Page 63 of The Dragon Queen

His smile returned. “Don’t be jealous, Talon Rothschild. You may be a king to men, but she’s a queen to something far greater. If you fail to choose her, you’ll devastate the two that love you unconditionally. Imagine Calista’s face at the sight of your body. She’s lost so much—and now she’ll lose you. And your dragon, your closest friend and confidant, the one who will grieve for you the most. While your service in the underworld will be agonizing, it will pale to the hurt they must carry for the rest of their lives.” He cocked his head slightly. “Can you really betray those you love most?”

I bowed my head as the shame rushed through me. The pain was so intense I could barely tolerate it. This had been what I wanted more than anything years in the past, but now, all I wanted was to live in a little house by the sea…with the two I loved most. I’d made the wrong choice—and now I couldn’t take it back.

“You’ve suffered enough, Talon. It’s someone else’s turn.”

I felt his claws hook into me, felt him twist my arms to get me to bow to his will. His desires were as distinct as the moon on acloudless night. All I had to do was give him what he wanted and I could walk this world as a free man.

But I couldn’t. “I’m the one who made this deal. I’m the one who must suffer the consequences.” My voice shook as I spoke, feeling the doom cast over me, feeling the unshed tears burn my eyes. I’d gotten my revenge, but that accomplishment seemed hollow in light of the cost. It was my worst regret, and I would suffer that regret for all eternity. “I can’t let her take my place.”

Bahamut’s smile disappeared from his face. Now his eyes hardened like the tips of blades. He stared at me for several seconds as he struggled to swallow his disappointment. “So be it.” Within the blink of an eye, he changed, shedding his human form for the monster underneath. His pallor was gray, with the muscles exposed without skin, with his dead heart visibly beating on the surface of his chest. He was suddenly two feet taller, his eyes a solid black color. He moved to me, and with every step he took, the surroundings began to fade. The torches and stones died away as the world became wrapped in darkness and smoke.

His palm flattened against my chest, his size so enormous that it took up nearly all of me. Then his claws dug into me, piercing through the armor made of dragon scales and sinking into my flesh and making me bleed.

The pain radiated down my arms and to my stomach, but I held my silence, feeling the life leave my body as I was savagely ripped from this world like I’d never been there in the first place. Light burned out of my chest until it exploded into flames.

My body crumpled to the ground. I smacked against the stone and hit my head. My eyes closed, and I knew the end had come.But instead of feeling the void of nothingness or the warmth of Riviana’s spirit, I felt cold.

Cold and wet.

I opened my eyes and saw the stone ceiling high above. The black chandelier in the corner. The shuffling of a nearby creature. Distant screams and heavy breathing. I lay there and didn’t move, refusing to lift my head to see what waited for me in this new place.

Then a head appeared before me, a creature with a back so hunched he couldn’t even lay flat. He looked down at me as he wheezed and hissed, razor-sharp teeth in a crooked mouth. His eyes were wide with excitement, like I was the dinner they would serve on the table.

Bahamut’s voice came from elsewhere. “Abaddon, put our new servant to work.”

Chapter 14

Calista

“Roooooaaaaaaarrrrrr!”

I jerked awake in the tent and reached for Talon beside me. The war had ended and our enemies had been slain, so I didn’t know who attacked us or why, but I knew a dragon wouldn’t roar in the middle of the night without reason.

When I didn’t feel him, I yanked back the cot like he was somehow hidden underneath it. But I was alone in the tent. Talon had said he would join me when he was ready, but now it seemed like he had never come.

Calista!

Khazmuda, what’s wrong?

Where is Talon?

I—I don’t know.

He’s not with you?

No. He never came to bed?—

“Rooooaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr!”

I pulled on my boots and stumbled out of the tent, my knees hitting the grass outside before I regained my balance.Khazmuda, what’s going on?

He’s gone.

Maybe he’s with Ethan or Queen Eldinar?—

You don’t understand. The fuse that binds us has disappeared.

I looked at the royal grounds without really seeing anything.What does that mean?