“You really dare?” She stared at him, eerily calm as she always was whenever someone wanted to go at it.
In the fight, she came alive.
“I dare,” Tyrus said, pulling out the long, staff-like wand all fae possessed and pointing it at her. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. But as long as you were functioning, you didn’t give me a reason to. But at this point, I think even the bears would support me. You’re too soft on missions. You barely let us kill anymore. And you disappear, moping over some male that has nothing to do with us.” He folded his arms, keeping his wand in his hands. “So yeah, I dare.”
Vex stood, exhaling roughly as she reached behind her and pulled out her wand. Luckily, she was already wearing loose robes. “Fine, then let’s get this over with.” She sighed. “Who wants a disloyal cohort, after all?”
Tyrus shook his head as he led the way into the main hall, which was shaped like a hexagon, tall walls with stained glass rising on all sides. “I was never your cohort. You’re just terrible at knowing who to trust. You don’t even know when someone hates you.”
She raised an eyebrow at that. “Where did you get that idea?”
“I’ve been watching you with resentment,” Tyrus said. “I’m sure others have as well, and you didn’t see it—”
Vex laughed, a cold sound that echoed up to the stone ceiling, bouncing around. Then she faced him, wand in hand. “I think you’re the one missing something. I assume everyone hates me by default.” She pointed her wand at him. “I just don’t care.”
Tyrus’s eyes widened slightly, but he pointed his wand back.
“You first,” she said mockingly.
His expression darkened as they circled, Vex using her wand to guard, and then he moved quickly, flicking the black, smoky tip her way as a bolt of dark flame shot out.
Vex shot a portal in front of it, and the shot disappeared. Then she created another behind him, and he hit himself in the back with his own shot.
He dropped to one knee, cursing and holding his back, and she laughed as she paced side to side in front of him.
A fae hitting themselves with their own magic should have the least effect. And if she’d wanted to kill him, she would have aimed for his heart.
He looked up at her, his healing taking over as he pushed up to standing again, his eyes filled with pure rage. “You cheat.”
She pointed her wand at him again. “They made me a monster. I’m not monstrous for using what I am.” She pointed her wand at the ceiling, shooting a giant bolt of purple lighting that crackled as it filled the room. Purple storm clouds formed above them, making the room go dark.
“This is—what is this?” Tyrus, though scared to look away from her, darted a glance at the ceiling.
She took the opening to send a bolt of purple at his wand hand, and he yelled as flesh sizzled, knocking his wand away to clatter on the stone floor.
He looked like he wanted to lunge for it, but it was a few feet away and her wand was still in her hand.
The lightning she’d created cracked overhead, and steam rose from his burned hand.
“What did you…?” Tyrus looked down, and his hand was already healing, so he gave her an evil smile. “So you were just trying to disarm me. You really have gone soft.”
Vex pointed to the ceiling. “Do you know what that is?”
He shook his head.
“Some of my magic. You know how fae pull all of their magic from their wings into their wand to fight for their loved ones?” She frowned. “I don’t have anyone to love, so I’ve never had wings.”
Tyrus looked like he didn’t understand, probably because he’d never been normal.
And not because he was tortured like she was, but because he just wanted to be bad from the start.
“My magic isn’t connected to my heart, so I can send it anywhere,” she said. “And there’s so much of it because I created more with every breath it took to stay alive in the hellhole where I lived.”
“Spare me the pity party,” Tyrus said, rolling his eyes.
“It’s not a pity party,” Vex said. “I’m just telling you what you’re up against. I don’t have the typical healing most fae have. I don’t have wings, and my wand doesn’t harness all of my magic.”
“So?”
She kept her finger pointed at the ceiling where the storm was growing darker, more ominous. “But I do have a lot of hate. And a lot of rage. And the ability to obliterate you beyond anything you can imagine. So I’m just telling you this is your last chance if you don’t want to die.”
Tyrus glanced at the ceiling, then back at her. “Why is it up there?”
