I tried to be hopeful. I tried to believe that I mean something to Kalos.
I’d even dressed in anticipation of him or Ben coming for me. Instead, a demon named Mace assured me that they would come as soon as whatever business they are dealing with is through.
I put myself in front of a train. I shouldn’t be surprised that it hit me.
Disappointment is such an insignificant word.
Kalos wants me to stay at the bathhouse. Out of sight and out of mind. And out of danger, the hopeful part of me argues. It doesn’t stop me from feeling abandoned.
How many times does he have to leave for me to learn my lesson?
I rein in my emotions and breathe. Nothing is settled until I speak with that dragon, and I must be as calm as I can manage to do that. I can’t let myself be riled up while he keeps me waiting.
I’m not going to let him leave me in a box until he’s ready to play with me again.
The door bursts open, and I’m already standing, ready to use my words to calmly rip into a dragon but deflate at the sight of a gasping Ben. My nose wrinkles at the smell of smoke clinging to him.
“Katarina! Kalos needs you!”
“What?” I ask, but Ben already has a hold of my hand and pulls me down the hallway. I almost trip as I try to keep up. As soon as we enter the lobby, the world spins as he teleports us away. Suddenly we’re surrounded by trees and burning piles on the ground.
“What the fuck?” I stumble. I don’t take much more in other than the massive black dragon roaring fire down on a burned-out SUV.
“He’s lost it,” Ben says. “He was only supposed to take out the Leonids.”
“Take out the Leonids?” I ask. I thought that wasn’t an option.
Ben’s brow creases in frustration as he tries to explain. “For daring to threaten you. They claimed they had you hostage.”
“It seems like he was successful.” My voice is pitched high as I realize the smoldering shapes surrounding us are bodies burning to husks.
“It was quite the spectacle,” a being I’ve never met says. I squint at him, putting together his features and determining what he must be.
The gargoyle is unlike any of his kind that I’ve seen before. He wears a black kilt and his skin has a gray cast, but the resemblance ends there. The dusky purple undertones of his skin contrasts with dark tattoos and the many piercings lining his ears. The hoop through his lower lip flashes when he smirks at me.
He looks like a pirate.
A pirate standing next to a very pale Stella. I have so many questions.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Stella.
“Witnessing the downfall of her enemies,” the gargoyle says. “But now that it’s morphed into the downfall of anyone to get in the way of a dragon, I’ll take my bride and leave.”
“Bride!?” I yelp.
Stella’s eyes go wide, but she doesn’t scream when the pirate gargoyle sweeps her up in his arms and takes off.
I turn back to the scene of wreckage. The dragon has started gnawing on the metal frame of a burning vehicle. Ben’s mouth is tight as the gargoyle absconds with my friend, but he focuses on me.
“After dealing with the Leonids, Kalos destroyed the fae gate.” Ben’s face is full of fear. “The blowback must have sent him deep into himself because I can’t get his attention. He’s acting like a mindless beast. And with the magic hanging in the air, no one can get close to him.”
I frown. “Not that anyone would with him being like this.”
Ben looks like he’s going to cry. “We have to bring him back somehow. If he keeps going on like this, the Council will take notice, and if they come when he can’t control himself…”
“They’ll determine he’s too much of a risk to stay alive,” I say softly. They’ll execute him. This is bad.
“You’re his mate. If anyone can calm him, it will be you,” Ben pants.
I think through the situation quickly. “But I’m not really his mate, Ben. The bond isn’t complete.”
Not refusing, only pointing out that facet of the issue.
“Kat, this is risky. I’d do it if I could, but I can’t get close at all.” The exhaustion is clear in the slope of Ben’s shoulders and the lines of his face. “With your ability to walk through magic, along with the fact that the dragon considers you his mate even if the bond is unfinished, it has to be you.”
He’s right.
I glare at the dragon to ignore my worry that I won’t be able to bring Kalos back with our frayed bond. Anger is easier, it sits ready for me to grab hold of it. This is why he didn’t come for me? So he could deal with the Leonids without me?
Kalos has damaged himself trying to destroy something that was supposed to be indestructible to keep me safe, and he couldn’t send a fucking note to me beforehand?
He’ll be taken away from me for good if the Council gets wind of his current state. Idiotic giant lizard.
I stomp forward. The fae magic I stride through brushing against my skin even more gentle than passing a ward.
“Hey, asshole!” I call out, and the black dragon’s head snaps toward me.
“That was not what I meant by calming him,” Ben hisses.
“Well, it’s what he gets,” I snarl back before turning toward the scaly beast. “You have to stop this before the Council shows up!”
The beast tilts his head at me in confusion before going back to crunching on the cars as if just one more tire is what he needs to make his life complete. I pick up a nondescript piece of metal and chuck it at him. It falls short.
“Stop!” I shout, picking up another item that looks suspiciously like a melted gun and throw it. Anger makes my aim worse, but I hit another burned out vehicle and the sound gets his attention.
Goddammit, I’m already winded. Pregnancy: 1. Katarina: 0.
“Oh, now you listen?” I ask, but something about the shiny emblem on one of the cars distracts him.
“You know what? Fuck you!” I shout so loud it hurts. “You left me!”
Something about my tone must finally ensnare the beast because he drops the vehicle. His golden eyes flicker in recognition.
I spread my arms. “You apparently did all this to keep me safe, but you left!”
He didn’t do this for you. He did it for his status. If you give him the opportunity, he’ll hurt you again. The doubts ring so loud, but I suffocate them with my determination.
Because the dragon is listening to me.
“I need my mate to come back. We need you to come back.” My words are strong, anger as clear as ever, but I place my hands on my stomach, trying to dig into his brain to remind him of our daughter.
The dragon snorts and creeps toward me.
Surprise at succeeding in getting his attention is replaced by alarm. Now I have a mindless dragon approaching me.
I keep still as his serpentine neck brings his massive head near me. His movements are slow and curious. He reminds me of a giant dog.
My lip trembles when the tip of his snout brushes against my stomach. Relief spreads through me at the contact.
“Please come back,” I whisper. I place my hand below his flaring nostril. His skin feels like marble under the sun—sharp and hot, but not enough to burn.