The Lord roared with laughter as he slapped his knee. He was crazier than the last time Cole saw him, and it was obvious the lunatic liked Malakai. Not only had he given the vamp a sun medallion to allow him to walk in the day, but he found the asshole amusing.
“You are correct!” the Lord agreed. Then, as suddenly as the laughter came, it vanished. “But, if I give her to you, then I will make an enemy of the king of the dark fae, and since I just killed the last one, I should probably keep this one alive for a little bit.”
His attention shifted to Cole. “I should kill you. You’re too powerful, and I don’t like it.” He leaned forward. “But as long as I allow you to have her, then I can control you. Before, I only had the threat of destroying the Gloaming to keep you in line, but now… now, I have something that means so much more to you… your mate.”
He chuckled as he leaned back on his throne. “I couldn’t have planned it any better if I tried. Any other dark fae king wouldn’t have such a weakness, but you… oh, you have lycan blood in you, and the lycans will do anything for their mates.
“And oh, how I plan to use her. The second you step out of line, King Colburn of the dark fae, I will take her and give her to him”—he pointed a finger at Malakai—“and I will make you watch while he fucks her.
“From what she says, she will not be willing, so I’m assuming it will be brutal and something you will never forget. The second you mess up, you’ll hear the screams of your mate as another takes what you think is yours but is mine. You may rule the Gloaming, but I control all the realms and everyone in them.”
Cole’s joints and bones popped as they twisted and shifted. With sheer strength of will, he shoved the wolf back into its cage.
“And no matter how powerful you are, you cannot stop my friends or me,” the Lord said and waved his fingers.
Behind him, the dragons shifted again, and more of them crept closer.
“I want your brothers, Cole,” the Lord said.
“You’ll have them,” Cole replied.
“Good, because if I don’t have them soon, then I will have her.” He thrust a finger at Lexi. “I’ll fuck her before I give her to Malakai, but don’t fret; I’ll give her back afterward because she will always be my leverage against you. And as your mate, you’ll take her back, even if she’s sucked every dick in this realm.”
It took everything Lexi had not to vomit at the picture the Lord’s words conjured. Her mind screamed denials at her even as her heart acknowledged the truth. This monstrosity would pass her around to every man he knew while making Cole watch.
What they would have to do to Cole to get him to watch would probably damn near kill him.
When the Lord finished with her, he would give her back to Cole, and Cole would take her back. And he would do it, not because she was his mate, but because he loved her. He would never blame her or hate her for what happened.
He would hate himself and never recover from it, but neither would she. They’d both be broken and battered by it and their helplessness, and all because this sick bastard was determined to destroy everything good in the world.
“If Varo and Orin aren’t here by the end of the month, I’m coming for her,” the Lord said. “So, you had better start hunting. And if you try to hide her from me, I’ll level the Gloaming and more of the human realm in search of her. So, the two of you will have to decide between having her blood on your hands or millions of others’ blood on them.”
Lexi would never let that happen. She couldn’t imagine much worse than being passed around to countless others by this monster, but the lives of thousands staining her soul was one of them.
“What about me?” Malakai asked plaintively.
“You’ll have to wait to see if you get a turn at her or find someone else. Do you believe she is your consort?” When Malakai didn’t reply, the Lord turned to face him. “Do you?”
“I don’t care if she is; she will be my bride.”
“Not if I say no, and I am saying no… for now.”
Malakai’s gaze swung to her, and red flashed through his eyes. Lexi glared back at him.
“Colburn, take your mate and get out of my hall,” the Lord said and waved dismissively at them.
Cole pulled Lexi’s hand from his arm and kept hold of it. “Let’s go,” he said.
Before they could go anywhere, one of the dragons swung its wings forward. Their vast size blocked out the room as the lethal points at the bottom of those wings hit the floor on either side of Cole. He didn’t acknowledge them.
Lexi glanced up at the creature as it rose over them, but she’d rather face its wrath than the Lord’s. Then the dragon lowered its head to peer intently at her.
Chapter Sixty-Six
Cole stared the creature down as he pulled Lexi into his arms. He locked her against his chest as the dragon’s head swung back and forth while it studied them.
“How sweet,” the Lord murmured. “And disgusting. Get out of my hall, but remember, I know where she is, and I’ll find her if you don’t bring me your brothers.”
Cole glanced over at where Malakai remained sulking by the stairs. The Lord must have seen something on his face as he sat a little straighter on his throne.
“The two of you are to stay away from each other,” the Lord said. “If something happens to one of you, I will not be pleased, and I do not like being displeased. Do you understand me, Colburn?”
“Yes.”
But, to him, Malakai was a dead man walking.
He cradled Lexi’s head against his chest and led her beneath one of the dragon’s wings as they made their way toward the doors at the end of the hall. All the dragons were awake now, and their heads turned to watch them.
The last, and the biggest dragon he’d ever seen, rose onto its hind feet as they neared. It unfurled its wings, and its bellow shook the walls before it launched itself off the ground and soared toward the open ceiling.
The flap of its wings blew their hair back and plastered their clothes to them. Lexi trembled as she pressed closer to him.
Cole opened one of the doors and led her into the hallway beyond. They passed statues of golden dragons and the ill-fated arach who stood beside some of them.
He guided her out of the palace and down the front steps. As they strode down the walkway, he let out a loud whistle. A minute later, Torigon trotted into view. The magnificent animal’s black coat shone in the moonlight as it trotted forward and fell in behind them.
As they left the palace gates behind, the monstrous dragon flew over the top of them. It glided so low that the fine lines etching its belly were visible.
His bones and joints cracked and popped as the lycan strained to break free in response to the dragon’s clear threat to his mate.
When Cole used his powers to open a portal, Lexi wasn’t concerned about it weakening him. Instead, she considered it better that he released some of his power.
However, the opening of the portal didn’t ease the thrum of his power beating against her. The thump of it sounded like a helicopter’s rotors churning through the air.