“I know. Let’s hope they have no way out of here. But it was all I could think of. After what you said about waking your sisters, I remembered that my mother would be here in Ikalla, sleeping, too. As her son, I have the ability to summon them.”
“That is even more terrifying.”
“And one of the very few benefits that come with being my mother’s son, and having been suckled by her sisters.”
She scowled at his words. “But I thought you told me you weren’t suckled.”
He gave her a bitter smile. “It’s not the same way human mothers nurse their young. Believe me, it’s much more harsh and uncomfortable.”
That was all he needed to say. She definitely didn’t want more information than that, given what she knew of him and his people. “I’m sorry, Maxis.”
“For what?”
“Everything that’s been done to you. And for the fact that you look so tired right now. I wish I could find a safe place for you to sleep for a little while.”
He kissed her cheek. “It’s all good.”
Still, she felt guilty over it. She’d brought them to his door and led them straight to him. Instead of feeding him to the demons, she should have protected him with the same resolve and integrity he would have shown.
Never again will I be so selfish.
But then motherhood had taught her that. How to put someone else and their needs before hers. To value another being more than herself. Strange how Max, the animal, had been born with that sense of how he was part of a larger whole and his life wasn’t as important as the continuation of others. Or maybe it was his being male. She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that it’d taken the birth of her children before she’d understood it.
How she wished she could have loved him back in their past the way she could now.
It’s not too late.
At least she hoped that was true.
Yet as they made their way through the dark nether world, she wondered.
All of a sudden, Max froze in front of her so quickly that she slammed into his back. He remained completely ramrod stiff and still.
She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when she saw.
There in front of her was Nala and the rest of her Amazon tribe. Only they weren’t stone, or in the process of returning to stone.
They appeared completely normal. As if nothing had happened or that demons weren’t out to kill or eat them.
Confused, Seraphina stepped around her mate and approached Nala, who wore a peculiar welcoming smile on her face. “Basilinna?”
Nala let out a relieved breath. “There you are! We thought we’d have to send out a patrol to find you.”
That weird feeling of trepidation worsened. Something definitely wasn’t right. “We came to free you, Max and I.”
She laughed again as if Sera was insane. “That was never the bargain, child. The bargain was that Kessar would overthrow the Greek gods from Olympus and surrender it to me, and in turn, I would give him your mate. He just fulfilled his part. Now I’m going to fulfill mine.”
16
Max couldn’t breathe as he heard those harsh words and was instantly taken back to the day when Sera had surrendered him to her tribe for his harrowing. He still remembered the cold resignation on her face as they hauled him out to beat him.
The way she’d just stood there …
Like he deserved it. As if she didn’t care at all what they did to him.
A part of him had died that day. The biggest being his heart that had never completely healed.
Now, she was going to do it to him again. Only this time, Kessar would kill him. He knew it with every part of himself. There was no chance of survival.
Had this been her plan all along? Was that why she’d been so desperate to find her sisters while they were here?
You’re such a fool. When are you going to learn that you’ll never come first with your mate?
Seraphina saw the expression on Maxis’s face. In that moment, she knew what he thought and it slapped her hard. Not that he doubted her.
The fact that she deserved his doubt.
Reaching up, she cupped his face in her hands. “I made you a promise, baby. I intend to keep it.”
With those words spoken, she did what she’d never done before. She stepped back, turned toward her queen, and let loose a burst of fire at them all.
“And I’m fulfilling mine, Nala. Anyone wants a piece of my mate has to come through me. You want to fight? You better arm up, bitches.” She let loose one more shot before she grabbed Max about his waist and pulled him back the way they’d come.
He stumbled and almost fell as they ran. “You just attacked your tribe.”
“No. I just defended my mate.”
“You shot fire at them.”
She paused to glance at him. “Are we really going to waste time reliving it?”
“We’re definitely doing something.” He cracked an adorable grin. “Arm up, bitches?”
“You left me alone too long with Fury.”
He laughed at the same time her tribe was closing in and gaining ground faster than she cared for. Arrows shot past them. “Arm up, Strah Draga.”
With those words, he turned into his dragon form. She jumped into her saddle and held on tight.
Max rose up on his hind legs and used his wings to create a massive wind that sent them tumbling back on their asses.
In that moment, she loved him even more. “You don’t have to take mercy on them for me. They wanted to tilt the dragon. Let them tilt.”
“Are you sure?”
She leaned down over his neck and kissed it. “Positive. In this battle, you’re the only one who matters to me.”
“In that case…” Max threw his head back and let loose his Bane-Cry.
It was something no drakomas did lightly and was reserved for only when their lives were under dire threat, and they had no way out. In all the centuries he’d lived, he’d never made the cry. He’d only answered them.
Mostly because he’d never cared whether or not he survived a fight.
For the first time, he wanted to live. And he fought the Amazons and gallu with everything he had. They came at him with spears and claws, and he unleashed his fire and magick at them, while he whipped at them with his tail.
He banged at the ground, causing the stalactites to fall down on top of them. Several screamed as they were impaled.
