Page 96 of Dragon Fires Everywhere
“If the Joywood cursed you, won’t you all be freed once the Riverwood takes over?” I ask, because surely that’s a compromise.A sensible solution. Once we’re in charge, no one will be cursed. It’s only a week away.
“He didn’t wait,” the king says, jerking his chin toward Azrael. “Besides, we don’t know what will happen. The Joywood areevil. I presume their curse stemmed from a deep and unnatural understanding and use of black magic. Is your full ascensiongoing to magically makethatgo away?”
“We’re working on it,” Emerson says immediately.
The king rolls his eyes. “Of course you are. Foryourpeople. What aboutmypeople?”
“I didn’t know your people existed until Georgie accidentally freed a dragon from a newel post,” Emerson shoots back withmore impatience than usual. “I am doing the best I can with what I have.”
She takes a minute, looking from the Raven King to Azrael, then over to Frost.
And she seems even less patient than before. “How about those of you who have been around the proverbial block a few timesstop fighting old wars and start focusing on the current one? How can we all work together to get rid of black magic and nasty,evil curses? For good. Forallpeople.”
“Maybe I’ll tell you,” the king says, smiling once again. “But you’ll have to lift my curse first.”
Emerson frowns. Azrael scoffs. But I...
“It’s okay. I’ll read him the book,” I tell my coven.
“No, you fucking won’t.”
And I’m shocked that it isn’t just Azrael who says this, loud and clear and furious.
It’s Frost too.
25
I am now facing down an angry AzraelandFrost, the ancient dream team no one wanted.
“Why not?” I demand of them at the same time Emerson and Ellowyn do. Emerson because she’s in charge. Ellowyn because shetakes immediate affront to a man—any man—insisting it’s his way or the highway.
“Magical creatures, every last one of them, are mercurial and untrustworthy, with no regard for laws or rules,” Frost saysdarkly.
“Sounds an awful lot like every immortalI’veever known,” Rebekah offers offhandedly, earning her a glare from Frost. Though she only has to smile for him to soften.
“I suppose those feelings about us are why you spent centuries reveling in the killing of these mercurial,beneath youcreatures?” Azrael asks Frost, and his tone isn’t offhanded at all. It’s vicious.
“If I reveled in it, you’d already be dead,” Frost returns coldly. “We cannot give in to the opaque demands of whatever randomfabulae managed toget aroundthe Joywood curse.It sets a dangerous precedent.”
“Besides,” Azrael adds, his wildly golden gaze shifting back to the Raven King, “this one in particular is a murdering, thieving upstart.”
“I take great offense to theupstartpart,” Gideon offers lazily, apparently fine with murder and theft. “Are the immortal and the dragon agreeing simply to thwartme? What interesting bedfellows we keep when we’re afraid of the truth.”
“The only truth I am having trouble taking on board is thatyouare the only magical creature I know of that found a way around this dark magic curse,” Frost says.
“And why should we free you from it? So you can turn your dark magic on us?” Azrael demands. “I have no need to taste thepetty vengeance of blackbirds in this lifetime.”
I study Gideon. I have no reason to trust this man—or raven, orwhateverhe is. I have every reason to trust Frost, and more reasons than not to trust Azrael.
Still, there is also something about trusting my own gut. If I don’t believe in my own intuition, what is there to believein?
“We want everyone free,” I remind dragon, ex-immortal, and the rest of my coven alike. “Fromallcurses. It’s not our job to tell anyone what to do with that freedom or hold aJoywoodcurse over anybody’s head. That is not our role. That’s not what we do. It’s what we’re trying to get away from.”
I turn to Emerson, who is nodding along. She even offers a subtle fist pump, always and ever the highest possible complimentfrom my best friend.
And neither Frost nor Azrael has a retort to that.
I take a few steps toward Gideon, ignoring Azrael’s warning growl. And anyway, there’s nothing he can do about it from hisside of the cemetery gate.
