Chapter 14

MADELINE

At this point, I feel like my only choice is to sing. But how can I sing about Nerezza if I don’t understand him?

I rise to my feet and ask him, “You must have a lot of secrets. Can you share one with me?”

~Of course. Lochness and Hael’s mother.~ Nerezza grins but doesn’t elaborate. I wait for more, but he just raises a scaly eyebrow, clearly amused by my innocence.

“I only know that…she was ill…her mate passed away,” I stutter. “A-and…did you kill him? Is that what you’re implying?” I whisper, trying to piece it together.

~I am him,~ he chuckles.

“No. Hold on. So…you bit her,” I whisper.

~No.~ Nerezza tilts his head. ~I sang to her…she came to me.~ His eyes are half-closed as he says this, lost in the memory.

Wait a minute. That can’t be right.

“You’re their…” I swallow hard. “You’re their father?” I whisper. “How could you take your sons’ mate? How could you wish for their death? And your grandchildren.” I gently touch my stomach. “Why all the hatred?”

~I don’t hate, Madeline. I destroy because I am only half of what I could’ve been.~ Nerezza’s teeth glint with a faint flame that dances on his tongue. ~I don’t deny it…Blood Ravens have told me the blood turns black when you lose a brother.~

“You tried to turn Lochness against Hael.” I realize he is trying to make him relive his own past. “I am what I am—do you know enough about me now, to kill me?” His words make me freeze.

Because he just…he just did what Hael and Lochness can do. He read my thoughts. He knows everything I’m thinking—just like Lochness can. Nessy must have inherited this ability from him.

“Nerezza, you’re full of surprises.” I glance at the blade in my hand, with its emerald stone. I wonder if he wants me to give this to Hael…if I make it out alive. I can’t help but think that Nerezza wants to die.

That must be it. But only by someone worthy of killing him.

“Do they know who you are?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

~They’ve never met their father,~ he confesses. ~You’re the first mortal to learn such things about me…perhaps I’ve said too much. Maybe it’s because you have red hair, just like she did.~ I feel the air grow misty as Nerezza transforms back into a man.

I’ve been facing the ice, trying to come up with lyrics…but now I see his reflection in the ice, moving closer to me, desiring me—his gaze fixed on my hair. I won’t let him touch me!

I spin around, knife in hand, just as he reaches for my long hair. I press the blade against Nerezza’s pale chest to keep him at bay as he leans in closer—trapping me against the glacier with his hands on the ice. I shudder against it, even my wolf hide coat can’t keep out the cold.

I struggle to keep the blade against his skin…my body recognizes him as a mate due to the corrupting rogue venom magic, reversing my instincts. My hand trembles and he notices, watching closely.

“You’ll have to sing,” Nerezza whispers, trying to meet my gaze, but I look away, feeling his warm breath on my face.

“You used to sing?” I ask, attempting to shift the conversation.

“I stopped the night I sang to her.” Nerezza’s voice cracks slightly, and I feel it—a tiny crack in his armor, a single thread of affection he has for her. He actually cares about her…but I get the sense that this warmth makes him angry. It reminds me of someone, actually.

Nerezza clearly saw the same potential for darkness in Lochness and tried to draw it out. But Hael… Hael keeps his twin grounded. Lochness is not his father. They only share a resemblance.

“Why did you leave her?” I ask, still looking to the side, past his arm, afraid that if he looks too closely, he’ll invade my mind and start tearing through every memory with his sons. I don’t want him knowing anything he could use against them.

“She kept lying to me,” he admits with a low growl, “telling me I could be loved, even though I have already killed thousands just for the thrill. She was to be another.”

But she wasn’t. She was the only one he didn’tt kill in the end.

“You destroyed your mating bond by biting others?” I guess, and he grins out of the corner of my eye—so I take that as a yes. “You giving mating venom to others consistently killed your mate.”

“Maybe…” He shrugs nonchalantly. “She didn’t need me. What does it matter?”

I remember Lochness saying that to Hael…and now I’m starting to feel uneasy. But being uneasy won’t help me.

I need to figure this out.

“If you want me to sing, then back off. I need space,” I say firmly, hoping he listens. “Please, Nerezza.” Then I think I can tease him with this, “When I sing…to your sons…they both collapse—and I absorb all their power. I almost kill them. With a single song.”

“Unbelievable.” Nerezza takes the bait, and he leans back, finally turning and walking to the other side of the fire. He reignites it with a pale-green flame, and he waits. “Sing then…I’ll judge your skill.”

“Why don’t you judge the lyrics? I’ll sing a song…she would have sung to you.” Certainly not one I could ever understand, but one a soulmate would. I put myself in her shoes.

I take a deep breath and prepare for my voice to echo back to me many times, and not to let it distract me. If anything, hopefully it amplifies my power.

And so, with Nerezza watching me with his sickly gaze over the small fire, I begin his song.

