Crown of Beauty and Vengeance

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

So close.

He'd been so close to saving Lyv, his fingers barely brushing the back of her jacket before she disappeared in front his eyes along with the bastard he'd met before. As soon as he saw that damn cloak, he knew it was the same male who had tried to kill him with the dagger coated in minette spider venom.

"Lyv!" Gideon yelled, seeing her disappear at the same moment Jai did, just before a large form landed.

Roshan's roar shook through the village as he landed in the center of the fight, his gray eyes searching the spot where Lyv had been and not wasn't. The dragon was furious, taking out his anguish on the pirates that were attacking. Two swipes of his tail and a dozen were knocked out. The ones who rushed him weren't as lucky.

Roshan drew in a deep breath, firmly planted his feet with talons digging into the earth...and set them ablaze with the fire that shot out of his mouth. The heat of it was something else, so intense that even Jai could feel it from where he was.

For the dragon to start breathing fire now without Lyv being able to see...

It wasn't long before every one of the invaders were dead. All of them but one.

Without even drawing his sword, Jai stalked toward the male. Fear was in his eyes as he stumbled backward, but why wouldn't it be? He had the crown prince and his siblings, one of Dalcaine's most fearsome warrior, a powerful half-sorceress, two dragons, and an army of mercenaries heading for him.

Jai lifted his hand, his magic pulsing through him like a steady heartbeat, and cut off the male's air without even touching him.

"It was Kalla, wasn't it?" Jai demanded, venom lacing his tone.

The male nodded twice.

"Who was the male who took Lyv?"

This time, he shook his head, eyes darting from Jai...to Gideon and the blood that splattered the side of his face and clothes...to Roshan, who was standing at full height behind Jai. The dragon leaned his head down just a few from Jai, swirls of smoke still coming from his nostrils.

Jai loosened his magic, letting him breath.

"The male," he choked out. "He and a female have been staying with Kalla off and on for a few years now. They come when something is about to happen. Like the war twenty-five years ago, the siege of Escarral last year, the raids of Dalcaine...and when you were injured by him."

"Who are they?"

"The male's name is Mik. He...he is made of pure darkness with those shadows constantly around him and eyes the color of obsidian. It's not just the irises either, but both eyes are completely black. No one dares to go near him. And the female...her name is Allel. No one knows what she can do, but we know she's got a unique power, one that's only found in the eastern lands. Kalla has never and would never align herself with people like them, but this is different. She always tells us what is going on. She hasn't with this."

Two of Drue's mercenaries snuck up behind him as he was talking, quickly grabbing him by the arms to hold him there.

"Anything else?"

He nodded. "Kalla only picked volunteers to capture the Escarrali princess. She knew that you would kill every one of us just to get her back. She said to whoever you kept alive for us to tell you that she would never let any harm come to the princess, not when she considers her mate a close friend and ally. And...and she knows that she will see you soon, Jai. She's counting on it."

Jai wanted nothing more than to wrap his hand around the male's neck and snap it, but he thought better of it.

"Take him along with you as prisoner. Use him to get more information about what Kalla and Guinevere have planned."

"Along with us?" Destan repeated as Drue's males hauled him away. "We're not going to the Asturian capital now. We have to go after them to Blackloch. We're going to get Lyv back."

"I'm going to get her back," Jai said, heading back to the stable to grab a certain saddle that wasn't made for horses. When he came back out, he motioned for Thia to help him, but she shook her head.

"There is no way you're flying Roshan to Blackloch, Jai," she told him. "He's still training with Lyv. He wouldn't be able to carry your weight. Then having to carry both you and Lyv on the way back..."

But the dragon had other thoughts on that. He shifted so Jai could toss the saddle across his back, more than ready to take flight and go after his bloodrite bond. He hummed impatiently as Jai began harnessing it around him.

"He can do it."

"But Jai..."

"It's the fastest way. And I'm not taking Erly because you need her, especially since we're closing in on the city."

She didn't try to stop him as he lifted himself up on Roshan's back. He was definitely heavier than Lyv, something Roshan had been anticipating, but didn't realize how drastic the difference was until then. The dragon's legs shook as he pushed himself up to stand. But with one determined growl, he pushed up and stood proud, immediately used to the weight change.

"He's right," Gideon finally said, agreeing.

Jai stared at him, raising a brow. "I am?"

His former best friend nodded, reaching up toward him to grip his forearm in a sign of comradery. "I know you will get her back. Get her back to us...and you and I will talk. It's past time for a lot of things, don't you think?"

Jai nodded. "So, you're trusting me with this?"

"You are the only one I would trust with this," Gideon murmured to him, then said a little louder, "Now, go get her back."

***See, short chapter!  But I still loved it!

And guys...even though there are a few more chapters before everything goes down...I am so nervous for the end of this book.  More so than I was for MOEAM.  I guess it's because so much is going to happen in such a short span of chapters that I want it all to flow and work well.  Plus, you know, several big things have to happen, right?  Especially with only 13 chapters left!

Tell me your thoughts on the chapter, so comment and vote!  

Happy reading!

- Ansley***