Page 54 of Queen of the Cursed Egg
“Exactly.” I pace in a circle, my sandals silent on the plush carpet. “The strength of the hatchlings is directly related to the age of the drake and the female’s bloodline.” I stop abruptly and stare into Thauglor’s ancient eyes. He is the oldest male dragon on the continent. My heart pounds painfully against my ribs as the full weight of my realization settles over me.
“Why haven’t we been hunted?” he almost whispers before looking at Klauth. The concern in his voice—so unusual for him—makes my stomach twist.
“The anointing oil...” I drop the revelation into the silence of the room and wait for it to sink in. Every eye widens, the collective intake of breath audible in the sudden stillness.
“We weren’t anointed,” Klauth says slowly, looking from Thauglor, then over to Abraxis. The pieces falling into place for all of them.
“So you think the anointing oil is like a mystical tracker?” Callan muses, his single eye narrowing as he considers the implications.
“I think like the tonic used to sleep through a cycle, it must alert the mages when a drake is about to ascend.” I stop pacing and look each of my mates in the eyes. The words sink in, and they exchange glances, silent conversations passing between them that I can read in the tension of their bodies.
“We have two guards here at Shadowcarve who are close to ascending. Or,” I pause, swallowing hard as fear grips my throat, “we bait the mages into a trap.” My eyes lock on Thauglor, the oldest and most powerful of my mates. The thought of using him as bait makes my stomach clench with dread.
“If we anoint me, you think they will come to kill me?” Thauglor says, leaning against the wall behind him. The wood creaks slightly under his weight. “Sounds like a solid plan.” His casual acceptance sends a chill through me.
“Wait, you’re willing to sacrifice yourself to catch the mages?” Abraxis asks, moving to stand before his ancestor. His disbelief hangs heavy in the air between them.
“It’s a sacrifice a drake makes for his nest and his mate,” Thauglor replies, looking from Abraxis to me. His eyes soften when they meet mine, filled with an emotion that makes my heart ache. “Your mate is the most precious treasure you are ever gifted. She is the sun and the moon; she is the gravity that keeps me grounded.” He reaches out to cup my cheek, his palm warm against my skin. “She is the very air I breathe and the blood in my veins. I exist only for her and her alone.”
Slowly, he closes the distance between us and kisses me softly. His lips taste of longing and smoke. The terror of our nest is paradoxically my most emotionally open mate, his vulnerability reserved for moments like these.
I kiss him back as a single tear rolls down my cheek, its salt tang mixing with the taste of him. The sacrifice he’s willing to make breaks my heart, and fear—cold and sharp—cuts through me.What if I’m not strong enough to save him?
“Shh, my precious treasure. Don’t cry,” Thauglor says softly, wrapping me in his wings. They envelop me completely, shutting out the world in a cocoon of warmth and his unique scent—old books and ancient stone and time itself. “I have waited over a thousand years to hold you, to love my mate and be loved in return. You have given me the greatest gift I have ever received.” He smiles and kisses my forehead, his lips lingering against my skin.
“Some gift I’m giving you by asking you to endanger yourself,” I sniffle, rubbing the tip of my nose under his jaw, seeking comfort in his familiar scent. Guilt weighs heavy in my chest, making it hard to breathe.
“You have gifted me your love, heart, scale, and braid. I am the luckiest drake alive,” he chuckles softly, the sound rumbling through his chest against mine. “Besides, I have a score to settle with the mages. This is a great boon you are granting me.” He kisses my lips again, and I smile against his mouth, drawing strength from his confidence.
“Then let’s test the theory and send them to meet Null,” I whisper against his lips. A wicked grin spreads across my face as I look up at him, my earlier fear transforming into something harder, sharper. “Besides, I would love to see what they do when they meet someone like me.”
Thauglor opens his wings, releasing me from our private sanctuary. A feral smile crosses his lips, revealing teeth that seem too sharp to be human. “Revenge will finally be ours.” His eyes lock with Klauth’s. Their anticipation is a tangible force in the room, electric and dangerous.
It’s been a thousand years in the making, and they may finally have the justice they deserve. My fingers find the concealed knife at my thigh, its presence reassuring. I just hope I’m not sentencing my ancient mates to death in pursuit of this vengeance. The thought sends ice through my veins, but I force it away. We are stronger together. We have to be.
CHAPTER 37
Abraxis
At the endof the week, Mina tests out of every class on her schedule and passes with nearly perfect marks. I watch her from afar as she exits each examination room, her face set with determination that both worries and inspires me. She will still get to graduate with her class, she just doesn’t have to be in the classes anymore. The slight tension in her shoulders tells me all I need to know. Her sole focus, besides our precious hatchlings, is ending the mage threat for generations to come. The fierce purpose radiating from her sends both pride and fear coursing through my veins.
Addy and Garrett petition to join Mina’s flight, and she welcomes them back with open arms. I observe their reunion from across the courtyard, noting how Mina’s expression softens for the first time in days as she embraces her childhood friends. The way her shoulders relax momentarily fills me with gratitude. It’s good for her to have friends at a time like this, when the weight of our plans lies heavy on all of us.
The next day, I stand in the shadows of the stone courtyard, watching as Mina lies in her dragoness form, her emerald and silverscales gleaming in the sunlight like polished gemstones. The hatchlings—our children—clamber over their mother’s massive form, their playful chirps and tiny roars cutting through the afternoon quiet. My chest tightens at the sight, a mixture of love and fear for what’s to come.
“Are the preparations done?” Thauglor’s deep voice comes from beside me, his presence announced by the faint scent of ancient stone and mountain air. He keeps his eyes fixed on Mina and the hatchlings, his expression unreadable to anyone who doesn’t know him as well as I do.
“They are. We have enough white paint to paint part of my maw white and my father’s more than mine,” I answer, feeling the words vibrate in my chest. My eyes move briefly from Mina and the babies to Thauglor, then back to my daughter as she launches herself off her mother to glide through the air. The sunlight catches on her tiny scales, sending flashes of light dancing across the courtyard stones.
“I think Mina’s scales rival the oldest iron dragons I’ve ever met,” Klauth says as he joins us, the sharp scent of brimstone announcing his arrival before his words do. The pride in his voice mirrors my own thoughts.
“She’s a living siege weapon,” I say, unable to keep the awe from my voice as I watch my mate toss her head, launching our daughter into the air. The joy on the hatchling’s face as she spreads her wings contrasts with the gravity of our conversation.
“So, what’s the final plan?” Klauth asks, his shoulder brushing against mine as he settles in to watch Mina and the babies. The slight physical contact is grounding, a reminder that I’m not alone in this fight.
“I’m going to be unshifted under Vox’s wing. Mina is going to be under Abraxis’s wing. When signaled, they will open their wings and shift back, and we will shift to our dragons and obliteratethem.” Thauglor speaks with such calm confidence that a chill runs down my spine despite the warmth of the day. The casual way he discusses annihilation is a stark reminder of his age and experience.
“Where are we doing this?” I ask, realizing this part of the plan hadn’t been clear to me. The taste of anticipation is metallic on my tongue as I await his answer.