“So it can strike you wherever you go. The second I even think it, it’ll shoot into your heart and steal the very life from your soul. I’m not being dramatic.” She sighed. “We’ve worked together, and recently, I met someone who made me second-guess all the killing. So maybe you’re right, and I’ve gone a little soft.”
Thunder cracked overhead, sending little purple bolts down at the side of them.
She smiled. “But not soft enough to not be able to send you to hell with one breath.”
Tyrus glowered. “So it’s not to be a fair fight?”
“What is fair?” Vex asked. “Fair is power. If I have the power to defeat you, then that’s fair. If you’d been strong enough to defeat me, you’d have declared it to be fair.” She folded her arms impatiently, tapping a foot. “Now decide whether you want to take my mercy, because I could do without chaos blood stinking up my fortress.”
Tyrus paced, looking irritable. “Can I at least get my wand?”
She looked at it. “Sure.”
He lunged for it, and when he dodged back, trying to point it at her, purple lightning struck from the ceiling. He only barely dodged out of the way.
“It’s instinctive,” Vex said. “You know, it first came out on accident when I escaped. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. None of my fantasies were working. The images couldn’t overcome the pain.” She grinned, remembering it, the moment she’d finally been free. “And then I felt everything break out of me. And everyone was dead.” She let out a bitter laugh. “So I guess I really would make a terrible mate because even I don’t fully control what’s inside of me. But you know what I do make?”
“What?”
“A good threat.” Lighting struck again right next to him, just a warning, though it made his hair stand on end as thunder continued to rumble above.
“Fine,” Tyrus said, looking harried and still a bit injured between his back and his hand. But it was nothing compared to what she could do to him. He lowered his wand, pointing it at the ground. “I give. I surrender to the challenge.” He glanced at the storm. “Though, I still think it wasn’t fair.”
“Then get out,” Vex said as she felt the storm slowly subsiding above her.
Tyrus began to walk away, but just then, Toady rushed into the room, headed for Vex.
“My liege…” Toady trailed off, looking at the ceiling. Then he looked at Tyrus. “What is happening?”
“A challenge,” Vex said, keeping her eyes on Tyrus, who was turning to face her, gaze darting to Toady. “This doesn’t concern you, Toady. Get out of here.”
“Ah, I see,” Toady said. And he turned and made to run for the exit.
And the sight of that fat little back scuttling from the room was just too much opportunity for Tyrus, who was already humiliated and needed to take out his pain and rage on someone.
Vex saw it coming before it happened. Saw Tyrus raise his wand, darkness on his face. Saw magic gather at the tip.
She couldn’t create a portal, not with her storm still receding. And her wand wouldn’t be any use. Her magic was all outside her now, beyond her control.
When she was truly in danger, when her self-preservation was threatened, it was always that way.
She exhaled roughly as she began to move as fast as her legs could carry her, lunging in front of Toady just as
she saw Tyrus take his shot.
Even as pain lashed through her and she fell to the ground in shock, the storm above her began to withdraw.
It wasn’t there when she was worried about anyone else.
She was still covering Toady’s body as she felt Tyrus walk over. Chaos was flooding her veins, making it hard to think.
This was what came from being a goody-two-shoes.
This was what came from letting Landon soften her heart.
And from learning that she was capable of loving someone.
Truthfully, perhaps it was better this way. She couldn’t seem to do anything right. She hadn’t wanted to kill Tyrus, though she should have. And she hadn’t wanted to see Toady die.
“Go,” she told Toady, trying to summon the rest of her magic. The storm was gone and her body was aching, but at least she had a little left to access for her friend. She made a portal and shoved Toady into it, shutting it behind him with the last of her strength.
Then she slumped forward, not dead exactly, but not able to prevent whatever Tyrus was about to do to her as her body put all its energy to fighting off the chaos.
“Stupid fairy,” Tyrus said. “How many times have I told you you’re too soft?” On his face, there was nothing but hate and triumph along with disgust at her weakness.
