Page 75 of Their Demon

“Only our father’s blood can open the door,” Nicholas explained as the guard walked to the door and cleared some overgrown brush away.

“Oooh,” I drew out. “Makes sense.”

Nicholas stood in front of me, his face strained, worried. “Listen, I don’t know much about this cave, but the big door is for the dragon, and it hasn’t been opened in a very long time, since they put Aridam in there. He’s going to open a door to a hallway for you. I don’t know how far it goes, but it leads straightinto the heart of the cave. Aridam guards the treasure, but it's in a separate room. He guards it from the outside, so you’ll have to get past him to get to the treasure. Take this.” He held out what looked like a homemade grenade. “Ida bought it from a demon who knows a thing or two about dragons. You’re going to pull this and throw it into the room before you enter.” He wrapped his hands around mine, making me grip the bomb tightly. “Don’t go in until you are 100% sure the dragon is asleep, Lilly. Promise me you’ll be patient.”

“I promise,” I breathed out.

“Good. I can’t guarantee how long it will last.” He closed his eyes, like he wished there was more he could do. “Once he’s asleep, sneak past him and into the treasure room. Grab what you need. Don’t take too long, but please don’t rush yourself. 666 ounces exactly, baby. You can do this. You have your daggers if you need them, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

He gestured to the daggers hidden in the inner pockets of my suit on my thighs, intricate, puffy designs circling my legs to ensure the protrusions wouldn’t be seen. I was surprised no one patted me down or searched me. Their father must’ve been so confident I’d lose, he didn’t bother with such a thing.

Nicholas hugged me and turned us around so his back was to the cave then stuffed the grenade into my backpack quickly as the guard approached us.

The guard looked at Nicholas, frowning at him. “Do not follow the human inside. Understood? I am under direct orders to keep anyone from entering that cave after her byanymeans necessary.” He puffed out his chest, trying to look intimidating. “Princes are no exception.”

“Understood,” Nicholas bit out.

I squeezed his hand, making him look at me. “I got this, okay? Don’t worry.”

All the words the princes had fed me, building me up and assuring me I could do this, made me feel strong. I may not have known exactly what I was walking into, no way to know for sure, but I was ready.

I gave Nicholas a lingering kiss before letting go and following the guard to the door. The guard poured some of the blood on his palm then placed it on the door. A loudclicksounded, and a small, door-shaped outline glowed from the rock. It popped free, and the sound of stone grinding filled my ears as it swung open.

The sound brought me back to the first time I'd met the princes.

I was wasted that night, so wasted I thought seeing them, experiencing them, had been some crazy dream. The night I offered myself to them, unaware they’d come back to collect me. The night my body was pushed beyond its limits in the best ways imaginable. The night I bound myself to them forever.

I didn’t regret it, not one bit, not even now, as I looked down the dark passage that would lead me to the most dangerous thing I’d ever done. I’d do it all a million times over if it meant meeting them, loving them.

The guard cleared his throat. “Don’t delay the inevitable,” he sneered.

I glared at him. “I’ll be back. Hold the door for me, sweetie?” I topped off my sarcasm with a smug smile.

I heard Nicholas chuckle behind him.

The guard huffed, but he didn’t rush me again.

I looked back at my sweet prince again, capturing his endearing smile and loving gaze in my mind. After giving him a small smile of my own, I turned to face the passage and plunged myself into the darkness with an exhale, trying to banish the anxiety from my bones.

Chapter 32

Lillian

The door remained open as I stepped into the hallway, but it provided little light. I could barely see in front of me, so I placed my hand on the wall to follow the turns of the hall.

After a few minutes, maybe longer, I was in total darkness, relying only on touch to keep me from running into the wall. I was thankful this was a straight shot to where I needed to be.

I ran Nicholas’s instructions through my head as I carried on. The grenade had been an unexpected surprise, but I was thankful they’d been hunting for ways to help me, and I hoped it would last long enough for me to get out of the cave with the treasure. I had no idea how I would take on a fucking dragon—particularly one named ‘destroyer of enemies’. No way he got that name by happy coincidence.

A soft glow came into view, and I picked up my pace. I could feel the ground under my feet tremble. The booming sounds that accompanied the tremors told me I was hearing Aridam’s footsteps.

Holy fucking shit. He had to be ginormous to be making this kind of ruckus.

I slowed, unsure how close I was to this beast, not wanting to gettooclose to him yet. As I approached the dragon's room, the light got brighter and the shaking stronger. Once my hands reached a corner of the wall, I stopped and pulled the grenade from my backpack, clinging to it like a lifeline.

The heavy, earthquake-inducing footsteps halted, the ground stilling.

I held my breath.Could he hear me? Did he know I was coming?

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