betrayed them.
She stepped beside Ondrej and put her hand on his shoulder.
“What happened?” Mikolas asked, obviously unashamed of the tears in his eyes. “I know he’s gone, but what happened.”
Even Voshkie showed a gentler side and gripped his shoulder.
“He betrayed us, my brothers. He was aligned with whatever or whoever is controlling the ghouls. He made his bid for dominance.”
“Where’s his body?” Imre asked. “I know he dishonored himself and us, but don’t we at least get to say goodbye? Won’t you burn him in the Alpha fire?”
Ondrej turned his face away for a long moment and took a deep breath. “No, he almost killed me, and if not for Krysanthe, he would’ve.”
“If not for you using your fire on those ghouls, they’d have gotten me too.”
Voshkie dropped her food and rushed forward to Krysanthe, checking her over for injuries.
“Vosh, I’m fine. I’m really fine.”
“Did you do it?” she asked.
“I did.” Krysanthe held up her hands to keep Voshkie from launching herself at Ondrej. “Hey, no. I chose to do it and it didn’t hurt me. He took it all.”
“Will someone please tell me what the fuck we’re talking about?” Mikolas asked, his voice full of emotion.
“The princess’s power. She can turn anything to gold, but if she uses too much, tries to turn something too big, it can kill her. The power comes from her life-force. This is why Orlaith Princesses don’t belong with dragons, with their lust for gold, they’re liable to break their toy with their demands.” She stared at Ondrej.
“No, Voshkie. He gave me his. He stood with me and I had no pain.” Krysanthe explained.
“Well, fuck.” She went to retrieve her second tray of food and found Mikolas had shoved it in his mouth. She growled at him. “On the plus side, looks like we’re not going to West Virginia. I hate werewolves more than I hate dragons.”
“You don’t hate me. You want to hate me. But you don’t,” Mik said.
“Shut up. No one’s talking to you,” Voshkie crossed her arms over her chest.
“So you turned Dezo to gold?” Imre asked quietly.
“I had to. First it was just his fire—”
“Wait, you faced him off while he was Changed? While he was a dragon? Now I know your crazy comes in three flavors.” Vosh shook her head.
“Ondrej would’ve died. He’d used the last of his Alpha fire to save me from the ghouls that Dezo raised with his blood. So I turned him to gold and the earth took back the gift she’d given.”
“That’s some damn dark magick right there.” Imre nodded, but then scrubbed a hand over his head. “Fuck. Dezo, you shit.”
“I’m sorry,” Ondrej said, obviously full of grief.
As the group moved as one to comfort each other in what could only be described as a huddle, Krysanthe understood the Alpha/pack equation much better than she had before. He wasn’t the word of law and the hammer of gods because he took the power. He was Alpha because they gave it to him. It was biology, but it was sociology, too. They trusted him as the best of them to endure their pains, to keep them from harm, and in turn, they made him stronger.
Even Voshkie joined the huddle.
“Brothers before gold,” Mikolas said, his voice still thick.
“Loyalty before gold,” Imre said.
“Honor before gold,” Ondrej finished. “Drago Knights. With honor, loyalty, and brotherhood.”
The way the words reverberated around them, it was almost as if they were part of some spell that shored them up against the slings and arrows of the world. Some magickal weaving that made them invisible.
But it wasn’t, not really. It was shield of the Drago Knights brotherhood that united them. They were more than a motorcycle club, more than a pride… they were one unit and even though they’d lost two of their brothers, that didn’t beat them down. It didn’t stop them. It made them get up, made them keep going, made them fight harder.
Now, it seemed as if she, Aranka and
She stepped beside Ondrej and put her hand on his shoulder.
“What happened?” Mikolas asked, obviously unashamed of the tears in his eyes. “I know he’s gone, but what happened.”
Even Voshkie showed a gentler side and gripped his shoulder.
“He betrayed us, my brothers. He was aligned with whatever or whoever is controlling the ghouls. He made his bid for dominance.”
“Where’s his body?” Imre asked. “I know he dishonored himself and us, but don’t we at least get to say goodbye? Won’t you burn him in the Alpha fire?”
Ondrej turned his face away for a long moment and took a deep breath. “No, he almost killed me, and if not for Krysanthe, he would’ve.”
“If not for you using your fire on those ghouls, they’d have gotten me too.”
Voshkie dropped her food and rushed forward to Krysanthe, checking her over for injuries.
“Vosh, I’m fine. I’m really fine.”
“Did you do it?” she asked.
“I did.” Krysanthe held up her hands to keep Voshkie from launching herself at Ondrej. “Hey, no. I chose to do it and it didn’t hurt me. He took it all.”
“Will someone please tell me what the fuck we’re talking about?” Mikolas asked, his voice full of emotion.
“The princess’s power. She can turn anything to gold, but if she uses too much, tries to turn something too big, it can kill her. The power comes from her life-force. This is why Orlaith Princesses don’t belong with dragons, with their lust for gold, they’re liable to break their toy with their demands.” She stared at Ondrej.
“No, Voshkie. He gave me his. He stood with me and I had no pain.” Krysanthe explained.
“Well, fuck.” She went to retrieve her second tray of food and found Mikolas had shoved it in his mouth. She growled at him. “On the plus side, looks like we’re not going to West Virginia. I hate werewolves more than I hate dragons.”
“You don’t hate me. You want to hate me. But you don’t,” Mik said.
“Shut up. No one’s talking to you,” Voshkie crossed her arms over her chest.
“So you turned Dezo to gold?” Imre asked quietly.
“I had to. First it was just his fire—”
“Wait, you faced him off while he was Changed? While he was a dragon? Now I know your crazy comes in three flavors.” Vosh shook her head.
“Ondrej would’ve died. He’d used the last of his Alpha fire to save me from the ghouls that Dezo raised with his blood. So I turned him to gold and the earth took back the gift she’d given.”
“That’s some damn dark magick right there.” Imre nodded, but then scrubbed a hand over his head. “Fuck. Dezo, you shit.”
“I’m sorry,” Ondrej said, obviously full of grief.
As the group moved as one to comfort each other in what could only be described as a huddle, Krysanthe understood the Alpha/pack equation much better than she had before. He wasn’t the word of law and the hammer of gods because he took the power. He was Alpha because they gave it to him. It was biology, but it was sociology, too. They trusted him as the best of them to endure their pains, to keep them from harm, and in turn, they made him stronger.
Even Voshkie joined the huddle.
“Brothers before gold,” Mikolas said, his voice still thick.
“Loyalty before gold,” Imre said.
“Honor before gold,” Ondrej finished. “Drago Knights. With honor, loyalty, and brotherhood.”
The way the words reverberated around them, it was almost as if they were part of some spell that shored them up against the slings and arrows of the world. Some magickal weaving that made them invisible.
But it wasn’t, not really. It was shield of the Drago Knights brotherhood that united them. They were more than a motorcycle club, more than a pride… they were one unit and even though they’d lost two of their brothers, that didn’t beat them down. It didn’t stop them. It made them get up, made them keep going, made them fight harder.
Now, it seemed as if she, Aranka and
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