TEN

Astaroth

I LURCHED UPRIGHT, SPUTTERING out thick goops of black tar. My body convulsed as more tar vomited from my lips, a hand touching my back. Anton sat in front of me, his hands glowing with lightning as fear flickered in his eyes, like he had seen a nightmare. Next to me, Dios sat with his arm reaching over me while he rubbed my back in slow circles. A silver rapier lay near his leg, coated in deep black flames. Hellfire flames.

My cheek stung, and my head throbbed. “What happened?” I rasped, clutching my forehead.

Dios smiled warmly, tears running down his amber-colored cheeks. “I don’t really understand it. I’m pissed that I had to witness such a thing, but I- I need to understand how—”

“He means he’s glad you’re okay,” Dante said.

I glanced over my shoulder at him. Sweat coated his face. He wiped it away with the sleeve of his shirt. Trickles of magick flowed around him like sparkly faery lights.

“Oh. Ugh, I guess I’m sorry then.” I grimaced at how weak my voice sounded.

Tugging me forward, Dios pulled me onto his lap and buried his face in the crook of my neck. I tensed, unsure of this gesture from him. The air hummed with electricity while my body twitched at the sensation of tingles coursing over my neck. Dios breathed in deeply, a sigh escaping him. I took a whiff of Dios in return, smelled the wild pine forests that surrounded the Castle of Eminence. He was home. He was safety. I had never felt this before with Mason, even if his scent was delicious. Dios had a way of making my skin crawl with good intentions.

I snaked my arms around Dios’ shoulders. “Dios, can you carry me to my room? I don’t think I can walk.”

He tensed. As he looked at me, I saw his eyes dart to Anton for reassurance before returning to me. Their bright golden hue glowed against the dim light of the chandelier. “It would be our pleasure, darlin’.”

Raising an eyebrow at the comment, I bit my bottom lip. His voice was like sweet melted garlic butter dripped over succulent meat. Dios pulled me closer, our noses touching. Heat dusted my cheeks, and out of the corner of my eye, the hellfire flames grew a foot taller.

Yelping, I kicked at the sword, and it skittered further across the room. I couldn’t take my eyes off the flames while Dios nuzzled my neck.

“Do you want us to stay?” he asked.

I could only nod. Damn, his voice was alluring.

Dios gently slid me off his lap to stand up. He slipped his hand against my face and brushed his thumb over my cheek.

“You look cute when you blush,” he whispered huskily.

The flames on the blade rose even higher as the heat across my face deepened. His words were safety wrapped in a country twang.

“Now, darlin’, you comfortable?”

I nodded, unable to look him in the eye. The change in his voice had been sudden; it came out of nowhere, growing deeper with a twang as he flirted openly with me. I welcomed the shift, desperate to have him close to me. Even with Mason as my boyfriend, I had a mate. There had to be happiness hidden deep within. Goddess Astia told me I would be with him forever.

Slowly, I wrapped my arms over his shoulders and laced my fingers together while he scooped me off the ground. His muscles flexed when I laid my head against my arm and stared at my legs.

Dante took a step forward, grabbing my shoulder. “Astaroth, be careful. Father is looking for an excuse to punish you.”

I smiled. Let him. I had my mate. Nothing would change that. But I had to get him out of the kingdom before Father lost his patience with me and wanted Dios dead.

“We’re sorry we had to come out of the blue like that, darlin’. Ever since we were captured,” he said, looking toward the door. We waited until Anton took the hint that we wanted to leave and crossed to the door, where he opened it. Dios carried me out of the room.

Anton led him through the hallways, checking for Father before hurrying us along. I wrapped my arms tighter around Dios’ neck. Every moment out in the open had me chewing on my bottom lip.

We reached my room, and Anton opened the door. The guards at the entrance exchanged glances, then narrowed their eyes at Dios, who didn’t meet their gazes, and brought me inside to set me down on my bed. He brushed my hair from my face.

“Darlin’, you get some rest. We’ll be sitting right here.”

Furrowing my brow, I looked him up and down. “Why are you talking like that?”

Dios chuckled. He sat down in the cushioned chair and folded his hands together. “Ka- Dios is our human. We are his wolf, Oliver.

“Wolf? Your kind has an inner wolf like us dragonthorns have an inner dragon?” I asked. The thought of werewolves being similar to dragonthorns gave me hope. With each new trait I learned about the so-called enemy, I realized we were closer in spirit. Was this why Astia was so eager to push me toward Dios?

“Inner wolf? Yeah, we’re something like that. Goddess Astia blessed our people over hundred-thousand years ago to transform into wolves. We are the protectors of our humans, granting them abilities to walk with the moon.”

I grinned. There were more than similarities between our people. Scooting closer to the edge of the bed, I fumbled with the beads of my shirt again. “Your goddess sounds a lot like Goddess Kykla is. Dragonthorns were led to the dragon cores over five-thousand years ago, where we learned dragon magick and changed. Our magick became something much more unique than what a runi could cast, and we gained inner dragons to help guide us in the way of dragons.”

Oliver hummed. Leaning forward, he stared at me through his dark eyelashes, the golden glow reminding me of the evening sunset. “Dragonthorns are interesting. Complicated, but interesting.”

“As are werewolves. I’d like to know more about you.”

“First, care to tell us your inner dragon’s name?”

A rustling of scales echoed in my mind. There Damien was, having hidden himself away when Dios first started giving us the cold shoulder. He sauntered forward in my mind, huffing out a thick plume of ashy smoke.

He wants to talk to us? The nerve after he called us-

Damien, Dios and Oliver have been struggling. Father made sure they were tortured, I scolded.

My dragon snorted. Another plume of smoke trailed out of his flared nostrils. We don’t want to.

Then why are you talking?

We… We were curious, he stammered. An apparent eggplant hue dusted the raven-black scales of his cheeks.

Smirking, I shook my head. The stubbornness of that dragon.

Oliver frowned and lowered his gaze. “We’re sorry. We should have-”

I gently took his chin with my hand and raised his head to look me in the eye again. The amber hue of his cheeks flushed a vibrant red as tingles spread across my hand. “Damien is his name, and he’s quite cross that Dios said those things about him.”

“Can we see? Are you able to shift? Wait…can dragonthorns even shift? Or is that a rumor the Alpha Council spread?” Oliver rambled.

Laughter bubbled out of my mouth, and I pulled back, clutching my side. Each shake of my body sent waves of pain from the wound through my body. His people were hilarious, yet this pain was horrible.

I shook my head as I bit back the tears forming in my eyes. “Dragonthorns can’t shift. We are simple beings that can use dragon magick, but that’s it. Oh, and we age slowly.”

Oliver took my hands in his warm hands, caressing them softly. A serene smile spread across his face as he looked at me. With a glance at Anton, I saw my guard tense and grip his rapier like his life depended on it.

I never thought I’d be this close to a werewolf without getting my throat ripped out. Oliver and Dios made me feel safe, like the world outside my room was far away and couldn’t break through the walls at any second.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I glanced at it, grumbling to myself. The moment of peace was shattered. I pulled my hands from Oliver and sat back. Oliver’s demeanor changed in an instant. He slumped in the chair, letting his gaze drift to my nightstand and stare at the photograph of me with my two little nephews. Davon, barely out of his dragonnestling stage, was climbing up me, pulling at my hair, while Rhain was cradled sound asleep in my arms.

Anton crossed the room and opened the door. My heart skipped a beat at the familiar sight of blond curls and green eyes, yet his attire was different. And our last conversation didn’t go so well, leaving me wondering what was going to happen between us.

“Can we talk?” he asked, eyes narrowing toward Oliver.

I nodded.