Chapter 85
Belle
The tower fell away, and I plunged toward the earth, clawing at the air.
A dark shape leapt from the balcony into the sky above me. “No. Valen, don’t!”
Sunlight split around him in shimmering rays as the transformation took hold. Black wings burst from his back, and his serpentine tail uncoiled, lashing the air. A plume of flames poured from his mouth, and rage glistened in his molten eyes.
My body jolted as his taloned forelimb snatched me from the air. His wings beat hard against the wind, but we were falling, and the courtyard rushed up beneath us.
His body crashed into the castle ramparts, driving the breath from my lungs and sending a shockwave through the stones.
The masonry groaned and cracked beneath the dragon’s weight, then the tower above us tilted and crumbled in an avalanche of rubble and stone.
Valen pulled his wings to shield me from the rain of debris as his back slammed into the ground.
I buried my face against his talons, choking on the dust that billowed into the air, my skin raw and bleeding from dozens of tiny cuts.
Massive muscles coiled beneath me, and Valen heaved himself upright, sloughing off the blanket of rubble and toppled stones.
“Get out of here,” I shouted. “Fly away before Locke takes control.”
With a ferocious snarl, he extracted himself from the ruins of the wall and lunged forward, hurling himself into the sky.
My body lurched with each wing beat as we soared upward over the top of the crumbling ramparts and past the broken tower.
The vast forest stretched out before us, and white peaked mountains beyond.
Freedom.
Locke’s voice split the air like thunder. “Bring her back to me, beast.”
The world in front of me tilted as Valen turned around, and my stomach tumbled.
“Don’t listen to him,” I screamed above the howl of the wind. “You’re your own master!”
Valen roared, his call tortured, but he didn’t change course. Soldiers fled the walls and towers before us as we swooped over the castle, scattering the people in the courtyard below—all but one.
Locke.
He waited without fear, hands clasped behind his back, murderous delight in his eyes. Valen landed before him, buckling the pavement, then bent low and released a defiant roar that shook my body and left my ears ringing.
Locke smiled. “Good boy, now hand her over to me.”
The talons that had been wrapped protectively around me shook as Valen strained to maintain control over his dragon form, but they slowly opened, as if pried apart by an unseen force.
I fell from his grasp onto the stones. Pain shot through my wrists and knees, and the world spun around me. He can’t be gone. I can’t have lost him.
Scrambling to my feet, I darted for cover.
“Pin her down,” Locke shouted.
Valen’s forelimb blocked my path, then swiped sideways and shoved me to the ground. I tried to escape, but his talons closed in above me, caging me in.
Terror shook my body, and my pulse thundered in my ears. Valen had crushed Silas beneath his foot, leaving nothing but a mangled smear of blood and bones on the forest floor. If Locke forced him to do the same…
I pressed my palms against the paving stones.
Protect me. Power surged through my fingers, and the stones warped and thrust upward around me, pushing back against the dragon’s foot, creating a tiny pocket that gave me just enough space to wriggle loose.
I scrambled forward, but fingers seized my hair and yanked my head back with enough force to tip me onto my back.
I sucked in a painful breath and met Locke’s gaze.
He grinned down at me and clucked his tongue. “I’m not finished with you, princess. Keep her still, beast.”
Valen growled in agony, but his talons pinned me in place all the same.
“Don’t stop fighting,” I pleaded, tears wetting my cheeks. “Come back to me.”
Locke knelt on one knee and shoved my head down against the courtyard, the cracked stone scraping my cheek while delight flickered in his eyes. “Oh, he’s still in there, but he’s not coming back to you. I can guarantee that.”
A sob shuddered through me. “Why are you doing this?”
“You worked it out already. Misery is the wine at my table, broken dreams the only sustenance I crave. I’ve tormented everyone in this place, but your heartbreak has been the sweetest nectar.”
Locke inhaled, and delight rumbled in his chest, as if savoring my scent. “You fight and hope and fail, again and again. Your despair only makes me stronger.”
I frantically searched the courtyard for something I could use against him. A dropped sword. A lost arrow. I reached out with my magic, searching fruitlessly.
I had to buy time.
“What are you? A man or a demon?” I struggled to free myself, but between his grip on my hair and the crushing pressure of the dragon’s talons, I couldn’t move.
“A man, once,” he sneered. “But I no longer share the weaknesses of your mortal flesh. I sold my soul to the dark gods for the magic to curse that stone-hearted bitch and her kingdom. Fortunately, her death earned me more power than I ever imagined.”
