“You’re probably right.” He took a few steps back and pointed toward the opening to the tunnels. “You might want to wait over there while I shift.”
“Nah, nudity doesn’t bother me.” I threw him a wink.
Again, an unexpected smile. “That’s not what I meant.” He rubbed his stubbly jaw as he regarded me. “How do I put this?” Another pause. “My dragon is pretty taken by you, and I’m not sure what his reaction will be after not seeing you for all this time.”
My eyes bugged out. “What the heck does that mean? Is he going to try to eat me or jump me?”
“More likely the latter.”
I slowly backed up, my heart attempting somersaults, until I stood in the shelter of the cave. “Do you really think this little rinky-dink hollow is going to protect me?” I called out.
But it was too late. Talon’s muscled, naked body stood against the alabaster blanket of snow. A golden shimmer curled its way up his legs, across his cut abs, and over his massive torso until it consumed his entire form. The gilded haze ballooned around his large frame as his skin and bones began to expand and contort.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the gruesome yet enthralling sight. When the shimmery fog lifted, an enormous silver dragon loomed over the cliffside. My heart crashed against my ribcage as my gaze climbed up the beautiful beast.
Like everything regarding Talon, a deep, repressed part of me recognized the shimmering silver beast. As terrifying as the massive creature was, my fingers itched to reach out and caress its sleek scales.
The dragon regarded me, his oddly human eyes lancing over every inch of me. He moved closer, and I took a step back. Sure, he was gorgeous, but he was also terrifying.
You coming? Or are you going to stand there and stare at me all day? Talon’s voice erupted in my head, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“How’d you do that?” I shrieked.
The overgrown reptile’s lips curved into a grin—if that were even possible. It worked before so I figured I’d try it again.
I took a small step from the cave, nearing the gigantic creature. “What does it mean that I can hear your dragon in my head?”
Silence.
“Hello?” I glanced up at the towering dragon. “I think your ESP is broken.”
The animal shook his enormous head and snorted, his silver irises drilling into me much like within the man they typically inhabited. Two puffs of dark smoke erupted from his nostrils, and the scent of smokey charcoal filled the air. Yikes, I had to be careful not to get this big guy mad or I’d be demon barbecue.
“So why can I hear you?” From my limited memories, I didn’t believe that was common between supernatural species.
We must still be connected somehow. Even in my head his voice was quiet, dark undertones lacing his thoughts.
“I don’t suppose you’ll elaborate on that?” I asked as I took another measured step closer.
Nope.
“Stubborn bastard.”
A chuckle rang out in my head, urging my feet forward and I closed the remaining distance between myself and the fiery beast.
The dragon dropped to his belly and extended a scaley limb. Come on. Get on. It’s a long flight to the Underworld, and I’d rather get there before nightfall.
Nightfall? Ugh. It was barely daybreak. How long would I have to endure the frigid temps on this reptile?
I scaled Dragon-Talon’s leg, gripping onto his elbow then shoulder blade. I lowered myself between his wing bones and heat seeped through my jeans. It was like sitting on a raging hearth.
Ready?
I tightened my grip around the joint of his bony appendages and squeezed my thighs. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Chapter Fifteen
“What’s up with all these underground tunnels?” I grumbled as I followed Talon through yet another dark, dank passageway.
“Easiest way to sneak up on someone,” he called over his shoulder. “Now be quiet. I thought you wanted your revenge on Thax.”
I do. My she-demon purred. “How do you even know where you’re going?”
Talon’s hard expression darkened as he peered down the tunnel. “We’ve been here before.” A tendon fluttered in his clenched jaw.
“I take it that didn’t go well.”
“You almost died.” His words were so soft I thought I’d misheard him.
“So not only did my cousin kidnap me and mess with my memories, he tried to murder me first?”
“That wasn’t his fault actually. One of his demon guards got a little overzealous.”
Images of Thax’s narkin demons flickered through my mind. Nasty creatures for sure. I cringed at the thought of their razor-sharp tusks slicing through my flesh. A chill skirted up my spine as phantom pangs streaked across my back. Was that a memory?
Talon’s warm palm pressed into my lower back, pulling me from my dark thoughts. “This way.” He ushered me through a doorway and pressed his finger to his lips. He leaned against the rock wall with his ear to the earth, and I did the same. Even with my demon senses kicking in, I couldn’t make out a sound.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. Tipping it over the stone, he mumbled a few words. Magic danced over my skin as a tiny fissure ran along the wall in the shape of a doorway. The rock shuddered and cracked, and the mystical door slid into the wall like a handy little pocket door.
Talon’s arm slapped across my chest as I stepped forward. He slowly shook his head and moved in front of me. From over his thick shoulder, I could make out a vast chamber. He crept inside, and I trailed a few feet behind. There was no way I was missing out on this. My lying bastard cousin was getting a good soul-suck.
The darkness closed in around us, the faint pitter patter of our footsteps the only sound throughout the large space. A grand hearth sat in the center of the room with a circular table surrounding it. Chairs were strewn haphazardly, like whoever had been there had left in a hurry. I neared the high-backed chair in the center, imagining my cousin sitting over his warlord friends. Soon this throne will be mine. I tamped down on my power-hungry she-demon as I scanned the gray ashes that filled the fireplace of the echoey chamber.
“Stay here,” Talon whispered from the opposite side of the room. Before I could object, he disappeared through tall double doors. I continued my investigation of the banquet hall, hoping it would trigger some long-lost memory. According to the guys, I’d been missing for three months. Had I spent the entire time in Thax’s underground lair in the Nether Lands or had I visited this castle too?
“It’s empty,” Talon announced from the doorway, and my heart leapt to my throat. “Not a single guard or servant anywhere.”
“Geez, put a bell on or something, dragon.”
“Why so jumpy?”
The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I walked toward the doorway he’d appeared from. “I don’t know. I think I was here before.”
“You were. I just told you—”
I raised my hand to cut him off and shook my head. “No, more recently. While I was missing.”
His eyes widened, a flicker lighting up his irises. “You remember something?”