Page 115 of Knightfall
Chapter Thirty-Two
To my shock, Abbas transformed the kiss. He slid his hand around the back of my neck and pulled my face closer. His tongue snaked in between my lips and tangled with mine. He sucked my tongue into his mouth and tugged on it. Then he released it and bit down on my lower lip. He feathered his lips over mine as he pulled back and met my eyes.
He left me panting.
“Like I said before, Bloss, it’s adorable when you bring out your little claws.” He let go of me then, took a step backward, and held up the blue ring he wore. He stroked it once with his finger.
A terrible roar filled the sky.
And there, in the distance, backed by the setting sun, appeared a black-winged nightmare. A dragon.
“Shite.”
I whirled to see my knights, their jaws gaping, their expressions shocked.
“Get Avia below! NOW!” I screeched at the servants. They all scrambled to get inside, dragging my sister with them.
I grabbed up the bullhorn the herald had dropped. The crowd below could not see the monster yet. I had to get them out of the courtyard but avoid mass panic. “Everyone please form orderly lines and proceed into the palace, immediately. My first action as Queen of Evaness is to invite you all to share a feast with me. Noble and common alike. Tonight, we celebrate Evaness.”
A cheer went up through the crowd.
Ryan stepped to the edge of the balcony and gave a hand signal to his soldiers, who immediately helped everyone into orderly lines. At a second hand signal, his troops even started diverting people to side entrances and servant entrances.
I turned to find Jorad facing me.
I stared sternly at him. “Fire War protocol, Jorad. Get everyone to ballroom, get the food. Then make the announcement that they need to relocate to the fireproof dungeons. Only make that announcement once Ryan’s men have the ballroom secured.”
Jorad gave a brisk nod and left.
I turned back to spy the beast flapping its wings, coming closer. The last of the sun’s rays glinted off its iridescent blue scales. The beast released a jet of black flame.
It was as though I had tunnel vision. The dragon was the only thing I could see as my heart thrummed like a war drum in my chest. Nothing else existed.
This was why I’d come back. To save my sister from this beast. To save Evaness.
I took a deep, bracing breath. I ignored the tremors that shot through my limbs.
“I need a gargoyle,” I whispered.
“No,” my husbands’ chorused. Even Connor.
“I can’t fight it here.”
“Darling,” a deadly purr sounded in my ear. “Why ever not?”
In my shock, I’d completely forgotten Abbas. Everyone had. Seeing the dragon had made him cease to exist. He was a lesser threat. What was one man compared to a monster?
He had capitalized on that. Used the moment to scoop up the elven chain. A chain he now slid over my head.
“I think you should fight the dragon. Right here.” At his words, the metal started to melt and meld with my skin and the chain gave off a blue glow.
My knights surged forward.
“I suppose I could have her throw herself off the castle,” Abbas said.
They froze.
“Climb up on the railing, Bloss,” Abbas ordered.
