Page 31 of Flirting with Death

Future King? Holy shit. I had a thing for strong ass men. I watched him face them, naked and fierce. What else didn't I know about him? The dragons scattered, leaving the first two that had arrived. They stepped forward. One moment dragons, the next men with clothes. I guess that wasn't a talent Raiden had yet.

"Does this mean you have returned to take your place? The long-lost son and prophecy bringer?" The large gray dragon was an older man, with gray that matched his scales tipping each strand of hair on his head. He eyed me like I would look at a demon. I was alive for now, but in his regard, I knew the only good hunter was a dead one.

"I've returned for a jewel."

"A jewel? You have brought a party with you to raid your own vault?" the second laughed. "We may be dragons, but we have left your treasures untouched in hopes we would find you."

"What prophecy?" I asked what Raiden had ignored as I stood up.

When the older man's eyes clashed with mine, I slightly regretted pulling his attention back to me. "A battle is coming between worlds, between realms, between Gods. Our King is the key to our survival. He will lead us to victory against our adversaries with his hand-picked family."

"Is it caused by the demons?" Bellamy asked. He stepped up next to me, his tail wrapped around my leg in a comforting gesture.

"Dragon-kin and demons will fight alongside each other. They will forge a truce in the alliance of the Kings."

Bellamy and Raiden shared a heavy look, both knowing what it meant. Was this what Lex's mom had warned him about?

"Who came up with this prophecy?" I asked. When they turned their attention back to me, for the second time, I knew that if they had the magical ability to strike me down where I stood, I would already be dead. I was on thin ice in this place, and I needed to remember it.

The old man swung his gaze back to Raiden. "We can not let the hunter into the palace."

"It is my family's palace, correct?" Raiden asked.

He inclined his head, his lips pressed into a tight line.

"Then the hunter will go into my home with me," he replied to the silent answer. "I remember the way."

Lex tossed him his clothing, and he pulled his jeans on before he attempted to dismiss them as he walked up the trail toward the looming castle. They followed with the rest of our group. Raiden and Bellamy firmly placed me between them as they formed the first alliance they would apparently make and decided that I needed protecting. And I could feel Brook, Alastor, and Lex at our backs with the guards bringing up the rear. We passed people I assumed were dragon-kin on the path. They watched with looks of amazement, as if they could sense who was walking in front of them. Some of them even knelt or lowered their heads in a bow as he passed.

Large ornate doors, big enough to fit three dragons walking side by side, swung open as if by magic, revealing a cavernous space. The surfaces glowed in a soft light as we stepped inside. An oversized chandelier lit with flames, casting the walls in shadows near the ceiling. It brought to mind lightning bugs when they glowed in the evening.

Raiden paused, taking it all in, and the guards took the moment to circle to the front of us. "Vace will get rooms prepared." The old dragon nodded to his companion, and we watched as Vace headed up the staircase that lined each side of the room, curving up to another large doorway on a second floor.

"We won't be staying," Raiden said.

"But—" His face fell, and I felt the disappointment as if it was my own. There was no way Raiden could abandon these people, not the man I knew. He would be back, and he would be king. Where would that leave me?

"I told you I came for a jewel."

"I assume you know the way?" the man asked. When Raiden inclined his head, the man turned away. "I'm Baldwin if you need anything else."

It fell silent after he disappeared down a hall to the left. "King, Rai?" I whispered.

"None of this matters, Sammy. We are here to fix things back home. I'll worry about the dragon-kin after we know our world is safe." He gestured to the glowing walls and the beautiful pictures adorning them. Someone had been an artist, and they captured this place perfectly.

"I think it matters. These people need you, Rai," I replied.

"You need me," he said, stepping close and framing my face with his palms. The touch sent butterflies into flight in my stomach. "Ask me who is more important."

I parted my dry lips with a swipe of my tongue. "Who is more important?" I didn't dare look away from him, even though I knew the others watched this intimate moment.

"You." He pressed his lips to my forehead, and my eyes dropped shut as I breathed in the first unhindered breath of air since we had landed. "Now, let's get the jewel and go."

He tangled his fingers with mine and tugged me after him. We made our way through a maze of hallways, it shocked me to realize he remembered perfectly, before we were standing outside a door that looked like all the rest.

He placed his hand on the surface. Something lit beneath his skin, highlighting the edges of his palm. Then a click sounded, and the door swung open. Piles and piles of gold, gems, silver, and anything shiny were in the room beyond. They filled chests to bursting with treasures I couldn't even imagine.

"Fuck, man, you are loaded," Lex said as we entered the space. "Do you know the upgrades I could do with Fantasia with even a handful of these?"

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