Still they kept coming.
Max couldn’t teleport out. The gallu wouldn’t release the nether gates. Which meant none of his drakomai brethren could get in.
But it didn’t stop his demonic aunts from helping. They circled and ran at the gallu and Amazons, doing their best to protect him and Sera.
He kept inching back into the darkness, trying to find some way out of this mess and dark realm.
As he went back, he lost his footing and fell, and tumbled down the side of a ravine.
Sera’s gasp echoed in his ears.
For a moment, his heart stopped beating as he feared he’d lost her. Then, he felt her hands on his scales, near her saddle, clutching at his body. “I’m still here,” she breathed.
Reassured, he extended his wings and caught the light breeze so that they could ride it through the unseen black. The very edge of his talons scraped against the sides of the walls, but it seemed large enough to hold him. “Can you see anything?”
“No. You?”
“Nothing.”
Suddenly, he heard Kessar screaming out. “If you want me to release you, dragon, give us the Tablet and Bowl.”
Max let out a tired sigh at a demand he knew he could never meet. There was no way he could surrender either of those objects to a creature like Kessar. He would be too destructive with them.
“Looks like a nice vacation home. What do you think?”
“Sure,” Sera said in the same playful tone. “Put up some curtains. A little color. Shrunken heads. We can make do. Particularly if we nail Kessar’
s hide to the wall. That would be a lovely decoration. Don’t you agree?”
“Throw in Nala’s scalp and … aye. Quite homey.”
Seraphina laughed. Only her dragon could manage to be so amusing when things were this serious and frightening.
“What’s your answer, dragon?” Kessar demanded again.
Max sped up.
And slammed into a net.
Terrified he’d crush or hurt Sera, he immediately changed forms and caught her against him. Unfortunately, when he did so, she’d already pulled out her knife to try and cut the ropes. A knife that went deep into his very human stomach.
Sera’s features paled. “Max?”
Unable to breathe from the unexpected pain and depth of the cut, he fell back and used every bit of magick he could to hold his human form. He had to. There wasn’t enough room in the net for the two of them if he were a dragon.
He’d kill her.
Seraphina shook as she saw how much blood was pouring out his side. “What have I done?”
His breathing ragged, he gave her a sad smile. “You have to run, Sera.” He handed her the small Tablet and placed it in her hand. “Don’t let them catch you.”
“I can’t leave you like this.”
“You have to. Think of your children. They need you.” His hand trembling, he kissed her. “I love you, Seramia.” And with that, he cut through the net with his claw. “Use your dragon form and fly.”
Sera fell through the rough hemp cord, and changed, but she didn’t go far. She couldn’t. Especially not when she looked back to see him lying inert in the net, waiting to die.
Alone.
And all because of her.
Refusing to let it end like this, she went back for him.
The instant he saw her hovering dragon body, he glared at her. “Sera! What are you doing?”
“We got into this together and we’re getting out that way.” As carefully as she could, she cradled him with her dragon arms to her chest, and gained a whole new appreciation for his restraint. He made it appear so easy to use his dragon body like a human’s, but it wasn’t. It required a whole different kind of dexterity and skills.
And as she flew, she prayed for a miracle.
One she knew wouldn’t come as his breathing grew fainter and fainter, and the demons came closer and closer.
“Don’t leave me, Maxis. Please…”
Just as she thought she might have slipped past their enemies, a bright flash in front of them blinded her.
And more enemies surrounded them.
17
Max came awake to a strange mechanical humming noise. Like a vaporizer or something. It blended in with the faint sound of zydeco and laughter. Cars passing by on the street outside.
Of a crowded bar and metal music from next door …
“Don’t move!”
Blinking open his eyes, he found Sera sitting on the floor by his side, stroking his snout. But the most shocking part was the fact that his dragon’s head was cradled in her lap.
And her breasts were pressed against his cheek.
Um, yeah …
He had no desire whatsoever to move from this position. Especially since she held his head at an angle that allowed him to see straight down her shirt, and the fact that she didn’t have on a bra. Something that made his mouth water and his heart race.
In spite of the pain, he went rock hard. Thankfully, he was lying on his stomach so that the only one who knew about this uncomfortable situation was him. And the floor beneath him, which probably wasn’t any happier about it than he was.
“Am I dead?”
She frowned at him. “Why do you ask that?”
“This doesn’t feel real. My room … You.” Dead or dreaming seemed the two most logic conclusions, and if it was a dream, he’d like to think he’d already be naked with her.
“It’s real. As is the accidental stabbing I gave you when we were caught.”
Damn, that hadn’t been a dream. No wonder his side hurt so much. At least now he knew his memory was whole.
“You sure it was an accident?”
“Ah, now who’s being mean?”
“Still you.”
She snorted at him. “Yeah well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
If he wasn’t in so much pain, he might have joined her laughter, but he still wasn’t convinced she hadn’t done it intentionally.
Is he awake?
