Chapter 36
Horatio
Horatio and Gunner sat with Snake between them, each holding one of his hands as if that alone could keep him together.
It wasn’t working.
Snake’s legs trembled. His breathing was shallow. Worst of all was the muttering.
“I’ll tie Meridian to the sails and drive through a hurricane.
No. Too quick. Chain him to a tree and let him starve?
Good, but no drama. Disembowel him? Too messy.
” He pulled his hands free and leaned forward, elbows on knees.
“Bloody hell. I preferred being emotionally unaware. The fear is driving me mad.”
Horatio put an arm around Snake’s shoulders. “You saw how fast Dagger pinned me down, right? He’s a force of nature.”
Snake let his head rest against Horatio. “True. Our portal shield is impossible to breach, yet he managed. I can’t fathom the power it took.”
“Everything’s going to be fine.” Horatio forced a smile. “Dagger’s like a mini wizard and Sugar’s… well, Sugar.”
Everyone crowded into the living room, split between two couches, staring at the coffee table as precious seconds ticked by.
Snake sighed. “How long has it been, Horatio?”
“Five minutes.”
Guilt perched on Horatio’s shoulders and made itself a home. Sugar and Dagger wouldn’t be in this situation if not for him.
If anything happens to them, I’ll never recover.
A flash of green light. A snap of static, and a whiff of caramel. Dagger and Sugar were back, holding hands and grinning like they’d just broken out of hell.
“Thank fuck!” Snake pulled Sugar onto his lap like he needed to make sure he was real.
“Big sexy! Miss me?” Dagger leapt from the table to Horatio.
Horatio crushed him close. “You’re a hero, little buddy.”
Gunner kissed Dagger’s cheek. “And a complete badass.”
The room stayed quiet for one collective breath before questions fired like bullets. Sugar put his hands up.
“One at a time, please.”
“How did Meridian catch you?” Suki asked.
“He didn’t. Ormond did. He must have cloned my cell, sent a fake call, and had one of his goons chloroform me in the alley. I woke up tied to a chair.”
Stiles’ hand flew to his mouth. “Naked?”
“No, but he gave it his best shot.” Sugar crossed one leg over the other and leaned back against Snake. “Ormond’s crush on me proved to be his undoing.” He slipped the switchblade from his boot and set it on the table. “Remind me to sterilize that.”
Horatio’s balls tried to crawl up his ass. “Who’s dead?”
“Ormond. I slit his throat—” Sugar froze, looking straight at Iggy. “Fuck, I forgot you two were brothers.” He winced. “Not sorry I killed him, but sorry you had to hear it like that. You deserved better, Ignatius.”
Iggy stared at his boots. “When I was eight and Ormond was ten, he tossed me in a well and pulled up the rope. I lived on dirt beetles and rainwater for a week until Mum found me, half dead and scared witless.” He looked up and smiled. “Never got justice until today. Thank you.”
“Blood for blood.” Sugar held out his hand.
“Blood for blood.” Iggy clasped it.
Sugar spilled the story, Snake’s fury mounting with every word. “Those motherfuckers will feel my wrath!” he shrieked.
“Get in line, Snake. I’ve got dibs.” Horatio cracked his knuckles. “So, Meridian has a tail, and he kissed you? Any other freaky tidbits to share?”
“I do have a scandalous cherry on top.” Sugar paused for effect.
“Meridian is a Dom for hire. He had a royal, Lord Remington, strapped in his sex dungeon. When I tried to free him, he lost his shit—said he’d been on a waiting list for almost a year.
Imagine waiting twelve months for a paddling from Meridian. ”
Seven howled. “Lord Remington? Tall, brunette? Kind of hot in a Daddy way?” He tucked his hair behind his ear. “I know him. Well.”
“I wondered if he was one of yours,” Sugar said.
“Darling.” Snake cupped Sugar’s face. “You left a blank space between Meridian’s kiss and Dagger’s rescue. What are you afraid to tell me?”
“Nothing. But what went down is so… confusing? Out of character? I’m not sure.”
Sugar’s stricken expression unsettled Horatio. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. And that’s the confusing part. He could have done anything to me he wanted—and I fully expected him to try.
