22. Hayden
The alcove had shadows swirling around us as I shoved at the large form’s chest.
Dexter Corbett just laughed, low and ugly. “Sorry, bana-phrionnsa. You’re just a little too tiny.”
My knee came up on instinct, thanks to a self-defense class we’d had as part of gym in high school.
But Dexter was too fast. He twisted, avoiding the worst of my hit. I expected rage, maybe even physical violence. But instead, he grinned. That twist of his lips wasn’t warm in any way, but there was a hint of grudging respect.
He straightened, taking half a step back. It wasn’t enough for me to make a break for it, but it was enough that I could breathe.
Dexter straightened his black suit jacket. “I’ll admit, when I saw that you were a tiny wisp of a thing, I didn’t think you’d be a fighter.”
I simply glared at him. There was nothing I could say that would likely get him to back off. I just needed to bide my time before I could run or someone came to find me.
“I like that you have a bit of fire. It’ll serve you well as the alpha female of our horde.”
My stomach churned. “I have no interest in being alpha anything, and I certainly don’t want a damned thing to do with your horde.”
Dexter’s eyes narrowed on me. “You’re new to this world, Hayden. You’d be wise to watch your step.”
I returned his glare, opting for silence once again.
“Cillian and his band of misfits won’t be around forever. Legacy and tradition will always find their way back to power.”
Something tickled the back of my mind as questions began to form. “And you represent legacy and tradition?”
Dexter straightened. “I come from a long line of royalty. My family has always had ties to leadership, and we always will. People respect that. You should count yourself lucky that my son and his bond have even looked your way.”
Nausea hit me in waves. “Your son tried to kill me.”
Dexter’s dark eyes flashed gold. “Easton goaded him into that fight. You never should’ve gotten in the way. A woman’s place is in the home, not in the battle.”
I had to swallow back my snort of derision. I was sure Dexter was the type of man who thought women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. “If your son told you that Easton goaded him, he’s flat-out lying. Hal appeared in the alley. He taunted East. And when Easton told him to leave, Hal tried to blast him with fire.”
“Lies,” Dexter spat.
“Truth,” I shot back. “And I will always fight for the people I care about. My place is at their side.” Not hiding behind them.
Dexter’s jaw worked back and forth, but I could see that tiny flicker of doubt about his son’s story. Good. Maybe I’d make a little trouble for Hal at home.
But the doubt didn’t last. Dexter seemed to shake off the possibility of his son’s lies and zeroed in on me. “You’ll learn your place.” That creepy smile stretched across his face again. “You’ll make my son an army of dragons, and we’ll use them to decimate Cillian and his clan.”
My mouth went dry. This was all Dexter and Hal saw women as. Breeders. A means to an end of their battles.
“I’d rather stab myself with a rusty spork, but thanks anyway.”
Smoke curled from Dexter’s nostrils. “Watch your words, girl.”
“I think it’s you who needs to watch yourself, Corbett.” The smoky voice curled around us, but there was a lethal threat lacing the words.
Dexter whirled to face Maddox. “Maddox,” he spat.
“Now, what would the council think if they knew you’d cornered an unprotected female dragon at one of their events?” There was a casual air to Maddox’s words, but I could feel the anger pulsing beneath them.
Dexter’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I was just talking to her.”
A muscle beneath Maddox’s eye fluttered. “You’ve got her pinned in a dark corner, towering over her, threatening her. I’d hardly call that talking.”
Dexter scoffed. “Your word against mine. And I don’t think the council listens much to you, Kavanaugh. They never did.”
Maddox’s hands fisted, his knuckles bleaching white.
Oh, hell.
I shoved past Dexter, grabbing Maddox’s wrist and tugging as hard as I could. It was like trying to move a brick wall.
Dexter laughed, low and ugly. “It has to suck, realizing you have no power at all.”
A low growl escaped Maddox’s throat.
I got right up in his face, making sure it was me who filled his vision. “Mad, please. I need to get out of here. Come with me.”
It took a moment for him to register me, but then he nodded jerkily, stumbling down the hall.
I kept hold of his wrist, pulling him into another empty room. It wasn’t the parlor I’d been in earlier, but it was what looked like a study with one of those antique rolltop desks and Victorian furniture.
Maddox paced the small space, struggling to breathe normally.
I stepped into his path, forcing him toward the small sofa. He stumbled backward, finally sitting. But he wasn’t there. Not really. He was a million miles away.
I framed Maddox’s face in my hands, forcing his gaze to me. “Come back to me.”
Those amber eyes flared, blazing into mine.
“Talk to me,” I begged.
Maddox let out a ragged breath. “I want to peel the skin from his body and rip him limb from limb.”