Page 86 of Happily Ever Witch
“Goddammit.” Trevelyan said quietly. His body shifted, so he was in front of her. He didn’t even seem to notice that he did it.
Esmeralda’s brows shot up in amazement.
Haigha chortled. “Oh Green Dragon… I wondered why you put your scent all over some worthless True Love. I can smell you on her from here. Only mates should be marked that lavishly.” He inhaled deeply. “But now, I don’t blame you for your weakness. Youhadto mark her, didn’t you?”
Trevelyan’s grip on her fingers tightened.
“You were given a True Love who smells like poisoned candy, just begging to be stolen. Sweet and wicked and tempting.” Haigha made an approving sound. “I hope you enjoyed her while you could. …I certainly will.” He turned his attention back to the troops. “Don’t harm the witch. I want her for myself.” Flames enunciated that licentious threat.
“Esmeralda is not a weakness. She’s about to slaughter you, right here in this garden, you chauvinist fuck.”
Haigha shook his huge head. “No witch can stop a dragon.”
“Mine can.” Trevelyan was back to sounding very, very sure. If you didn’t know better you’d believe his claim.
Esmeralda knew better. “No, I reallycan’t.” She whispered fiercely.
Trevelyan didn’t listen to her, his gaze fixed on Haigha. “If you’re so certain my mate and I are helpless, why did youbring an army to take this castle? Why isn’t it just you?” It was a taunt. “What kind of dragon needsknightsto fight his battles?”
“You smug son of a bitch! Once I kill you,I’llbe the dragon everyone fears!I’llbe the darkest power in the world.”
“You’ll be dead in two minutes.” Trevelyan scoffed. “Then, I’ll go have coffee with my mate and forget you even existed.”
Esmeralda was close to hyperventilating.
Haigha looked increasingly rageful. “End the Green Dragon Line.” He screamed the words like a battle cry.
The Dormouse roused himself from his slumber. “Wait… the Queen of Clubs wants Trevelyan alive.” He protested with a yawn. “Nobody cares about the witch. You’ve got it all backwards.”
No one listened to him, either.
Haigha’s orders seemed to propel the surviving soldiers into action. They came in waves towards the castle, an impossible force of trained killers and an evil dragon and a hippopotamus.
Crap, crap, crap.
“Can’t you do something like you did with the ginger-mutants?” She asked Trevelyan desperately.
“I was piggybacking onyourmagic.Yourspell. It has to be you, Ez.” He was trying to appear confident, but he was clearly worried. “You need to cast somethingnow.”
“I can turn some of them into hogs, maybe?” Esmeralda offered, because she was pretty sure she could do that. …Or maybe she’d accidently send them on a very longslog.
“Only Haigha matters.” Trevelyan insisted. “Hecannotput his hands on you. If he gets close, you fucking run.”
“Towhere?”
“Just get out, anyway you can. The things he will do to you…” Trevelyan’s jaw firmed and he shook his head. “No.No.” She could see his mind racing. “Maybe we can make a hole in the barrier big enough for you to fit through. You’re small.”
“What about you?”
He ignored that, his gaze flashing over to her, again. “What level is your magic? And don’t give me that shit about it being a level one. Level ones can’t blackout a kingdom from an orgasm and whip-up ginger-mutant spells.”
Esmeralda didn’t answer. Her attention stayed on the gigantic blue dragon, stalking closer and closer. The Queen of Clubs’ men scampered out of its path, as it came galumphing forward. Haigha ate some of the escaping knights, anyway. Just grabbed them up in its massive jaws and crunched down, snicker-snack. And he wanted her brought to him, so he could…
“Ez!” Trevelyan’s voice was insistent. “Is your magic a three?”
“What?No.”
“A two?”