” Sugar let out a brittle laugh. “After he kissed me, I stared him dead in the eyes and asked if he was afraid to use a little tongue—just to rile him. But instead of getting angry, he looked terrified. Almost fell off his platforms. So I called him out on it.”
Horatio was on the edge of his seat. “What did you say?”
“I said, ‘You might be a king, little boy, but I know what you really want. To be owned. Taken. Raw-dogged over and over by a parade of sexy men until you’re covered head to toe in sticky, hot spunk.’”
“You straight-up said that to Meridian?” Horatio was in awe. “How did he react?”
“Like a fish out of water. Bug-eyed and gasping. Then he spent the next few minutes claiming to be a top and a Dom. But I think he was arguing with himself, not me.” Sugar frowned. “I changed tactics after that. Offered my ass on a platter.”
“You did what?” Snake went apoplectic.
“In order to do the deed, he’d have to unshackle me. Once free, well, you know.”
Gunner grinned. “You’re a legend, Sugar. No one else could’ve pulled that off.”
“Speaking of pulling, you should have seen him trying to get hard. It looked like he was yanking bubble gum out of his pubes. Kind of insulting, really. But enough about me. Show everyone what you brought back, Dagger.”
Dagger held up his left arm. “I stole the master key!”
“That’s the master key?” Horatio asked. It resembled a square wristwatch without numerals or hands. “I expected it to be bigger.”
He took it off and handed it to Horatio. Made from titanium, the device was covered on three sides with tiny buttons. He tried to press one, but his fingers were too big. “How did that giant lunkhead work this?”
Dagger took it back and spoke in Vixenese. The top shimmered, sliding open to reveal a miniature screen.
“You have to speak Vixenese to use this?” Gunner asked.
“Yes. This made by my ancestors.” Dagger spoke more Vixenese, and the entire matrix projected onto the ceiling in glorious detail.
“The Master Key. I’m absolutely gobsmacked to even be in the same room with it.” Snake held out a hand. “Can I touch it, Dagger?”
“First, this.” Dagger spoke again, and the projection shifted to a map of Clairidia. One by one—each portal gateway—winked out. After the last one vanished, a robotic voice intoned: Clairidia now on lockdown.
“That’s brilliant,” Horatio said. “Beat Meridian at his own game. Is that why you snuck into the castle in the first place?”
“No. I looking for my brother Juno. He did computer work at the castle and never came home. But, he not there.”
“How do you know that?” Sugar asked.
Dagger tapped his forehead. “We connected.” He sniffled. “I no see him in two years. Miss him very much.”
Gunner tucked Dagger on his lap. “We’ll help you find him.”
“Too right we will.” Snake patted Horatio’s knee. “You okay, Hor? You’re lacking your usual enthusiasm tonight.”
“This prophecy thing is turning me inside out.”
“Prophecy?” Sugar asked. “What the hell happened while I was gone?”
Horatio, Snake, and Iggy filled them in. Just talking about that stupid scroll made Horatio’s stomach churn.
“I asked Meridian why he wanted you, and he said it was none of my concern,” Sugar said. “No mention of a scroll.”
Snuggled against Gunner, Dagger casually dropped a bomb. “Prophecies written by elder Vixen.” He asked Saki something in his native tongue.
“He wants to know if the boy who took the scroll broke the seal,” Saki said.
“Yeah,” Iggy said. “Alistar said he broke two. One on the case, then the wax seal on the scroll itself.”
Dagger patted Horatio’s cheek. “You have important job. Good luck.”
“What if I don’t want to?” Horatio asked. “What if I refuse?”
Dagger scolded him in Vixenese.
Saki translated. “Once written, a prophecy is sealed with wax mixed with the seer’s blood—binding it to the universe.
When it’s time to manifest, the prophecy forces itself into motion.
Alistar broke the seal because the magic compelled him—without thought or choice of his own. Nothing happened by chance.”
“Why me?” Pressure built inside Horatio’s skull, as if his brain was trying to escape and find a sane corner to cry in.
