Page 87 of Her Dragon Daddy Disaster
It came up, and I ducked low underneath the counterpunch. My straight arm hit his stomach, clotheslining him in half. Not letting go, I swept up and around, using both arms to grab his stomach in a reverse bear hug. Then I whipped myself back, driving Malakai up and over, then down into the floor with vicious force.
While he lay there stunned, I swarmed over him, arms snaking around his neck and locking themselves in. Malakai went rigid as I cut off his blood and oxygen.
“Give up,” I growled, my legs wrapping around his midsection, preventing him from twisting away. “It’sover, Mal.”
“Fuck … you,” he spat, reaching up with both arms, clawing for my eyes.
I leaned back, avoiding his searching grip.
“You won’t kill me,” he laughed, blood burbling from his mouth. “I’m your best friend.”
“No,” I snarled without missing a beat. “Not anymore.”
“Who then? The sovereign?” Malakai was struggling to breathe now.
I laughed. “Someone even better. Someone who doesn’t try to use me or who lies to me for years about being friends. And for your information, his name is Jake.”
Then I snapped his neck.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sarah
“Oh, no,” I whispered as Levi ended everything for good.
Levi …
The pain in my heart at seeing him kill his best friend was balanced by hearing him say he considered Jakub his best friend. That in the throes of it all, his son was still first and foremost in his mind.
“Mommy, is Daddy okay?”
“Yes, dear,” I said, keeping him close, desperately not allowing myself to think about how I would explain everything to him. Perhaps he would think it was all just an adventure like in a movie. I didn’t know.
I inched closer, using as much of my body as possible to block his view of the chambers. It helped that we were crouching in the passageway with the sovereign, the three of us guarded by the man in black who had appeared out of nowhere. Deadly as couldbe, he’d sliced a path to her side and now refused to leave. Her “Shadow,” she’d said, though she called him Damon.
He hovered at the entrance now, making the four remaining traitors leery about coming any closer. They were only opposed by two of the palace guard and Levi now. Equal numbers on both sides, though both guards were hurt and falling back. Levi came with them, much to my relief.
The navy-blue clad attackers glanced at each other, then at their fallen leader. Malakai was on the ground, staring empty-eyed at the ceiling, unmoving. A ripple went through the traitors, and I knew they were about to flee.
“Damon,” the sovereign said sadly, sensing it, too.
Her Shadow was already moving. He slithered through the retreating guards just as the traitors broke.
They didn’t make it. Damon cut them down with ease. Watching him attack was like witnessing a great dancer, so graceful were his motions. Everything was preplanned, and he flowed smoothly over them.
Just like a shadow.
It was over in seconds.
“Thank you,” the sovereign said as Damon returned to her side. She lifted a pale hand, laying it on his shoulder heavily. “I regret asking that of you.”
“Don’t,” he said, though his eyes told a different story. Killing was never easy. “I’m your Shadow. It’s my job. I only apologize we didn’t see this coming sooner. I had to fight my way through the palace to get here.”
“Nor would we,” the sovereign said. “But for this one, who came to warn us.”
Levi came to the entrance to the passageway. He was limping. I bit my lip, not wanting to intrude, but seeing him in pain, covered in blood, I was losing my mind staying still.
“It was the least I could do,” he said, eyes slowly moving from Damon to the sovereign. “Considering I’m partly to blame.”
