Page 9 of Queen of the Cursed Egg
“Yet another reason I want to melt your father.” My words vibrate with barely contained fury. Over the top of Mina’s head, I spot Klauth approaching. He cuts through the gathered observers like a knife through silk.
“Why else are we melting Abaddon today?” Klauth pulls out a small notepad, the leather worn from frequent handling, and flips it open. He takes a pen from his pocket, poised and ready, his amber eyes glinting with anticipation.
“My growth rings.” Mina gestures to her beautiful, almost foot-and-a-half-long horns that gracefully curve back behind her and up. The polished surface gleaming like burnished silver in the late afternoon light.
Klauth moves closer, his broad shoulders blocking the sun as he examines the rings closest to her skull. He then traces the older, thinner ones extending outward. A low growl escapes his lips. The sound reverberating through my chest as he locks eyes with me overour mate’s head before looking down at his notepad. With deliberate strokes, he adds “malnutrition” and “intentional starvation” to the list. Mina kisses both of us—her lips soft as velvet against my cheek—before walking back to Leander and reclaiming her tally sheet.
“How many items are on the list of reasons to torch Abaddon?” I gesture toward the notepad clutched in Klauth’s large hand, the veins standing prominent against his skin.
“Twenty-three. As of this moment.” Klauth hands me the notepad, and I notice several different handwritings filling the pages, some elegant and flowing, others sharp and jagged like the personalities behind them.
“Passed this around the nest?” I add “still breathing” to Klauth’s list, pressing hard enough that the pen nearly tears through the paper.
“It’s only fair that everyone contributes to the list. I’m going before the council next week to get the right to hunt him.” He reclaims the list and closes the notepad with a snap before sliding it back inside his jacket.
“Do you think they’ll approve it?” My eyes drift back to Mina as if pulled by an invisible force, drawn to the way the fading light catches in her hair.
“Females apparently are not under the council’s protection like they used to be back in our day.” Klauth’s words snap my attention back to him, the muscles in my jaw tightening.
“When did that change?” I turn Klauth slightly so I can keep Mina in my peripheral vision, her graceful form a beacon in the gathering shadows.
“About four hundred years ago. For whatever reason, they changed the laws.” Klauth speaks with a half-growl, his jaw clenching, before he shakes his head in disgust. “They will be under my protection on my continent.” His declaration rumbles from deep inhis chest, and across the distance, Mina looks up suddenly, her eyes glowing with an ethereal light that cuts through the growing darkness. A soft smile plays on her lips for a moment—a private acknowledgment of his words. With a slight dip of her head, she returns her attention to the records, her pen moving with renewed purpose across the page.
“When do you go before the council?” My eyes slide from Klauth to Mina, then back again, never allowing her to leave my peripheral vision. The sun casts long shadows across the training grounds, the dying light painting everything in shades of amber and gold.
“I’m not going anywhere. They are coming here.” He arches a brow, his eyes glinting with a predator’s satisfaction. My heart stutters for a moment, the rhythm faltering as the implication sinks in.
“You have the six council members from Arameth coming here?” I inhale sharply, tasting the metallic edge of tension in the air. I honestly don’t know how I feel about the current day elders setting foot on this continent. They bring with them centuries of outdated traditions.
“Perks of being the King.” He smirks, the expression revealing the sharp edge of a canine as his gaze shifts over my shoulder. I catch the scent of leather, steel, and that distinct familial musk that signals my descendant’s approach.
“Everything okay?” Abraxis asks, his deep voice carrying across the short distance as he glances between us, then over to Mina. Her slender form adorned in a dress with her diadem catching the last rays of sunlight. “How? When did she decide to wear a dress to the gauntlet?” His brows furrow deeply, creating valleys across his forehead as his gaze darts between us and Mina. I swear I think I smell smoke coming from his ears.
“She wanted to—how did she put it—dress pretty for today.” I flex my wings slightly. The leathery membranes stretching with a softcreaking sound as I smile toward Mina when she looks up, her eyes catching mine across the distance.
“Mina is beautiful every day.” Abraxis’s voice drops an octave, reverence threading through each syllable. Klauth and I exchange approving smiles, the silent communication of shared pride passing between us.
“Check the list and add to it.” Klauth hands Abraxis his notepad with the twenty-four reasons to hunt Abaddon listed in meticulous detail, the paper now worn at the edges from frequent handling.
Abraxis opens the notebook, his calloused fingers turning pages with surprising gentleness. His eyes narrow as he reads down the list. The muscles in his jaw tightening with each entry. He writes several more reasons into the notepad, his pen scratching against the paper with forceful strokes that nearly tear through to the next page.
Klauth reads over the additions, a low growl building in his chest that I feel more than hear. “I forgot about her showing us how he would degrade her and the other females in the family. Good call. Oh, and the property thing is another good reason.” Klauth nods curtly and tucks the notepad away, the fabric of his jacket rustling against the concealed weapon at his hip.
“What’s the last count?” I half-joke when I ask him, though there’s an edge to my voice that betrays my true feelings.
“Thirty reasons to torch Abaddon.” Klauth’s smirk carries the promise of violence as he walks over to Mina. The grass bends beneath his heavy footsteps as he approaches her, leaning down to press his lips against hers before turning and leaving.
“The council from Arameth is coming here. We are petitioning to hunt Abaddon.” I watch Mina stand as the last third year is pulled from the gauntlet. His uniform is torn and bloodied, the scent of fear and sweat emanating from his trembling form. Mina’s eyes search the structure, and I can see the hunger in her gaze. How much shewants to run it, to test herself against its challenges. The dried blood from previous contestants still stains the weathered wood, its copper scent mingling with the earthy fragrance of approaching night.
“Killing Abaddon won’t be easy. Finding him will be damn near impossible.” Abraxis says as we watch Ziggy phase Mina into the gauntlet, the air around them shimmering like heat waves over desert sand. “What are they doing?” Abraxis tenses beside me, muscles coiling as he prepares to run to the gauntlet, his scent sharpening with sudden alarm.
I reach out and grab his shoulder, feeling the solid mass of muscle beneath my grip. “Ziggy is taking Mina to kill the scorpion. It was our concession for her to sit out.” No sooner do the words leave my lips than the sound of a thunderous crack fills the air. The concussive force vibrating through my chest as the gauntlet lights up with a brilliant flash. Within moments, a very happy Mina materializes with Ziggy in tow. Her dress now spattered with dark stains that catch the torchlight. In her hand, she holds the scorpion’s stinger, its deadly point glistening with venom that carries a bitter, acrid scent even from this distance.
“Thauglor, I brought you a present.” She holds the scorpion stinger out to me, her smile radiant and fierce, eyes glowing with triumph. The trophy pulses with residual energy, its surface still warm to the touch.
“Such a thoughtful mate.” I lean forward and kiss her full lips, tasting the salt of exertion and the sweetness that is uniquely hers. “Why don’t you take my descendant home and figure out what’s for dinner? I have a few things to finish up.” I touch the intricate braid in my hair, my fingers tracing the pattern she wove earlier, hinting at her needing to do the same for Abraxis and Klauth.
Mina nods slightly, her silver horns catching the last light of day. “I’ll cook while all the stinky boys go get cleaned up.” Mina giggles, the sound like crystal bells in the gathering dusk as she grabs Abraxis’sarm. Ziggy phases them home in another flash of energy that leaves the scent of ozone hanging in the air.
