Chapter 13
Ghoul
This is perhaps one of the few reasons Lady Katerina Crocodylus would exit her compound and leave her most prized collections behind.
She does bring Xander with her, still untrusting of the silent dragon, and when she enters Naga House, he stalks in front of her, before slipping off to the side like a bodyguard.
I make a show of craning my neck to make sure his headphones are in place. Those glowing eyes don’t show what direction he’s looking in, but I know he’d be sneering if he had the choice. “The silver collar almost matches his eyes,” I say in greeting.
“General,” The Collector coos, in leather pants and a black halter neck tonight. She reminds me of Catwoman with her red lipstick.
I never liked Catwoman.
“All you need are little black ears,” I say, putting my gloved index fingers beside my head, pointing upwards. “Then you’re ready to burgle yet another regina’s pack from her.”
Her dark eyes simmer as she regards me. “Jealous, love? I wish Mace would let me have your basilisk ass. You would look so lovely on a chain.”
I bare my drawn fangs in a smile. “As much as I enjoy chains, my lady, I tend to kill my lovers. So…perhaps it would be a good pairing after all.”
Her lids lower, unimpressed, but she doesn’t get a chance to reply as Charlotte Naga, escorted by Generals Adder, Brown and Taipan, bustles from the dining room. “You’re here. Lovely. Come through, Lady Crocodylus.”
Titus already sits in the dining room, with a bourbon and empty plate beside him.
He was in a right state when he turned up, near hysterical, and now he glowers at us as we join him at the table.
Mace stands on the far side, near two wingback armchairs.
In them are the wolf and avian queens, their wrists bound in tourmaline shackles.
“You really did it,” Katerina says, stopping short to stare at the captives. “I’m impressed, Mace.”
“Of course he did it,” Titus says through his metal jaw. “They were all a bunch of fucking idiots, and the human politicians will love this.”
“Your own achievement is profound,” Mace says in a way that gives away nothing about his real feelings.
Everyone here is a mate-betrayer. By anyone’s measure, the worst people on the planet are in this room.
But everyone turns to Xander, who also schools his fine, dragon features.
I wonder what he sees with his magical eyeballs.
“I’ve done my part well,” The Collector says, taking a seat at the table. “We’ve eliminated our main enemies. What’s your next move?”
“The next fucking move is to avenge my father,” Titus snarls, thumping his meaty fist on the table. “I want that Boneweaver girl dead.”
“I do not want the last Boneweaver on the planet dead,” Mace says evenly. Katerina nods in agreement.
“Then something needs to be done about her,” Titus snaps.
“She’s out of control, and this is the first of it, you mark my words.
” He quiets, scowling into space. “You didn’t see her eyes.
They were mad. Get her out of the fucking country.
Hell, get her off of the fucking planet, if that’s what it takes. ”
“She’ll be depleted after this attack,” Mace says, glancing at me. “I will take care of it.”
My shadows tug at me. They’ve always had a little mind of their own, and now they caress my own mating mark, my cheek, drawing up to my eyes where they are always at their thickest, protecting the rest of the world from me.
The urge to kill everyone is something I always have to fight back.
A little laser beam here and there, and the world would be totally different.
That level of power is something the others have always been wary of.
But Mace would never let me around his family unless he was sure I wouldn’t get tempted.
The various marks on my body itch. Mace’s venom. My own. Aurelia’s.
“If I might suggest…” Katerina drawls, running a red fingernail across the lacquered mahogany.
“The girl has proven strong. Even what Flores and I did didn’t break her.
But I think we’ve come close with the loss of her mates.
She is wild in her movements. If she continues on a rampage, she will act without precision.
I think we can get even closer with just one more little push.
” The Collector sits back. “I still want my money’s worth from that girl. It’s a lot of zeros for no eggs, Mace.”
Her concern is for her business only. She doesn’t care about Aurelia’s welfare, only that she got her chance at breeding whatever it was she kept in the dark under her property.
That, even I haven’t figured out yet. “It better not be a sloth you’re trying to stud,” I say. “Or some exotic pigeon from Peruvia.”
The Collector gives me a look that suggests she wants to gouge my eyes out and toast them like marshmallows over a campfire. “I need to be heading back.”
“You won’t stay?” Charlotte says with surprise. “It’s almost dawn.”
“I want to get back,” Katerina repeats. It gives me great delight to see her fretting like this. To see her paranoid.
“To your pack,” I confirm. “Or swamp? What is a group of crocodiles called again?”
“A group of crocs is called a death trap,” Titus growls, proving he’s useless once again.
“And the metal-head knows some words,” I say in a surprised voice as The Collector gets up from the table, muttering under her breath.
“I’ll be in touch,” she announces.
Mace strides over, examining Xander standing stoic and listening by the door.
“Your father would not have taken you back if it were not for me,” he murmurs, low and arrogant.
“I suggested it may be one of the few things to break the company of Scythe Kharkorous, and I was right.” He smirks, reaching up to pat the dragon on the cheek.
“You did the job better than anyone else could.” Xander gives no reaction.
Not so much as a lip twitch or an eye flicker.
I’m impressed. Mace turns to Katerina. “Watch the evening news tonight. You won’t want to miss my announcement. ”
Ah, yes. Phase two is about to begin.