Page 66 of Trial of the Cursed Egg

Vaughn

Leaning against the doorframe,I glance down the dim corridor, the flickering light casting jagged shadows across the stone walls. The dragon nest is quieter than usual, everyone in their own spaces, preparing for the changes we all know are coming. It’s strange, this setup—the way it operates like a gargoyle’s clan, each of us with a defined place in the hierarchy. Abraxis is at the top, ruling with quiet control. Callan keeping everything in line, from the shifts to the feeding schedules. And then there’s me, not entirely sure where I belong in this strange, dark family yet. My gargoyle stirs, restless, urging me to find my role here. But that’s a problem for later.

Several times a day, I shift to take over, giving him time to grab a quick bite and use the bathroom. I swap back just as quickly, feeling his lingering tension as we resume our vigil outside Mina’s room. Through the small crack in the door, I can see her still, unmoving on the bed, lost in the depth of the tonic-induced sleep. Abraxis stands just beside me, his gaze fixed, focused, while his fingers swipeabsently over his phone. I swear he’s checked that thing a million times by now, as if something’s going to change with each glance.

Her slumber feels eerie, reminding me of that old human story—the one about the girl who pricked her finger and fell into a sleep no one could break. I shift my weight, casting a sidelong glance at Abraxis. “Only a day and a half left,” I murmur, more to myself than to him.

He looks up, arching a brow, though his eyes don’t leave the screen. “In theory, yes. But the tonic lasts as long as her hormones are in flux.” His voice is low, calm as always, though I catch the flicker of something in his tone—a quiet impatience, maybe, or the unease we’re all feeling.

I watch him closely, trying to read the flicker of emotions in his eyes. “Everything alright?” I motion to the phone in his hand.

“Yeah,” he says, his voice low, tense. “More skirmishes on the northern borders. Eventually, my team may get called in to end the problems.” His face shifts, his usual warmth vanishing as his expression hardens, turning cold and unyielding, a warrior’s mask as he responds to another message.

“Being a general is a tough and thankless job,” I murmur, watching his fingers move briskly over the screen.

He gives a bitter half-smile. “Yeah, before, I’d have just flown up there and decimated everything without a worry in the world.” He pauses, gaze drifting to where Mina sleeps, peaceful and unaware. His eyes soften, but there’s something darker lingering there, as if the weight of his past decisions presses down on him.

“Callan said you were betrothed to her before the mate bond,” I say, flexing my wings behind me and rolling my neck. “You weren’t worried about returning to her?”

He sighs and steps into the room, kneeling beside Mina, his fingers tender as they brush the hair from her face. “I knew Mina was my mate when she hatched.” There’s a reverence in his voice, an almost sacred tone as he watches her.

I can’t help the frown that pulls at my brow. “Yet you still would dive into battles, not worried if you’d make it back or not?” I need to understand him—how he could knowingly risk it all, even with a bond as precious as his with Mina.

Abraxis shifts, his face shadowed in thought. “Females can make or break a bond. Or should I say their dragons can.” He leans back, fixing me with a gaze that feels like it sees right through me. “Alright, let me put it this way. Say your uncle was also Mina’s mate.” He pauses, waiting for my nod before continuing. “She decides it’s gross to have the nephew and uncle in her nest. Her dragon severs the bond with your uncle. For her, not even a fragment of that bond remains. But for the male, it’s a fate worse than death. You’ll feel her, sense her presence, for the rest of your life.”

The weight of his words settles heavily in my chest, like a stone sinking into dark waters. “So … she could have rejected me, and I’d be stuck feeling her, tied to her, for the rest of my life?” I slide down the wall, letting out a slow breath, counting my lucky stars that I wasn’t cast aside. The thought alone chills me to my core.

“Exactly. It’s rare for a dragoness to reject her dragon mate. But seeing that our nests have been at war off and on for generations…” Abraxis pauses, his gaze drifting for a moment. “It wasn’t until my father took over that there was peace between the black and green dragons.” He turns to Mina, carefully shifting her to lie on her stomach, his movements slow and deliberate. “Come here. I want to show you something.”

The intensity in his voice has me on my feet instantly, moving to kneel beside her, a knot of worry coiling tight in my stomach. “Is something wrong?” I can’t mask the urgency in my voice.

“No.” He pulls her hair gently aside, revealing the nape of her neck. “I just want you to see the first indicator of her cycle.” As he moves her hair, I notice a line of scales—almost two inches wide—running from her hairline down her back. The scales shimmer in an unusual pink, almost magenta tone. “This color right here,” he says, brushing his fingers along the scales, “signals that she’s fertile right now. Mina has the implant, so she can’t get pregnant, but otherwise, this would tell us she’s ready for an egg.”

We readjust her, settling her back into a position we hope is comfortable, stepping away with the quiet reverence she deserves. “Gargoyles don’t do that,” I murmur, reflecting on the differences in our kind. “The females bring on their own cycle when they’re ready. There are females in my clan who’ve never had one—because they never found a male.”

Abraxis lets out a low laugh, shaking his head. “Dragon females don’t get that choice. The only difference is, if they don’t have their dragon mate, they lock themselves away for the few days it lasts. Dad and I used to throw my sister, Cora, in the brig until hers passed. This year’ll be no different—unless she finds her mate or mates.”

I can’t help but chuckle, though it’s edged with nervousness. “Most males would be afraid to approach her, knowing who you are.” Hell, just the thought of approaching Mina was nerve-wracking enough because of him. “I know I was definitely concerned about making myself known.” I try to laugh it off, but I know Abraxis sees right through me. There’s no hiding the truthfrom him.

Leander slips out of the shadows, his presence thick with purpose. “How’s our princess doing?” he murmurs, his voice low.

Abraxis, seated beside Mina, glances at her peacefully sleeping form. “Still sleeping,” he replies softly, brushing a tender kiss over her cheek. I know it’s hard for him to be away from her, and it’s no surprise that he’s staying close, watching over her each night with Balor guarding their chamber.

Leander’s expression hardens. “I wish this were a social call, but we have trouble.”

Immediately, I feel my wings bristle, fists clenching as the tension rolls over me. “What’s happening?”

“Abaddon has been spotted in the region.” Leander crosses his arms, the weight of the news settling over us. “Several of his shadowblades have been hunting the academy grounds, searching for Mina. Samara turned two of them to stone when they burst into her class during a period Mina would normally attend.”

Abraxis’s expression darkens, his voice dropping to a menacing growl. “He’s hunting for her.” The red cursed egg on the pedestal pulses in time with his anger, its eerie glow casting a shadowed light across his face. His gaze fixes on it, and he nods with grim determination. “Kill anything that gets close to her. Call my father—we’ll need to have his support within the nest.” He barely finishes before Leander vanishes back into the shadows.

I frown. “Just inside the nest?” His order doesn’t add up.

Abraxis glances at me, his eyes cold and calculating. “They can’t hunt what they can’t see. If there are no guards, no patrols, they won’t think to search further. The fact that Mina destroyed the gauntlet and training grounds benefits us. Abaddon won’t believe she’s hidingsomewhere so exposed.” I nod, seeing the twisted logic in his plan.The less they see, the less they know.

I watch Balor carefully as he saunters back into the chamber, his steps as casual as ever. “The only downside we have is only Mina and I can withstand green dragon acid,” he announces, his voice echoing slightly against the ancient stone walls.

I swallow, glancing around the shadowed corners of the egg chamber. “We don’t have Mina at the moment,” I say, my voice soft. Then, an idea sparks. “Are gargoyles immune to the acid?”

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