After the nice parting shot -from who my brain was too slow to realise was really King Darian before Nyx pointed it out - we head in the complete opposite direction from our initial route and curiosity has me shutting up as I take in everything.

After walking and getting half dragged for almost thirty minutes, we get to a wooded area and the boys halt scanning the area.

“Hey, your daddy said library, if you kill me in the woods he won’t be thrilled.”

“I guess it was wishful thinking to hope you had lost your ability to speak,” grunts Cain earning chocked off laughs from everyone, even Nyx, the traitor.

With a huff, I promise myself to shut it no matter what comes, there’s only so much a girl can take. My promise doesn’t even take root before it’s broken.

“Woah! Where did that come from?”

The previously all-tree surrounding was now an impressive stretch of paved paths lined with vegetation leading to the most impressive medieval building I had ever laid my eyes on, I have a feeling I have said that a lot, but this, this really takes the cake.

Think if the Sagrada Familia and the Potala Palace had a child, and it was huge, and all white. That’s the closest comparison I could think up.

Before I could really admire the building, I’m quickly ushered inside and a shimmer of light engulfs me before spitting me inside.

“ya’ll really cannot work on a normal entrance, huh? wa... oh blessed heavens can I live here forever?”

Because books, oh my word there were books everywhere, from the floor, to... wait a minute there were no ceilings, they went up and up and up...you get the drift.

“you are drooling,” comes from Nyx sounding reluctantly amused, I look back and realise everyone else was looking at me, Ryder with a kind of nostalgia that was painful to see, we were done, he’d already kicked me to the curb.

I couldn’t honestly tell you what way we went; I was so busy admiring everything

We stopped abruptly and I almost walk into Cain.

“get in,” he blurts out.

“say please,” I answer with a saccharine smile, the bastard picks me up and throws me inside a room that could pass off as a storage closet were it not for its exaggerated size, before I could turn to admonish the uncultured prince, he slams the door shut Nyx barely making it in.

Huffing, I turn to survey the room, my eyes struggling to adjust to the dark; after the only substantial source of light was slammed shut, the only other source, was a garden window at the top of the room that was probably 8 feet high.

“Mahi, we really have to get you out of here.”

“That’s the third time,” I answer grinning stupidly at the dragon, that was now visible.

“Are you bipolar?”

“shut it it’s the third time you called me Mahi, I’m totally growing on you, you like me Nyx, admit it.”

The comical look on his face has me fighting between tormenting him further or giving in and getting serious.

“Did those idiots hit your head? Or were you dropped on it as a child, I’m leaning towards the latter.”

Torment it is.

“The king said Dolly says hi...is she your girlfriend? Did she dump you, is that why you get mood swings when she’s mentioned?”

If it was possible, I could feel the dragon gnashing his teeth, it was all I could do to keep a straight face.

“shut it and get serious little human or I swear on the Evernight legacy I will leave you here courtesy be damned.”

“mood swings,” I muttered under my breath.

“Did you have to stir him up? he really is going to leave you.”

“Nyx, did you hear that?”

“Maybe I should come back later, yes, you must be drained after all that exertion.”

“no really, can’t you hear that, I thought it was the king, but now it’s clear it wasn’t him.

“He cannot hear me unless I choose to let him.”

“There!”

“What are you talking about Mahina? Lie down, please, you might as well get some rest, there’s no leaving this room.”

“what do you mean the window is right there, and I’m not delusional or tired, there’s a smug psycho speaking to me.”

“mean.”

I try to swallow the girly scream that comes out of me because that, was said out loud and it sounded right next to my ear.

Even Nyx looks spooked, he must have heard him this time...

“last time I checked, you couldn’t fly and that window is 8 feet out of reach, and I cannot carry you out, I like my back exactly as it is, with my bones intact, I am not suicidal.”

I guess not.

Properly chastised by the thinly veiled barb I head to a corner of the room and sit leaning against the wall, taking Nyx’s advice.

A few minutes later, I realize my efforts to rest are futile.

“Are you still there.”

“I’m always here.”

Ignoring that statement, I continue, “who are you, why am I the only one who can hear you?”

“Because I will it so.”

Why did I even try?

“sleep, I’ll still be here.”

“I can’t.”

“try, I’ll help.”

“m’kay.”

Surprisingly enough, I grow drowsy. My thoughts drift to the sexy man in my head because if I was going to have a voice in my head I was definitely making it a hot man’s.

“wake up Mahi.”

I’m jolted awake by Nyx shouting in my ear, he was also trying to shake me awake, damn; I had conked out hard.

“What, what is it? I’m up dammit stop shaking me.”

“someone’s coming.”

“Oh.”

“no! not oh, someone’s coming and they feel odd, dark evil and they are here to kill you, I can feel their wrath.”

I gulp, what the what?

“They can’t kill me though, their dad told me to bring me here, not kill me. They listen to him...right?”

“no, it’s not the princes, the signature feels foreign and familiar as well.”

Before I could ask more, the door bangs open; how they keep doing that with a door that’s all stone I would love to know.

Alain stands at the door heaving, bloody twin swords in her hands, blood all over her face, in fact, she looked exactly how I had when I woke up in the dungeon earlier.

“Alain, what happened to you?”

“shut up.” She replies in a multi-layered voice.

The sickly scent of roses fills the room and I fight hard not to gag.

“so, this is where they hid you?” she says, advancing menacingly.

Do not cower Mahi, we Dracons don’t cower, the pep talk works and I stand firm until she’s right in my face, I kid you not I can feel the flutter of her eyelashes on my cheeks.

I regret my decision to remain still when the scent hits me in the next second, the coppery tang of blood, flesh, a hint of rot and plenty of roses.

“What do you want from me? “I ask in a faint whisper.

I could’ve sworn I saw a flicker of change in her eyes before they went back to looking crazed.

“I don’t see it, the semblance, you are not as exquisite as I am.”

“huh?”

“no matter, he has paid dearly for his stupid thought.”

“What are you talking about Alain?”

I watch transfixed as she changes right in front of my eyes like someone else inside her takes the wheel and she isn’t all rainbows and unicorns.

I’m fucked.

Those are my last thoughts before all hell breaks loose... literally.

*************************************************************

Pausing to let the ringing in my head cease, I lean against the wall I had been flung against this time. I had pokes and deep cuts from the two swords she was clutching and I was pretty sure she had knocked out Nyx, who had stopped fighting a while back.

“Why are you doing this? If I’m guilty of killing your people, I will be punished appropriately, stop this Al...”

My words are cut off as I fly across the room once more as a result of her latest kick.

“This is the best justii...”

Her words end in a screech as Nyx thwacks her in the face with his tail, not much of an impact with his size but it was a great distraction seeing as she was headed towards me to strike the final blow.

Enraged, Alain swats Nyx away from her and he hits the wall with a sickening crunch, this enrages me as I watch his tiny body crumple to the ground.

In hindsight, turning my attention away from her crazy ass wasn’t a really great idea.

I feel the pain before it registers what had happened. I clutch my stomach falling onto my knees as I try to hold my gut in since the bitch had just sliced it open.

Blinding pain engulfs me and I fight hard to breathe as I turn up my face to Alain, holding her gaze steely as she goes to strike the final blow.

I did not think I would die like this.