~“Half of a Dragon.~

~Half of a Man.~

~Full Mate.~

~The Full Moon.~

~Shines down on you.~

~Only half and yet together.~

~We make two.”~

I can’t continue for a moment when I think of Hael and Lochness, and only their memory remains—the mating bond completely destroyed. It suddenly fuels me with my Slaying power, as I let it fill my next lines.

~“First you sing.~

~And I sing along.~

~But it’s time for Madeline to sing her song.”~

As my song fades into the silence, I see Nerezza collapsing, his magic draining away. The sight of his red and green fire, broken and dying, terrifies me.

It’s about to seep into my bones as he falls to his knees, then onto his back, his eyes closing. He’s dying, but he’s smiling. I don’t want to feel what he’s feeling.

But it’s inevitable. He forces his eyes open to watch me, his gaze empty. I can already feel myself instinctively sitting down, my hands moving to cover my stomach in anticipation.

His fire is icy as it invades me. I don’t feel like a Sky God. I feel empty. Hollow.

His dead mate is calling for him from the other side. She is his only source of warmth. His only source of unconditional love.

She can’t help her feelings. He knows that, and he runs from it. I use the remnants of his old, rusty power to burn his venom from my blood.

I focus on the tether he forces between us, slicing it down the middle like a rope. Then I hear movement. Footsteps.

His magic becomes weightless, disappearing from me. But when I open my eyes, I see Nerezza standing again, pacing back and forth.

“Oh… I forgot to tell you… ~I’m immune to Slayer magic~,” Nerezza says, holding out his hands. The knife in my hand moves on its own, flying through the air back into his palm. His smile turns feral.

“I let you think you won, Madeline. Just to see you ~hope~ for a moment. But I’m not waiting for morning. I’ll have you now. You’re too beautiful to resist. And your song…it moved me.”

But the hope he gives me doesn’t just trick me into thinking I’ve won. It connects me to my natural power. He’s about to find out.

I reach out, calling for help. He’ll hear it too. ~Hael, if you’re close, I need you. Lochness, if you know any blood magic, I need you. I’m in an ice cave. It’s freezing. I’m about to be violated by Blackheart; he’s your father! Help me!~

I open my eyes to see Nerezza tilting his head, listening to my plea.

“He doesn’t know blood magic,” he smirks. “He’s too warm for that…”

“You’d be surprised. He’s got a bit of you in him,” I say, laughing out of sheer hysteria. Nerezza looks dumbfounded, his attention momentarily diverted. “~You don’t believe me, Nezzy?~”

“No, and ~don’t~ ~call me that~.” Nerezza shakes his head. “Lochness will never be a true rogue, the purest kind, the kind that doesn’t flinch or blink, even when taking the life of family. That’s beyond him.”

I realize then, from the calm way Nerezza says this, that he didn’t lose his twin brother at birth. He ~killed~ him, probably just to get out of the egg faster. Not realizing he needed a twin to be balanced.

Or maybe not caring at all. “You’re forgetting something, you dumb old dragon,” I say, grinning at his surprise. I’m still leaning back on the ice, knowing that hope will make a difference, even if I can’t see it yet.

“Lochness isn’t alone. He has Hael, he has me—~he has two babies~. And…he had a loving mother, who taught him to cherish family…~and~ ~a father~…who taught him exactly how to destroy family. He just didn’t need to use it until now.”

Suddenly, the ice cave shakes violently as two heavy weights land above it. Cracks appear as talons stab through the ice. I look up with Nerezza to see Lochness and Hael snarling above us.

They blast the ice with fire, and Nerezza calmly looks down at me, flipping the knife in his hand. He’s not scared, and he’s not waiting any longer.

~Hael! I need~ – I don’t have time to finish asking for his power when Nerezza throws the blade at me with his magic.

I raise my hand and feel a surge of Sky God power push through me, diverting the blade from my pregnant belly towards the ice. The blade sticks out from the ice wall next to me.

~Thank you,~ I think, jumping to my feet.

~Now give me everything!~ I raise my hands towards Hael and Lochness, who stop trying to melt the ice—it’s happening too slowly. Nerezza sneers as he summons a larger sword into his hand.

As he swings it towards me, I wait, unafraid. Through the cracks in the glacier, their power seeps through and slams into me as they give it to me, ~willingly~. I don’t even have to sing for it.

I feel my body vibrating with power, different from before. This is pure killing power, courtesy of two angry Twin Dragons. Nerezza can see their magic filling me—his sword stops inches from my neck, their combined magic overpowering his with ease.

Then their dragons fly upward…and we both know why.

“Rest in hell, Nezzy,” I say, grinning at the frozen Blackhearted Dragon as the cave explodes with green-emerald flame. Not a gentle lick.

Hot, fierce, full of love turned to incinerating power. The ice shatters, flying high into the sky, then melting into rain before it touches me. The fire is too hot for Nerezza, who’s cold, old, and out of life power.

He’s weak because his mate is dead. Now he’s burning, melting before my eyes. But I don’t watch for long.