Max started at the sound of Illarion’s voice in his head. Before he could move, his brother came forward to stand in his field of vision. Alongside Falcyn, who knelt beside Sera.
Yeah, he was back to fearing death again, especially with Falcyn here to check in on him. Hell must have frozen over and a few other catastrophes for that to happen.
Falcyn picked up his ear and coldly let it flop back over his eyes. “You took a nasty wound and spill. If not for your swan, you’d have never survived.”
Sera visibly cringed. “If not for me, he wouldn’t have been injured.”
“Well…” Falcyn wrinkled his nose. “Win some. Lose some. Besides, we’ve all wanted to stab him at times. You’re just lucky you got to do it first.”
Max laughed, then groaned. Leave it to his brother, the asshole. Ignoring Falcyn, he looked back at Sera. “So what happened, anyway? How did we get out of there?”
“They answered your Bane-Cry. It just took them a little while to break through the shields that were holding them out and preventing them from helping.”
“And your sisters?”
She lifted her chin as a cold ruthlessness darkened her eyes. “My sisters died beside my mother when I was a girl. The Amazon tribe I was tied to is still serving the gallu, for who knows what purposes. That’s their choice.”
“We routed the gallu out of Olympus,” Falcyn said, sitting back on his haunches. “But it was a bad day for Zeus and crew. They’re not happy with the damage that was wrought.”
Sin least of all, since his wife insisted that Artemis stay with them until things settle down. And Apollo is captured again since he is now working with the gallu against his father and the rest of his former pantheon.
Max sucked his breath in sharply at that. Sin and Artemis had a bad history together. No doubt Sin was extremely unhappy to have his mother-in-law camping out in his casino since he could barely tolerate Artemis’s presence. Even though he had plenty of room, he wouldn’t welcome her there.
Falcyn brought his attention back to him. “I have Hadyn’s Tablet. We decided it would be safer to break it apart from what you carry. And keep them in separate locations.”
“Thank you.”
Falcyn inclined his head to him. “Still doesn’t mean I like you, though.”
“Hate you, too, brother.”
There was a timid knock on the door before it was pushed open to show Edena and Hadyn entering. They came in with food and drink that they set down on the floor, beside their mother.
“We’ll give you space,” Falcyn said before he led Illarion and Blaise from the room.
Alone with his mate and children, Max wasn’t sure what to say. It was extremely surreal to have them here in his solitary loft. Or rather their loft. As a family, they’d be sharing it from now on. Yeah, that really did a number on his head.
Edena sat down next to her mother. “How do you feel?”
“Good.”
She smiled. “Glad to hear it.” Even so, there was a hesitancy that blemished her smile and feigned cheerful words.
Max manifested a blanket, then turned himself human. “Better?”
She blushed profusely. “Um … it doesn’t matter to me. I’m used to Hadyn as a dragon.”
“Deenie’s the one who tends to me whenever I’m sick or … stuck. Did you ever get trapped in one form or the other and not be able to change? It really sucks.”
Max grinned as he remembered those days, and he welcomed his son’s friendliness. Unlike his sister, Hadyn had no reservation in his form, ton
e, or manner. “It’s been a while, but yeah. It sucks.”
Hadyn came forward more slowly. “We know you need to rest some more. We just wanted to make sure you were all right. You haven’t moved in three whole days. All of us have been scared about that.”
Max choked at his revelation. “Three days? Are you serious?”
Edena nodded. “The demons are so unhappy. Zakar, Thorn, and Fang have put up seals and mirrors all over Peltier House and Sanctuary so that they can’t get in again. So far, it’s working.”
“What about the Amazons?”
“They tried,” Hadyn answered. “Mom and Samia, along with the Peltier females and a Dark-Huntress named Chi kicked their butts so hard that I doubt they’ll be back for a while.”
“Good.”
Edena leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “We’ll be back later to bother you. Get some more rest.” She got up to leave.
Hadyn moved forward. “I’m really glad Mom didn’t kill you.” And with that, the twins were gone.
Max wasn’t sure what to make of his kids. They were a bit odd, but he loved them. And speaking of things that made him uncomfortable …
He gently pushed the blanket back and shifted.
Sera immediately gasped. “What are you doing?”
“It’s been three days. I need to go to the bathroom.”
Sera’s face exploded with color. “Oh. Sorry.” She let go of his arm so that he could stand up. “You need me to help?”
Her offer charmed him. But … “There are some things I prefer to do alone. This is one of them.”
“Okay.”
Seraphina leaned back on her arms while Max went to attend his needs. It’d been a strange few days while they’d acclimated to their new lives. This world was so different than the one they’d known.
Luckily, Hadyn and Edena seemed to be adjusting easier than she was. Of course it helped that the Peltiers had children close to their age who’d taken them under their bear claws and were teaching them idioms and culture.
Max’s brothers were still quite suspicious of her. As were Fang and the others.
There was nothing she could do about that. So she did her best to ignore it and not let it bother her.
When Max returned a short time later, he had a black towel wrapped around his lean hips and his long blond hair and feathers were wet.
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