Page 36 of The Emerald Dragon Prince
That didn’t mean I didn’t feel the thrill of action coursing through me as we marched quickly through the halls of the castle. We had the best advantage imaginable. My father’s army was nowhere to be seen. Whatever had happened to the ragged and exhausted men we’d spotted entering the castle grounds earlier, they weren’t within the castle to stop us.
We made excellent time, and with a final shout of encouragement that echoed off the castle’s stone walls, Osric led his men straight into the Great Hall.
I wasn’t certain what to expect. When we’d fled the Great Hall before, Nazeing and Emmerich had their arms around each other and were kissing like the rest of the world didn’t matter. I was only half surprised to find that they were still locked in an embrace, kissing away on one of the sofas against the edge of the room. I didn’t expect to see my father asleep on a sofa near them, orto find Rottum and about two dozen soldiers snoring away on the Great Hall floor.
Nazeing broke apart from Emmerich as Osric and his men flooded into the room. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, letting go of Emmerich and launching to his feet.
“Nikkos,” Osric said, eyes narrowed, as if he was looking at his adversary and seeing him clearly for the first time. “I was a fool for not seeing through your disguise before.”
“You’re still a fool,” Nazeing said with a smirk.
He raised his hands as if throwing something at Osric. Whatever force he attempted to blast Osric with was invisible, but so was the shield Osric raised to defend himself. Osric gritted his teeth and leaned forward, as though pushing against a heavy boulder.
Nazeing looked surprised and stopped whatever attack he was making. “Oh, so you’re stronger than you seem,” he said. He gestured out over the sleeping soldiers, and all at once, they woke up and seemed energized for a fight.
Without needing to be told, Osric’s loyal soldiers surged into battle, crashing into the awakened soldiers in the middle of the Great Hall and resuming the battle from that afternoon. Once again, we were surrounded by the clang of steel against steel as the relatively evenly matched forces fought. The din of battle was ten times louder in the echoing Great Hall than it had been in the field that afternoon.
“Where are our dragons?” Leo demanded of Nazeing. “What have you done with Diamant?”
Nazeing ignored the demand, focusing instead on Osric. “You are no match for my power,” he said.
He waved his arms at the suits of armor and statuesthat decorated the room. Immediately, they came to life and joined my father’s forces to fight against Osric’s men.
“You can use dark magic and other people to do your work all you’d like, Nazeing, but this is about you and me now,” Osric said.
“No, it’s about him and me,” I said, stepping forward and trying to draw on the magic I’d just discovered I had. “You and me and Emmerich.”
“It’s about Emmerich, is it?” Nazeing said with a vicious smile. “If you say so.”
He snapped his fingers, and Emmerich rose from the sofa where he’d been sitting with a confused look. My mate wasn’t confused at all once he was on his feet by Nazeing’s side, though.
“I have to protect my mate,” he said, looking unfocused for a moment before his gaze settled on me. “I have to protect my mate at all costs.”
“Emmerich!” I shouted. Even the egg within me seemed to call out for its daddy.
But Emmerich bared his teeth in a vicious snarl and charged out me, hands outstretched like he would strangle the life out of me.
Chapter
Eleven
Emmerich
Protect my mate, protect my mate, protect my mate. I had to do everything in my power to protect my mate from…my mate?
I skidded to a stop within a few inches of Rumi, the omega I’d felt compelled to strangle in order to protect my mate just seconds before. But the scent of honey and lavender filled my nose. My insides jumped and shivered as the heavy, cold cord I’d been ignoring within me buzzed with life, like a river blocked by a dam that was about to break. My heart beat faster as I studied the alarmed face of the omega in front of me instead of turning to ask for orders from the one behind me.
But underneath that all, at the edges of the confusion and turmoil, the tiniest voice called to me. It wasn’t even a voice, it was a feeling, an emotion. It was pure, innocent love crying out, “Daddy!”
I breathed in again, surrounding myself inside and out with that honey-lavender scent. It was so far superior to the sickly sweet cherry cordial scent behind me that I took a step closer to Rumi.
“Emmerich?” Rumi asked, his voice shaking but strong. He slowly forced himself to stand straight and square his shoulders. “Emmerich, it’s me. It’s Rumi. I’m right here.”
“Rumi,” I repeated the name, then blinked.
“Don’t listen to him!” my mate shouted behind me, rushing forward. “He’s an evil sorcerer who is trying to keep us apart. Kill him!”
I raised my arms, but they felt like heavy weights. I dropped them again and glanced over my shoulder to frown at Nazeing. My mate’s face was contorted with hatred and rage…and suddenly, an old memory leapt to my mind.
