Page 68 of Trial of the Cursed Egg

“I can’t…” His hands find my shoulders warm and hesitant. “I swallowed the key. Abraxis told me to do it if we were attacked.” His brows knit together as he holds my gaze, struggling with his instincts. But it’s clear—he will not win this internal battle. I can feel his resolve crumbling, but the magic still binds me some.

“I understand,” I whisper, stepping back, eyes fixed on the heavy door blocking my path. “Forgive me for what I’m about to do.” Without Iris close, I can’t fully harness my lightning in human form. But I can shift. Gritting my teeth, I let the familiar burn crawl over my hands and forearms, scales, and talons emerging. The static crackles along my skin, sparking at my fingertips.

It’s time to break free.

I slam my fists into the door again and again, feeling the wood splinter under the force, until the first crack spiders across its surface. Outside, I hear the scrape of stone shifting. My voice echoes with the edge of my dragon’s growl as I scream, “Let me out!”

Without hesitation, my talons extend, tearing into the wood, ripping it away chunk by chunk. I don’t stop, my claws shredding through what’s left of the barrier between me and the courtyard beyond. Everysecond Abraxis is out there without me, my rage builds, thick and molten, in my veins.

“Mina, stop! You’ll hurt yourself!” Balor’s voice is close now, but I barely hear him. I snarl, “Abraxis needs me!” My talons tear through another board, bigger pieces falling away.

On the other side of the door, Vaughn’s voice cuts through the chaos. “Balor, why aren’t you unlocking the door?”

A bitter laugh bubbles up, almost unhinged. “He swallowed the damn key!” I yell, clawing at the remaining wood with even more ferocity. Another fierce strike and a large portion of the door crashes down. Finally, a gap big enough for me to squeeze through. I force my way out, Vaughn catching my arm to help me down.

He tries to pull me close, to steady me, but I shrug him off. “I need to get out there. Now.” I press a fierce, fleeting kiss to his lips and break away, sprinting through the halls.

This fortress, once my prison, now feels like a maze that separates me from my mate. I take every shortcut, cutting corners and shoving past barriers until I burst into the courtyard.

My heart stops at the sight. Abraxis and his kin are holding off a brutal assault, my father’s soldiers pouring through in wave after wave, dragons thrashing and roaring. The heat in my blood turns to pure fire as I see him, surrounded by four green dragons, their breath weapons poised to strike.

With a final, shuddering breath, I let my dragoness rise fully, my bones shifting and stretching as scales erupt across my skin. In one burning, violent moment, I’m in my true form, ready to tear apart anything that dares to lay a talon on my mate.

As my last foot lifts from the earth, a surge of lightning blazes through my veins, crackling over every inch of my scales. I roar, letting loose the most powerful lightning attack I’ve ever summoned. It tears through the air, and three green dragons in its path drop like smoldering heaps to the ground.

The black dragons whirl, their heads snapping back just as I dive into the heart of the battle, my focus locked on the chaos unfolding around me. Acid and poisonous gas splash against my scales, sliding off me like rain on stone. Their fear—the look in their eyes as they see me charging—it stirs something deep within my dragoness. She revels in it, savoring the way they shrink back. Today, I’m a nightmare they can’t outrun.

I pursue the green dragons relentlessly, scorching them one by one, leaving no room for mercy. I roar again, my strikes landing with deadly precision, cleaving through each invader. As the final green dragon falls, Abraxis and his father appear, flanking me as we eliminate the last of the attackers together. When the battlefield finally stills, I can see the toll it took on both sides. Some of Vox’s lesser dragons lie motionless, casualties of the green dragons’ acid.

We land in the courtyard, and I stay shifted, my dragon hefting the fallen bodies of our enemies over the cliff’s edge. There will be no graves, no honor, for those who dared attack us today. I inspect my scales—scored with burns and marks from their attempts, but nothing that threatens any lasting damage.

Abraxis and his parents stand at the courtyard’s center, coordinating the cleanup, and I watch them from a distance, my gaze drifting to the horizon. My gut twists, a deep, certain pull. My father’s legion has likely moved, and I can sense it. They’re on the other side of the mountains now, lying in wait somewhere in the northern territory, just before the valley that leads to the veil.

“Mina?” Cerce’s voice pulls me back from the edge, and I turn, bowing my head to her. Her hands glide gently over my scales, inspecting each one with care. “Your cycle is over, and by the looks of it, you don’t have a scale out of place.” The warmth in her smile quells the rage simmering inside me, like water cooling embers. I shift back to my human form, and she wraps me in her arms immediately. “I am so proud of you,” she whispers close to my ear, her voice trembling. I feel her tears against my cheek.

Gently, I pull back and search her eyes. “Why are you crying?” I brush her tears away with my sleeve, trying to make sense of the emotion filling her.

“If it wasn’t for you, I would have lost my son and husband today.” Her voice wavers as she holds me tighter, pulling me into her warmth.

“They were in danger because of me,” I mutter, stepping back. “I don’t deserve thanks of any kind.” The words come out cold as I turn and start back toward the fortress, needing space, needing to breathe.

“Mina.” Abraxis blocks my path, and his eyes are intense as he cups my face, tipping it up toward him. He kisses me deeply, his emotions flooding me. Love, anger simmering low, worry, and finally, a fierce gratitude. I can’t help the small smile that creeps onto my lips as I return the kiss, nipping at his bottom lip.

“I felt you,” I say, pressing a hand over my sternum where his emotions still echo in me. “Felt your rage, your worry. It’s what woke me.” A small laugh escapes, lightening the weight I feel pressing down.

“It’s always concerning when a female laughs at a serious time,” Vox teases as he steps closer, his gaze wary but amused.

I shake my head, feeling the lingering humor bubble up again. “We need to replace the door to the egg chamber,” I say with a raised brow. “I destroyed it on my way out. Balor swallowed the key onyourorder.” I glance at Abraxis, watching his reaction. “Good luck getting that back.” Laughter ripples around us, filling the air with a release we all need.

Abraxis raises a brow, mock-exasperation on his face. “I wasn’t serious about him swallowing the key! I told him, ‘I don’t care if you have to swallow the key. Don’t let Mina out of this chamber.’ Apparently, he took me a bit too literally.” He shakes his head, and a laugh escapes him too, pulling us all into its warmth, grounding me for the first time today.

As we slip back into the fortress, the atmosphere grows darker; the shadows stretching with the weight of our victory. The path down to the egg chamber feels heavier with each step, and when we reach the remnants of the door, I catch sight of Balor on the other side.

“We won,” I call out, poking my head through the hole I ripped through the wood. A faint smirk tugs at my lips.

Vox chuckles, glancing at the mess. “Looks like someone shredded a door to escape.” He nudges Vaughn, motioning for him to clear the statues away.

I shrug, slipping back through the jagged opening I carved. Balor’s hands catch me as I step through, his grip steady. “Yeah, well, someone had to save your asses.” I turn, peering back at the broken doorframe. My gaze fixes on the lock, an obstacle I’m more than eager to obliterate. With a wicked grin, I let my talons extend, digging into the wood around the lock, slicing through it with ease. Once it’s carvedup, I lean through the gap.

---