Page 94 of Destiny of the Dragons

“Dragons don’t like dark runes.” Cross looked smug. “Something about disrupting their internal fire.”

Mia swallowed hard. She wanted to panic, but there was no time. If Cross had managed to get his hands on some ancient cursed artifacts, she had to concentrate on protecting her dragons.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Dark runes? You’re sure? They’re pretty rare.”

Cross went from smug to enraged quickly. She wanted him off balance, and it worked. Too well.

“You don’t get to get to judge me, slut.” Cross looked at Jace and Smoke. She stepped closer to Cross even as Smoke was shaking his head.

“What favor did you promise for such powerful runes?” Mia asked. Magic bubbled up inside her. She wasn’t sure who hooked Cross up with some dark runes, but he had to owe them his life for the trouble.

“You.” He grinned at her. “A powerful blood witch at his beck and call.”

Mia’s heart jumped into her throat. She couldn’t panic, couldn’t worry. She had to stay ahead of Cross. She was more powerful than he was, this is why he felt like he had to bring cursed artifacts to her apartment.

“We can do this two ways.” Cross glanced at Jace and Smoke. “I can murder your boyfriends and throw you into the dungeon. And you’ll still have to do my bidding. Or, you can come with me, and I might let them live.”

Cross was so smug. He ran his hand through his hair, confident that he had her over a barrel.

There were many dark magic artifacts in the world and it was impossible to tell which ones they were. Jace and Smoke turning shades of white made her think it was a stronger set.

If she used blood magic now, she would lose them forever, right when she was so close.

But she couldn’t let them die.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll go with you. Leave them out of it.”

Cross smirked. “Sure.”

She knew he was lying. Knew if she left this apartment he would let the runes kill them.

Rage burst up inside her. “Swear it.”

“My word is good enough.” Cross’s face turned red.

“Like hell. Swear it, and I’ll come. Make it an oath.”

Cross narrowed his eyes. “I had hoped to do this the easy way.”

Mia let off a burst of magic, pulling up a shield just in time. A burst of light raced from Cross’s fingertips, bouncing off her shield.

Cross snarled and moved to the side of the room. She pressed forward, calling up more magic. It was visible with the amount she was using. Dark runes or not, this was her home, and there was inherent magic he couldn’t touch.

Cross let off another spell, and it bounced off her shield. Time slowed down until she launched her own magic at Cross only to have his answering spells. Her shield was getting weaker. She didn’t have enough power when she faced him with the runes at his back.

Cross launched a spell that hit her square in the chest. She yelped, falling back over the coffee table. For a moment she couldn’t breathe, but there was no time, no time. She rolled over, tasting blood in her mouth. She felt it more than saw Cross’s next spell. Using the blood in her mouth, she called up a curse.

His magic bounced off her and landed back on him. Cross smashed into the wall, the curios around him breaking and falling.

The runes shuttered through the apartment, feeling like a small earthquake.

Smoke grunted, and let off a small burst of magic.

It was hardly anything, but Cross looked at Smoke, buying Mia time to get to her feet. She needed to take out the runes, Jace was turning blue at this point, and Smoke looked gray.

“You come into my house and demand I submit to you,” she snarled. “How dare you?”

The rectangles started to glow as Cross got to his feet. Sucking on her bleeding lip, Mia put together a binding spell.

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