Soon there are two tall figures in front of me—their chests, their dull green eyes, quickly returning to a bright emerald green as I place my hands on their hearts and let the power flow back into them. Lochness and Hael are both still reeling from the horror of what just happened, and how close they come to losing their favorite mouse.

“Too easy,” I say, watching as a brow on each of my mates twitches. “Are you two okay or—” I don’t get to finish. They both step forward and wrap their arms around me, pulling me close in their own ways.

Hael’s hands find my waist, his fingers pressing into my skin as he checks my stomach. Lochness is circling around me, his arms wrapping around my neck, his hands cradling my face, making sure I’m still breathing.

Suddenly, I’m in a headlock. Lochness is pressing kisses to my temple, then resting his forehead against mine, his eyes closed as he takes slow, deep breaths.

Hael’s gaze meets mine, a half-smile playing on his lips. “You slayed your first dragon,” he says, his voice heavy with the gravity of the moment. “Congratulations, Madeline…you did it…”

I’m on the verge of grinning when I feel hot tears streaming down my cheek—and they’re not mine. Unlike them, I’m ecstatic!

I attempt to look up at Lochness, but he tightens his hold on me, keeping my gaze locked on Hael. “Thanks, Hael. Um, Nessy?” I try to turn my head, but his muscular arm keeps me in place. “Are you okay?”

He doesn’t respond.

I turn to Hael, seeking answers. “Tell me,” I demand.

“My brother can’t talk right now,” Hael’s voice is gentle, devoid of mockery. “Maybe when we get back, mouse.” He winks at me, taking my hand in his.

“With you, Hael.” Lochness releases me, pushing me towards Hael, his voice barely above a whisper—and filled with fear, even though the danger has passed.

I turn to look at him, but he’s already walking away, disappearing into the snowstorm. I catch a glimpse of him wiping his eyes before he transforms into his dragon form and takes off.

Hael pulls me into a tight embrace, which I return without hesitation.

He tightens his hold on me, as if trying to outdo me. “He didn’t actually lose it. In fact, I’ve never seen Lochness so calm and focused—for the first time. He knows where to fly.”

He doesn’t speak a word. He just moves. I follow.

“Maybe he grew up or something?” I suggest.

“Doesn’t matter,” Hael’s voice rumbles above me. “You’re alive—he’ll be fine regardless.”

“Hmpf.” I squeeze him as hard as I can, my arms aching with the effort. “Take me home,” I whisper, tears threatening to spill.

“First, mouse, you must be bitten.” Hael’s hand cups my chin, holding me still as he leans down to bite my neck. “I’m not sure if my bite is needed after you used his magic to sever the tie, but I’m not taking any chances with you, little love. I’m not losing you. Even if it would take a brat off my hands.”

I pound my fist against his chest, and Hael chuckles against my skin as he pulls away from the gentle bite—it is so light, he probably only scrapes my skin.

“I’m a brat but I’m your brat,” I retort. “Nessy, I need his bite too.”

“At home,” Hael counters. “He doesn’t want you to see him like that.”

I sigh. “He’s such a cry-baby.”

~No, I’m not a cry-baby, you insolent rat,~ Lochness’s voice echoes in my head. ~Bring the spoiled princess home now. You’ll get my bite too, but you need to warm up in some hot water before you die. Are you listening, Madeline?~

~And don’t fall off on the flight back, it’s slippery up here, ice forms on the scales. Hael, hurry. She needs me. She’s too cold. Move it. I’m convinced. Our little slayer will die anyway, so pitifully too, it’ll be a fucking tragedy that she escapes us.~

Hael wipes the blood from my neck with his thumb, trying his best to keep his reaction to his brother’s antics in check. His lips twitch into a smile before he quickly schools his features into a serious expression.

I could spend all day watching Hael’s lips, but instead, I jump up and plant a quick kiss on them. “Home, Hael.” I bite my lip. “The mountain this time, maybe…?”

Hael shakes his head, his gaze heavy on me as he cradles my face in his hands. “No, sweetheart. You know where.” Ah. Nope. Great. Back to the bloody cage and that birthing chamber.

Heh…really…it’s kind of our nest. Hael leans down to kiss me, pulling me from my thoughts. His warmth envelops me, his lips both soft and firm against mine.

~I like your kisses,~ ~I tell him.

~I like your pretty, pouty slayer mouth,~ Hael growls back, his tongue sliding across mine as he pulls me up onto my tiptoes, drawing me closer, our breaths mingling, becoming a shared flame—

Lochness’s voice interrupts my thoughts. ~I cried because of my undying love for you.~

I pull away from Hael with a gasp, my eyes wide. I’m speechless.

Hael’s emerald eyes darken.

Hael growls at me, while simultaneously projecting the thought to his twin. “Nice timing, brother… You know you’re both brats and no better than each other. Mischief marries you two together,” Hael sneers.

Lochness remains silent.

I press my lips together, but I can’t suppress my amusement.

Both of us brats? Married brats?

That thought sends me into a fit of giggles.

And I keep giggling.

All the way back to Requiem.