Page 87 of Devoted to the Dragon

My eyes find her again. Her white wings, the spiked talons sharp, flap in agitation.

What are you playing at, my clever little dragon?

She doesn’t answer me, but her eyes bore into mine, and I swear they urge me closer. I walk to the line, and she meets me there, batting her claw at the barrier. She perches, holding it there like she did in our shared dream.

My heart beats wildly. “What you said in the woods was real?”

Her noble head bows.

I look pointedly at her fierce flames. “Your walls are very firmly up, baby.”

She chuffs. I can’t decide if that’s a dragon’s laugh or if she’s about to roast me.

But if she’s forgiven me and she wants me here, then what is the challenge? Why a barrier? I replay Fennik’s words, her words.Three contenders, one horde.I mull that over, thinking about what she said in our talk in the woods about the territory line.

My serpent reaches for the fire, testing the energy of the magic with its tongue. The magic is strong and intricate. I let the subtleties marinate, studying the blue flames.

It’s a lock. The horde is the key.

“How is a horde different from three?” I muse aloud, puzzling it over.

“It’s one,” the older wolf answers at the same time I figure it out. “Randi needs us unified.”

Yes. A unit. She didn’t call me specifically. She calledus.

I focus on my serpent, letting my shadows take over my senses. “It’s an energy lock, though I’ve never seen one used this way. It requires proof of a horde to open.”

Energy locks are how serpents have always made wards. Only certain energy signatures unlock the gate to allow passage, but this one isn’t based on our individual energies.

“Well, that sounds super easy,” Gunnar mumbles.

My laugh escapes as I eye the Viking. The huge, hulking beast of a man is scared, and I want to reassure him for some reason. “I don’t think it will be necessary to harm yourself, little lamb. It’s not a blood sacrifice.”

Gunnar growls. “Call melittle lambagain and see how my wolf likes it.”

That only makes me laugh harder. “I bet I could make your wolf like it very much.”

My shadows reach for him, and the Viking shows his teeth.Despite knowing the wolf hits like a truck, his energy reads protective. Gunnar has a warm soul, but his hackles are up with me. It makes me a dick to tease him, but that doesn’t stop me.

“So, what does it require?” Fennik covers his laugh behind a strangled cough, drawing my eyes away from the snarling Viking.

I shrug, though I won’t be surprised if they scoff at what I say. “I’m not an alchemist, but I think Randi wants us to douse the fire by showing we trust one another. Our magical energy has to be connected to open the lock.”

Fennik’s eyes turn to the steely glint of his wolf. “And you know how to do that?”

That is not the question I was expecting. Something has changed. I don’t know if it’s that she has forgiven me, so Fennik has too, but the open hostility is gone. “It’s possible, but I’ve never actually done it. I form small emotional connections. Lust for a night is my specialty.”

“Shocker.” Gunnar rolls his eyes. “If it gets us across the line, I’m in.”

Fennik nods. “Whatever we have to do for her, we will.”

I look between them, confused by their easy agreement. “What you’re asking can’t be undone. Do you get what I’m saying? All three of us will be bound.”

“That’s what a horde is. We have to work together and trust each other. How can we be good mates to her if we don’t?” the older wolf asks.

My eyes find the Viking. “You’re okay with us being tethered?”

Gunnar’s lifted brow and sharp glare seem to throw the question back at me.

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