even higher. I saw a small glint shine from the top of the mountain.

"We'll follow you up, okay? We'll wait at the mouth of the cave for you," he assured me with a smile.

His promise made me feel a lot better. I didn't feel so alone knowing they'd be just outside waiting for me, there in case I needed help. Would they come in if they heard I was in trouble? Would they be able to save me in time?

Before I could say anything more to them, their father's voice broke through. "Let's get this going, human. Don't keep us waiting."

The guys stayed around me as the crowd parted, everyone's eyes on us. Some of them, mostly men, were bouncing excitedly, trading money around like they were placing bets.

What the actual fuck? I wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of my predicament.

Most of them are exactly like him, Lillian. They want to see you die an agonizing death. They get off on this sort of thing. You can't let it affect you. Stay strong and show all these assholes they've messed with the wrong woman.

Keir's words gave me the strength to stand taller as we reached the platform, and I looked their father right in his stupid, beady, red eyes. This fucker was going to pay for putting me through this shit. I curled my lip at him, narrowing my glare. He actually fucking smiled at me.

He looked over the crowd. "A guard will accompany this human woman to the mouth of the cave, where he will open the door and let her in. He will stand at the opening and wait for her to come out…" He paused and looked at me with another sneer. "Or for her pitiful screams of death," he said, as though he could taste my blood already.

Keir's grip on my hand tightened, all three brothers stiffening, making their father's smile grow.

"Are you ready, human?"

All heads turned in my direction in a wave, and I tried to swallow my nerves. I lifted my chin, refusing to be intimidated. "I'm ready."

He turned to the guard beside him and whispered something, the action instantly putting me on edge as the guard stared me down the entire time. When the guard nodded, their father pulled away and handed him something small that the guard pocketed before he walked off the platform in my direction.

"This way, human ," he spat, as though I disgusted him.

"We go with her," Aiden told him, gesturing to his brothers.

Their father laughed. "You really think I would let you three up there with her? What's your plan here, sons? Storm in there and help her? Kill my pet before he gets to have his fun with yours?"

He looked out at the crowd, and they chuckled alongside him before he turned back to us with a snarl. "You will not interfere with my games. She doesn't get any help. She does this alone." He lifted a finger. " But , in the spirit of being merciful, I'll allow one of you up with her. The guard ought to be able to handle one of my sons should they decide to defy the rules." He gestured at us with his hands. "Pick now before I change my mind."

The brothers all turned to me, and I shot them wide-eyed looks. "What? I can't choose. Don't make me choose."

"She's right. She has enough to deal with," Nicholas said quietly. "It should be me. I've been training with the jewels with her. Maybe my presence, no matter how far away, can help calm her nerves. Make her feel more at ease."

"What? It should be m—"

"He's right," Keir interrupted Aiden. "Consistency. It makes the most sense." He grabbed one of Nicholas's shoulders. "Don't let anything happen to her."

Nicholas nodded, his face solemn. "Of course."

Aiden pulled me from Keir's hand and hugged me tightly, giving me a chaste kiss before whispering, "You got this, little one. I can't wait to celebrate your win tonight." He bit my earlobe, sending jabs of electricity through my body.

I may have been facing a challenge, one that could possibly kill me, but clearly, my pussy didn't get the life-or-death memo as she pulsed for this man.

Keir wrenched me from Aiden's embrace, pulled my face to his chest, and placed a kiss on the top of my head. He let me go, his hands remaining in mine until Nicholas pulled us apart, the impatient guard barking at us.

"Come back to me, princess," was the last thing Keir said before I turned around to face the path.

"I'm so glad he came to his senses," Nicholas told me as he interlaced his fingers with mine. "Granted, the ‘no sex' rule was broken by the one who set it, but I'm still glad."

I chuckled. "He didn't technically break it."

He gave me a confused look.

"We didn't have sex last night. He… uh… helped me get off." A blush crept up to my cheeks.

"Was it good?" he asked me, making my jaw drop. "What? I'm just curious," he said with a shrug, as though that was the most ordinary question ever.