“The seer didn’t choose you, Hor. The universe did,” Snake said. “Which was a brilliant move if you ask me. You’re the right man for the job.”
“You’re the only man for the job,” Saki added. “The prophecy is binding magic. If you resist, it will destroy you.”
The room went silent.
Horatio stopped breathing. His vision tunneled, his ears roared. Voices blurred as if he were underwater. A destiny he didn’t want and never asked for landed on his shoulders.
“I need booze. Lots of it.” Horatio gripped Gunner’s hand like it was oxygen. The lights flickered ominously. “Don’t tell me.”
The ship’s siren wailed.
“Of course, he’d hack in just to bitch about lockdown,” Gunner said.
“Let’s all go say hello. Let him see the badass bitches he’s dealing with,” Sugar said.
They laughed their way to the cockpit—until they spotted Meridian’s hideous visage plastered across every screen.
“You treacherous cunts!” he screamed. “Unlock my country immediately!”
“Tell you what, old chum. We’ll unlock your kingdom after you unlock an erection,” Snake said. “But I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
“I own the universe,” Meridian roared. “One snap and an army surrounds your little boat, torpedoes primed.”
“I heard your torpedo doesn’t work,” Horatio said.
Spittle sprayed from his lips. “My equipment works perfectly! Your friend just isn’t hot enough to excite me.”
“Sugar could give a corpse a boner,” Suki said. “Your dick must be on life support.”
“Quick, pull the plug. Put it out of its misery,” Horatio snarked.
Meridian tore at his hair. “Mark my words, sluts! You’ll rue the day you ever tangled with me. Now unlock my country immediately!”
“Sorry, mine now,” Dagger said. “Vixens make. I use. You lose.”
“You little Vixenite bitch!” Meridian spat. “I’ll skin you alive and make a G-string out of your worthless hide. But first, I’ll burn Vixen to ash while you watch.”
Eyes blazing, Dagger thrust out his right hand. The air crackled, ceiling panels rattled, and green light pulsed across the monitor.
Meridian froze mid-rant. His eyes bulged. Neck veins cabled as he clawed at his throat—the backs of his pale hands already mottled purple.
Horatio’s heart slammed so hard it rattled his bones. Part of him was ready to watch Meridian die; another recoiled at the sight of Dagger wielding power strong enough to choke a man remotely.
“Stop.” He grabbed Dagger’s forearm. His skin buzzed against Horatio’s fingers like a live wire. “He’s mine to kill, remember?”
Dagger’s jaw flexed. For a moment, he didn’t move, eyes still locked on Meridian. Then, slowly, he lowered his hand.
Meridian crumpled forward, coughing and sputtering. “Stay away from me!”
“Hack my ship again, and you’ll get worse.” Snake snickered. “Now get your limp dick off my screen.”
“I’ll destroy you, Snake Vinter. I’ll destroy all of you!”
The screen went black.
Horatio exhaled. “Holy fucking shit. Where did that come from, Dagger?”
Saki stepped in to translate. “Dagger’s magic is affected by his mood. You just saw what happens when he’s enraged. The opposite happens when he’s frightened or melancholy. He hopes that when he’s older, his skills will become more reliable.”
“That was impressive. I thought you were going to kill him.”
“I cannot kill him. Only you, Horeeto.”
“But you almost strangled him just now!”
“Queen Claire asked a Vixen elder to put enchantments on both her sons at birth,” Saki translated. “They can’t be killed or maimed. But when Alister broke that seal, Meridian’s destiny was altered. Only you can end him, Horatio.”
“I’ve never been more fond of you, mate,” Snake said. “But how is it that the lad was able to affect him like that, Saki?”
“Dagger thinks he got away with scaring him because Meridian threatened his homeland, but even if you didn’t stop him, he couldn’t have ended his life.”
Horatio slumped. “I need whiskey in an IV.” He rubbed his temples. “A magical prophecy about a narcissistic king with a limp dick?” He glanced at Gunner. “Remind me why I got up this morning?”
“Because you’re the hero in this story,” Gunner said.
“If I’m the hero, you’re definitely my sidekick.” Horatio managed a tired grin. “But I get to wear the tights.”