He kneeled down to roll her onto her back.
She couldn’t even move with the chaos flooding through her or fight back as Tyrus brought some kind of vial to her lips.
She struggled weakly as she was forced to swallow it, and as it burned its way down her throat, she started to feel dizzy. Things were getting blurry.
“I’m not going to kill you,” Tyrus said. “Though, you might end up wishing I had. No, no point in wasting you when there’s someone willing to pay for you. Pay quite a lot in fact.”
Well, that was kind of an upside. Perhaps it was someone who would keep her alive until she could fight back and escape.
But right now, everything was starting to go dark, and every time she closed her eyes, it was harder to reopen them.
She heard the whoosh of a portal, but through her blurred vision, she saw it was white, not purple. Swirling with rainbow shades.
That’s it. She was hallucinating. Not going to make it. What a way to go.
“She’s ready,” Tyrus said, gloating.
“This is Ultraviolet?” A smooth, confident voice with just a hint of darkness reached her, and she looked up to see a man walking toward her with two others behind him.
None of them were like any fae she’d seen.
The one in front was glowering, his pretty face tightened with anger, dark hair over his shoulder that she couldn’t decipher as black or blue or purple or a mix of them all.
Eyes that burned to kill her.
“We’ll take her,” he said, kneeling to look at her.
“What, did I kill someone you loved or something?”
“Yes,” the man said simply. Then he put his hand to her forehead, and blackness moved down over her vision as though someone had drawn a curtain over her consciousness.
Well, that’s new, she thought as she passed out.
16
This was it. Landon was finally going to be able to travel to where Vex was.
The oracle had given him a necklace that would open a portal to the Blur, warning him it was dangerous and he might not ever be able to come back.
Though, she’d been oddly sympathetic when he’d explained he was in love.
It had taken some time to get in touch with her and arrange everything.
But now he would finally be able to see Vex again.
What would he say to her? Would she be angry? Did she miss him as much as he missed her?
He touched the necklace, about to create the portal in his living room when suddenly one opened in front of him and something small and rounded flew out of it, rolling over the ground with a grunt.
When the thing stood up, clothed in green robes and glaring around menacingly, Landon recognized Toady.
“Toady? What are you—”
Toady’s eyes moved to him and widened in shock. “It’s you. The smelly dragon who ruined everything. It’s your fault this happened to Vex.”
Toady whipped around, but the portal had already closed behind him, and he cursed.
“What is this foul world?” He glanced around frantically. “I must return to my liege. She is wounded. And master Tyrus…” Toady’s eyes went wide. “Tyrus tried to kill me. Vex saved me.”
Landon’s heart hammered. “Tyrus? Did Vex fight Tyrus?”
Toady nodded eagerly. “There was a challenge.” He whipped around. “Why did she send me here? How can I return?”
“She must have thought you would be safe here,” Landon said, a bit touched that he was still a safe place to her. He grabbed his necklace, holding in in front of him and pressing the smooth spot on the back with his fingertip to activate it. “Take me to her.”
“You can’t help her, weakling,” Toady muttered. “Just send me back myself.”
“I’m going,” Landon said darkly as the portal formed, rushing with wind.
“You’ll never be able to defeat Tyrus,” Toady said. “We should find allies, and—”
“No time,” Landon said. “She’s hurt?”
Toady nodded.
“Then we go.” He jumped into the portal, pushing away his fear as he fell because Vex would need him to think straight.
The portal whooshed as it emptied Landon and Toady right onto the dreary front porch of Vex’s stronghold.
“Oof.” Toady grunted as he landed face first.
Landon hit the ground on his feet, already headed for the front door.
“Wait, Tyrus is powerful.” Toady brushed off the rubble as he struggled to catch up. “He will most surely—”
“Leave him to me. Take the bears and leave this place. I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Landon said firmly. He grabbed the heavy iron loop and swung the front door open easily. It creaked and groaned as the rotund toad shifter looked up, aghast.