I spat blood onto the dusty pavement, pulling against his grasp even though it burned my scalp. “What did Emma ever do to you?”
“Don’t speak her filthy name.” He slammed my head against the ground, then stepped back, eyes ablaze.
“I was the one who negotiated her bride price, who brought her here, who won her heart for the pathetic fool. Yet she cast me away like I was nothing the moment she met him—an unremarkable king, unworthy of her beauty or her magic. I could’ve trained her, given her unimaginable power, but the little harlot chose a crown over her gift. Over me.”
I pushed up on my hands, tears in my eyes. “So you turned her to stone for what? Falling in love?”
“She got what she deserved. They all did.” Fury clouded his face, and the air seemed to crackle around him.
His eyes were pure black, yet full of laughter.
“My only mistake was that it was over too quickly—their suffering too fleeting. I’ve learned how to drag the misery out, how to feed slowly, how to break souls over and over.
Valen has been my triumph—and when I finally force him to kill you, the feast of suffering will elevate me to a true demon at last.”
Valen roared, the sound shaking the earth as a wave of heat enveloped us. But it was Locke’s revelation that struck me like a blow to the chest—he wasn’t fully a demon yet. Still mortal. Still vulnerable.
I twisted violently to the side, my sleeve tearing against the sharp edges of Valen’s talons. The dragon loomed over me, struggling against Locke’s hold, defiance and misery consuming his golden eyes.
Locke chuckled. “The fucking fool thinks he can defy me, but his hope and despair only fuel my power over him.”
Valen snapped his jaws, but Locke held out his hand, tendrils of sickly green power twisting around his fingers. “Grovel, beast. Bow down and show your little witch who your true master is.”
Valen snarled and thrashed, releasing me as he backed away.
For a second, I thought he was going to lift into the air and fly, then with a heart-shattering roar, he fell on his forelimbs and rammed the side of his head into the ground before Locke, clawing the ground in agony.
Crimson tears welled at the corners of his eyes.
Something in my chest cracked. Valen was still in there, trapped. Unable to resist. Unable to break free.
And Locke was going to use my death to break him forever.
Save him.
Fury shook through me, and with it, the flow of my magic. I poured my power into the flagstones, and they buckled in a wave beneath us. Locke stumbled, and Valen’s grip loosened. It was all the opening I needed.
I propelled myself to my feet and sprinted toward the castle. If I could get inside, Valen couldn’t reach me. Locke would have to face me alone—and if he killed me there, at least it wouldn’t be by Valen’s hand.
“Hunt her down, beast,” Locke ordered. “Teach her to fear.”
A black, scaled tail slapped down in front of me with a crack. I skidded to a halt, then twisted back, running in the other direction. My heart battered my ribs, and my lungs screamed as I ducked through an archway into the rose garden.
Seconds later, the ornate arch shattered, and the dragon’s head snaked forward, his jaws opened wide as he released a roar.
I vaulted forward, ducking between hedges and winding around statues, searching for cover. The ground shook as Valen launched into the air, his wings sending gusts of wind that pummeled my back.
I didn’t have time to think or summon my magic, so I ran, every step dancing on the edge between life and death. Tears wet my cheeks, and my jaw clenched until it ached. I was doing exactly what Locke wanted—fleeing for his entertainment.
A thunderous explosion rang out to my right as the dragon crashed down, crushing the hedges beneath his feet. I pivoted, but he lashed out with his tail, cutting off each path of escape and driving me closer to the keep. He was going to pin me against the wall.
The door to the kitchen was right there.
I dove beneath his tail and tumbled across the ground, then thrust myself to my feet and sprinted toward the door, channeling my magic. Open!
It swung wide.
“Don’t let her escape,” Locke bellowed.
The ground shook as Valen slammed his tail down, blocking the door. I skidded to a halt and turned, but his head coiled around, cutting me off from the other side. I was fully encircled against the wall of the castle, my breaths ragged gasps.
His savage jaws opened, heat building at the back of his throat.
My back pressed against the wall, my heart cracking. Don’t let him win, Valen.
The dragon snarled, and my legs trembled. Was it meant to inspire terror, or was it a desperate plea from the man trapped inside the beast? My throat knotted. His anguished eyes seemed to beg, save yourself.
I wanted to weep and laugh. I was up against a wall, facing a dragon. What could I even do?