Chapter Thirty-Two
The SUV sped down the narrow, winding roads. Under other circumstances, I would have told the driver to slow down. Now I was glad for every hairpin corner and ear-popping descent. It meant that we were farther away from that burning forest.
Remy had called the fire department in addition to our ride. He’d also arranged to have a large air tanker drop water and other fire-retardant liquids onto the blaze. Hopefully, the fire would be out soon.
“It won’t be long until we rendezvous with the new helicopter,” Remy said.
I wasn’t keen on being back in the air after the dragon attack, but Remy seemed confident that it was safe. Still, I couldn’t help but scan the horizon for dark clouds. I’d never react to an approaching storm the same way again.
“Malina is already at the hotel,” Setreg replied, setting down his phone. He was in the front next to the driver, an older man with graying brown hair and parchment-pale skin.
“Good,” Remy said. “With luck, our other allies will be out of Orion by now, too. It won’t be long before Daegal learns that I survived his latest assassination attempt. Malina will be taking over Brendan’s protection as well as yours while I’m away this afternoon, Raine.”
I let out a short laugh. “Malina and I will have a lot to talk about. I’ve learned so much today. Like how I’m drown-proof and burn-proof, and that you can fly, and how Setreg’s a badass, and of course, how dragons are damn near unkillable.”
Remy sighed. “These dragons were easy to kill.”
“You call that easy?” I sputtered.
I didn’t like the look he gave me. “They were no more than a hundred years apiece. Juveniles, in the dragon world. That’s why they could only hold their other form for a few moments. Older ones can stay in dragon form as long as they wish.”
My brain flitted between denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance all in the seconds I stared at Remy. “If a hundred-year-old dragon is an easy-to-kill juvenile, how old and tough is Daegal?”
“Over a thousand years old, and one of the most powerful dragons alive” was Remy’s calm reply.
I was going to be sick. I turned the air-conditioning up and tried to lean back. It didn’t help.
“I won’t let him hurt you,” Remy said, reading my reaction.
I didn’t snort, but it was close. If something that powerful wanted to hurt me, I’d be dead. Look at what Daegal had done when he hadn’t even been trying to hurt me. Unless …
“Any chance those weren’t Daegal’s dragons that attacked?”
“Only dragons from Daegal’s clan have those thin, wyvern-like tails.
” Remy’s smile made ice dance down my spine.
“He’ll deny that he sent them, of course.
That’s why Daegal picked juveniles to attack me.
They’re not old enough to be an official part of his army, but they’d never attack without his approval.
Dragons don’t betray other dragons. It’s one of the few admirable qualities about their species. ”
Setreg grunted. “Bold of Daegal to do it. It’s been over a thousand years since dragons started a war in this world. I assume you’re canceling the ball tonight?”
“Not a chance. I want everyone to see that I’m unharmed and still in control.”
“And making yourself an easy target tonight for this very powerful old dragon is a good idea why?” I wondered out loud.
Remy’s eyes turned glacial. “Daegal attacked me on my own territory. Taunting him with his failure will be the least of my response. I’ll return the bodies of his slain dragons to him in pieces, blow up his storage facility that he thinks I’m unaware of, kill all the spies he thinks he snuck over my borders, and steal a great deal of his gold, and that’s only what I’ll do before I put on my tux for the ball. ”
I was horrified.
Setreg smiled. “I’m coming with you.”
“He tried to kill you, too” was Remy’s reply. “I wouldn’t think to deny you your vengeance.”
Was I the only one who thought this sounded like a suicide mission? Yes, Remy was staggeringly powerful, and Setreg was tougher than nails, but if we’d almost been killed by the easy dragons, wasn’t pissing off Big Daddy Dragon a bad idea?
“Won’t this be breaking treaty?” I tried to point out. “Will your fellow Wardens support it?”
“Daegal broke treaty first. I’m only responding,” Remy replied in that frighteningly calm tone. “I won’t see you until right before the ball, Raine, but don’t worry about what you’ll wear. I’ll create a new gown for you.”
“As if I’d worry about a dress after all this,” I muttered.
The only thing I wanted was a long, hot shower. I still had the blood of several different people on me, plus more than one person’s ashes. Scrubbing my skin until it was bright red and then scrubbing it some more sounded really good.
But that would only help with the surface.
What I really wanted to do was scrub away all the danger we were in.
Before today I would’ve said I could take down anything with the Beast in me, but now I’d learned otherwise.
Hell, I’d needed Remy’s help just to kill one juvenile dragon.
I might be able to heal the wounded after a fight, but I couldn’t raise the dead, and I didn’t need psychic abilities to know that this war would only end when either Daegal or Remy was in the ground.
And I was supposed to just smile pretty if Daegal showed up at the ball tonight?
What if he came with more dragon reinforcements?
Would the ball turn into another fiery trap?
I had a supernaturally ancient Beast inside me that I could now control, dammit!
There had to be something I could do aside from being the only person who couldn’t burn to death.
Suddenly I realized that there was something I could do, and I was all juiced up with both power and time to spare.
“Don’t worry about me,” I told Remy. “I’ll keep busy.”