“But…”
“Do it.” Landon wasn’t going to sit around and explain himself.
If Vex was hurt, he was going to make Tyrus suffer a hundredfold for it.
But not until he found out where Vex was.
Toady gulped, then ran off down a side corridor, his footsteps scuttling as Landon strode down the main hallway, passing the hexagonal central room and heading for Vex’s office.
After a swift kick, the door flew open as the lock shattered, sending shards of iron clattering to the ground.
And inside, sitting at what had been Vex’s desk, the conniving chaos bastard turned lazily over his shoulder to look over at Landon.
Tyrus smirked, every bit the evil betrayer Landon had known him to be from the start.
“Where’s Vex?” Landon growled, fists clenched at his sides.
Tyrus chuckled, shrugging. “You barged in here so decisively I thought one of Vex’s old enemies had finally shown up to pay their dues.” He stood up from his chair and strode around the side of the desk. “Instead, it’s her paramour, showing up in a misguided attempt to rescue the lost glamour fae.”
Lost?
Landon felt a million things. But only one thing burned in his chest brighter than the sun, darker than terror itself.
Rage.
He closed the distance between Tyrus and himself in a blur, watching the fae’s eyes fly open as Landon’s fist slammed into the side of his jaw.
Like a brick crashing through a window, Tyrus slammed into the sidewall with such force it exploded outward, the aged rocks crashing onto the ground as he tumbled into the courtyard, having gone through two separate walls to get there.
Landon didn’t wait to watch his handiwork, though. He followed the gaping openings left by the explosion, feet kicking loose rocks around him as he reached Tyrus, who was coughing and pushing himself up to his feet.
Landon could sen
se Vex had been here recently. Could smell magic and a recent battle.
“You’re strong for a dragon. I’ll give you that much,” Tyrus said wryly, clothing beat up but relatively unaffected from the hit. Landon expected that, knowing the strength of the chaos fae.
But what Tyrus didn’t know about Landon could fill a book.
“Where. Is. Vex?” Landon said, voice low and tense from the desire to kill. But that was secondary to finding his mate.
“Give up, dragon. You can’t beat me. You couldn’t even survive the Blur without a superior fae protecting you. Hell, if you beg, maybe I’ll even let you join my new crew. I could make you—”
Landon’s fist flew forward again, and Tyrus barely had time to raise his arms to block the punch, needing all his strength to absorb the blow. But Landon’s knee shot up, hitting Tyrus in the chest and staggering him. He followed up by punching his exposed neck, making Tyrus gasp for air and drop to one knee.
Without mercy, Landon grabbed Tyrus by his long black ponytail, forcing him to look up. Surprisingly, Tyrus’s healing was rapid enough that the deep cut across his cheek was already sealed. “Vex or your life.”
“As if I need to bargain with a lowly, weak being such as yourself,” he spat. Black wings sprung out of Tyrus’s back, and they beat the air, propelling him upward and out of Landon’s grasp.
With a curse of frustration, Tyrus’s long, gnarled black staff appeared, and he pointed it at Landon as he hovered twenty feet off the ground. “Die, dragon.”
Landon raised his hands, and heavy stone blocks the size of televisions came free from the walls around Tyrus and slammed into his face, his sides, filling the air with dust and rubble as the fae tried to stay airborne.
A large block hit Tyrus in the face, and his wings retracted as he dropped, tumbling to the floor as Landon waved a hand, causing the rocks to stop also and drop where they were.
Landon made it to Tyrus in a second, but Tyrus managed to regain his feet fast enough to punch Landon in the chest.
But even with Tyrus’s considerable strength as a chaos prince, Landon didn’t feel the blow as he retaliated with an elbow that hit the chaos fairy so hard he flew into the wall, breaking the thick rocks there and rolling onto the ground.
Dragon Reformed (Reclaimed Dragons Book 3) Page 12