I laughed and nodded to answer him, my cheeks heating at the topic, but I was happy for the distracting conversation as we trekked up the trail.

Luckily, our conversation turned to other things, like wanting an honest opinion about the breakfast he'd made and asking how Mavis was. It felt like forever, but we eventually reached what I assumed was our destination.

The "door" was massive . I could have stacked twenty of me and still not reached the top of it. It was a circle with intricate designs of stone and gold carved into it. Symbols adorned the outer edge, looking like some sort of ancient script.

The flat area we stood on overlooked the land. We were so high up, I could barely see the crowd below us. I wondered where Keir and Aiden stood. Could they even see anything from down there?

The guard pulled a vial of red liquid from his pocket and shook it around.

"Only our father's blood can open the door," Nicholas explained as the guard walked to the door and cleared some overgrown brush away.

"Oooh," I drew out. "Makes sense."

Nicholas stood in front of me, his face strained, worried. "Listen, I don't know much about this cave, but the big door is for the dragon, and it hasn't been opened in a very long time, since they put Aridam in there. He's going to open a door to a hallway for you. I don't know how far it goes, but it leads straight into the heart of the cave. Aridam guards the treasure, but it's in a separate room. He guards it from the outside, so you'll have to get past him to get to the treasure. Take this." He held out what looked like a homemade grenade. "Ida bought it from a demon who knows a thing or two about dragons. You're going to pull this and throw it into the room before you enter." He wrapped his hands around mine, making me grip the bomb tightly. "Don't go in until you are 100% sure the dragon is asleep, Lilly. Promise me you'll be patient."

"I promise," I breathed out.

"Good. I can't guarantee how long it will last." He closed his eyes, like he wished there was more he could do. "Once he's asleep, sneak past him and into the treasure room. Grab what you need. Don't take too long, but please don't rush yourself. 666 ounces exactly, baby. You can do this. You have your daggers if you need them, but let's hope it doesn't come to that."

He gestured to the daggers hidden in the inner pockets of my suit on my thighs, intricate, puffy designs circling my legs to ensure the protrusions wouldn't be seen. I was surprised no one patted me down or searched me. Their father must've been so confident I'd lose, he didn't bother with such a thing.

Nicholas hugged me and turned us around so his back was to the cave then stuffed the grenade into my backpack quickly as the guard approached us.

The guard looked at Nicholas, frowning at him. "Do not follow the human inside. Understood? I am under direct orders to keep anyone from entering that cave after her by any means necessary." He puffed out his chest, trying to look intimidating. "Princes are no exception."

"Understood," Nicholas bit out.

I squeezed his hand, making him look at me. "I got this, okay? Don't worry."

All the words the princes had fed me, building me up and assuring me I could do this, made me feel strong. I may not have known exactly what I was walking into, no way to know for sure, but I was ready.

I gave Nicholas a lingering kiss before letting go and following the guard to the door. The guard poured some of the blood on his palm then placed it on the door. A loud click sounded, and a small, door-shaped outline glowed from the rock. It popped free, and the sound of stone grinding filled my ears as it swung open.

The sound brought me back to the first time I'd met the princes.

I was wasted that night, so wasted I thought seeing them, experiencing them, had been some crazy dream. The night I offered myself to them, unaware they'd come back to collect me. The night my body was pushed beyond its limits in the best ways imaginable. The night I bound myself to them forever.

I didn't regret it, not one bit, not even now, as I looked down the dark passage that would lead me to the most dangerous thing I'd ever done. I'd do it all a million times over if it meant meeting them, loving them.

The guard cleared his throat. "Don't delay the inevitable," he sneered.

I glared at him. "I'll be back. Hold the door for me, sweetie?" I topped off my sarcasm with a smug smile.

I heard Nicholas chuckle behind him.

The guard huffed, but he didn't rush me again.

I looked back at my sweet prince again, capturing his endearing smile and loving gaze in my mind. After giving him a small smile of my own, I turned to face the passage and plunged myself into the darkness with an exhale, trying to banish the anxiety from my bones.