Page 7 of Queens Ride Horny Dragons
Yep, totally losing my cool as they closed in on us.Think, Yara, think.
"Is now really the time to insult her?" Calhoun muttered over his shoulder at me.
"Do you have any better ideas?" I whispered while attempting not to move my lips.
I had no weapons built for defense because that wasn't my game, but Calhoun had the Queen’s Cross, broken at one end and wet with Oliver’s blood, tucked into the back of his jeans and hidden under his Henley. And I did have my Titanosaur, the knife used for cutting metal. Neither of those could go up against Rio’s bullets though.
“None of us can shift,” Rio ground out, her voice hoarse. “All of us are weak, and growing weaker by the minute. Even you, Calhoun, though I bet you’d never admit it to your human chew toy.”
I gasped as I turned Calhoun toward me, making him meet my gaze. Shadows danced across his face from the flickering torches, but even without the dim light, I could see the shadows lurking there. And they were becoming worse. Without the power surge—without Léas herself—they could die. A whole species, dead. My harem, who’d done so much to help me…dead.
He gave me a hard look, refusing to look away, refusing to admit it, but I knew. I knew…
But before we could do anything about it, we needed out of here. Even without the power surge, these two stovetops who wanted me dead were still likely ten times as strong as me.
From the direction of the secret door and around the corner of the dungeon cells, the same directions Petra and Rio had come at us, dozens of lines of dragon fire snaked across the stone floor toward us. Petra and Rio stared at them, their faces creased with confusion. So it wasn’t them searching for me. But if not them, then who?
The coming lines of dragon fire puffed out when they touched all of us. Someone now knew exactly where we all were, and since I didn’t know who, something told me that was a very bad thing.
But now I used it as a welcomed distraction.
I didn’t stop to consider if this was a good idea or not. Maybe I should’ve. I plucked the Titanosaur from my thigh tape, closed in on Calhoun's back, and held the blade to his throat.
"Back off or he's dead," I shouted, trying to sound like I meant it.
Petra stopped, eying me closely. "You wouldn't kill part of your harem."
"Watch me," I growled.
Rio slowed her steps, a wave of unease pinching her mascara-streaked, but still gorgeous, features. "You do know that if your harem dies, you die too."
Calhoun tensed in my arms but sagged like he was weak, too, playing the part of hostage well even though I was sure he could’ve unarmed me within seconds if he’d wanted to. We had to sell this, so Petra and Rio would buy it.
"As long as I have two more to fuck, I'll be fine." Total lie. Just saying it drove a deep pain into my chest. Calhoun had to know I was lying. After all he'd done for me, how he’d helped me save Asa and had even added him as a treasure to their trove, he had to know it meant the world to me, and more. “My blade is poisoned and is weakening him even more than he already is.”
"Youarecrazy enough to take the throne, aren't you?" Rio looked almost heartbroken, like even she wouldn't go this far for the thing she wanted most.
Except I didn't either. I never wanted this, but from the outside looking in, I could imagine what this looked like to those who didn't know me: murdered shifter nearby, a missing goddess, and an unhinged human queen with a knife to the throat of someone who swore to protect her.
"Leave. Now," I ordered, surprised at how sharp and deadly my voice sounded.
But they didn't.
Petra’s ice-blue eyes were cold and calculating, looking to gut me first with the dagger in her hand, no doubt. Rio kept advancing, her movements slow, but the bullet she could unleash at any moment would be quick.
"Do it." The slightest whisper form Calhoun, barely enough to move his lips.
I couldn't. Not really. Why was he asking me to?
“Show them you can kill,” he murmured. “Do it.”
What? But I wasn’t capable of killing. I’d never killed anything in my life. And even if I did kill him, how would that change anything? They’d want me dead even more.
"Nasty-ass whore," Petra spat and flipped her dagger around like she was going to fling it at my head.
“Father killer.” Rio raised her gun fluidly like she’d had plenty of practice.
Shit. I had to do something. I had to trust Calhoun since he’d never once led me astray. But I couldn’t kill him.
