Page 65 of Taloned Heart

“Of all the people he could have chosen, of course my son waits for a dragon. Ah, Abraxas, I am sorry for it. First, he tries to steal your mate and now he steals your daughter. That boy of mine has a death wish.”

“Indeed he does,” Abraxas growled, but there was a lightness to his tone.

Lore assumed that meant all was... well? Enough so that she could breathe, at least. No one would try to kill them, for the time being, and that meant that the deepmongers were not ones she had to worry about.

“Draven has a taste for the dangerous,” Lore said, her shoulders relaxing and the knot in the center of her chest loosening. “Although, I will admit, Nyx is one of the most beautiful young women I’ve ever seen.”

“And she is your daughter, as well?” The Matriarch asked.

“I claim her to be.”

“Then she will be foolish and heavy-handed, I can only imagine. It sounds as though the two of us will be tied together in more than just duty or honor.” The Matriarch waved a hand for them to follow her. “Come. I can see there is one in your company who needs healing.”

“And rest,” Lore added.

“Such cannot be denied. You all reek of dwarf, half elf. You’ll bathe before entering my home.”

And so Lore and her companions followed the Ashen Deep back into the earth once more.

CHAPTER25

Underground. Again.

Abraxas didn’t mind so much the Ashen Deep’s home, mostly because the depths of where they lived were so deep and tall that he couldn’t even see the ceiling. It made him feel more like he was in a dragon’s cave. The kind where he could change without fear of hitting his head or causing a cave in.

But he was exhausted by all the time spent underground. He was meant to be on a clifftop, keeping watch over all those who were important. Instead, he was hiding in a hovel with all the others, who were afraid of what might happen to them if they were on the surface.

Sighing, he strode through the dark halls without a light. A few of the Ashen Deep who passed by him seemed surprised that he didn’t need a lantern. But then he flashed them a toothy grin, and a gold-eyed stare, and they knew who he was.

Dragons had no need for lights in the darkness. He could see better than they could, even though they had been born in the dark.

Lore was somewhere with the Matriarch and had been for some time now. The two of them had a lot to catch up on, and unfortunately, the Matriarch wanted no one else involved in those conversations.

The memory still sent a shiver down his spine. He didn’t like Lore being locked up with that wicked woman who cared very little for his mate. He didn’t enjoy knowing Lore was alone, making decisions for the rest of them with no form of input.

Not that he didn’t trust her. But she was... different. And that difference could lead to darker places.

“Excuse me,” he muttered as he strode through a crowd of deepmongers who had gathered near a door. He pushed through them toward the room, quite certain at what he would find.

And yes, he was correct. Zephyr and another one of the Matriarch’s sons, lost in a game of chess that would take hours to finish.

The prince of their land had shown his abilities in chess a few days ago, and everyone had tried to beat him since. Apparently, spending most of his days locked away in a crypt had made him quite good at the game. And the Ashen Deep hated how good he was at it.

Murmurings grew again, their voices rising in the otherwise dead air. Only a few more moves and the Ashen Deep prince would have the mortal one. And then Zephyr made a move that completely thwarted that plan.

Groans of disapproval and money passed between hands all around him. They were betting on the boys now?

Abraxas crossed his arms over his chest with a grin and nudged the deepmonger beside him. “I’m betting on the human.”

“What are you willing to bet?”

Flashing a red scale in his palm, he tilted his head to the side and asked the same question. “Now, what are you willing to bet?”

The unfamiliar deepmonger grinned, his teeth flashing brilliant white in the darkness before he held up a bag. “Take a guess.”

Abraxas had no idea at all, but he was willing to place a bet for the novelty of it. He enjoyed believing in Zephyr. Namely because he always won. So far, he had two new knives, a very hearty meal that he’d shared with the others, and a pretty necklace he planned to give Lore, eventually. When there was more time for the two of them to linger with each other.

With a quick nod, the two of them continued to watch the game for an hour before Zephyr gave a delighted whoop and money changed hands again. Abraxas took the bag from the deepmonger with a bright smile as he left the small area.

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