Page 209 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

Amaris turns smug, thinking she’s got one up on us, but she’s dead wrong if she thinks any of us are leaving without what we came for.

“What is it you want?” Rhory raises a brow.

“We need your assistance.” I tell him.

A loud bark is followed by chuckles. “Of course, you do.” But I can see the spark of interest in his eyes. He’s not stupid enough to think we’d come all this way to just ask for their help. We knew he’d never blindly give it. Not without some form of payment involved.

“We need your assistance with a spell. If you do this, we’ll—”

“No. As I said before. We will not be helping you. Now leave before we have you moved by force.” Amaris cuts me off.

My hound pushes forward again and even the guards shift nervously around us as I send a warning pulse into the room.

Rhory’s eyes move from Axel to me, sensing the change. I catch the slight tremor in his hand before he fists it.

None of them stand a chance if they try anything, and from the look Rhory gives his mother and guards, they know it.

“You’re more than welcome to try. I doubt you’ll get far,” I tell them both.

Amaris opens her mouth to speak, but Rhory gives her a sharp look, stopping her.

I lean forward, clasping my hands together, feeling completely as ease. “Let’s just put it this way… Either you assist us or every dragon here is going to find out how weak their alphas are when I burn the entire valley down. I meant it when I said, we’re not leaving until you give us what we came for. Even if I have to start picking you off one by one to get it.”

Rhory turns white.

* * *

AXEL

Kai’s demandripples through the room, taking the intense atmosphere up a notch.

“How dare—”

“Let’s hear them out.”

Amaris’s head whips to Rhory, a look of betrayal slashed across her face at having her beloved son cut her off. “Rhory!”

But he knows he doesn’t stand a chance against us. He may be a dick, but he’s not stupid.

He gives her one look, and she seethes, raising her head like she’s above us all, and stares us down with so much hate, I could almost taste it in the air.

Rhory and I never had any type of close relationship. Being my half-brother meant nothing to me and sure as hell meant even less to him.

I was the infidelity myfathercouldn’t hide, and none of them let me forget it.

Once they found out I couldn’t give them what they wanted; the ability they thought was owed to them, they sent me on my merry way into another hell hole.

Just one not as over-the-top extravagant and full of useless rich people stuff.

Instead of any normality or a safe and loving home, I got a junkie aunt who let her revolving boyfriends take their tempers out on me and a shitty upbringing with no care.

I raised myself, stole food to get by, and eventually figured out how to survive. But barely.

If it wasn’t for the guys and Kiarra—my real fucking family—I don’t know where I’d be right now.

Rhory turns to me. “What is it you want?”

I wish I could say ‘fucking nothing,’ but this is about Kiarra, and I will do whatever it takes to get her back. Even if that meant bargaining with the Devil… or two of the three sitting in front of me.

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