The Dragon Legion Collection(61)

“We have to go deeper into the underworld.”

“Until we reach its heart.”

Petra moved toward the water with a confidence Damien couldn’t echo. He watched the water and realized its surface was covered with dark creatures. “Snakes,” he muttered under his breath.

“Well, I told you. They make sense here,” Petra continued calmly. “We’re in the underworld, deep in the earth, which is where snakes are supposed to live. In stories, they symbolize lost secrets and forbidden desires.” She gave him a smile that reminded him of all his desires for her.

“I hate snakes.”

“Maybe you’ll conquer your fear.”

“It’s not fear...”

“They’re said to only attack in self-defense. Don’t hurt them and they won’t hurt you.”

“That’s only a rumor.”

She didn’t answer him, just smiled then walked to the bank.

Damien shifted his weight from foot to foot, the sight of those black snakes making him sweat. There had to be thousands of them, maybe millions of them, writhing over each other in a kind of frenzy. The idea of being surrounded by them, of having them touch his skin, was enough to make him feel sick. “It’s fine for you to take such a chance. You’re dead already.”

She cast him an amused glance. “Such a bold dragon,” she said under her breath, her gaze taunting him.

Damien was on the cusp of arguing that he wasn’t a dragon any more, or at least not in this place, but she wasn’t really talking about his shifting powers. “Can’t you cause an earthquake and make the seas part?”

“It wouldn’t necessarily get rid of the snakes.”

“I say it’s worth a try.”

“I’m saving my strength,” she said, and he heard that she was tired. He saw her hand cup her ripe belly again and wondered if she felt the baby’s time was coming. “They’re just snakes, Damien.”

He marched down to the river to stand beside Petra, deeply uneasy about the whole exercise. “It would be a lot easier if I could still shift shape,” he noted. “We could just fly over the river.”

“Which might be the point. This might be a test of your determination.”

He gave her a sizzling glance. “I’m determined enough.”

“We’ll soon find out. This river isn’t supposed to be very deep.”

Even the possibility of snakes up to his waist made Damien shudder. “Does anybody know for sure?”

“No one who’s telling.”

He exhaled and tried to find his courage. It also would have been much easier without the sight of all those sinuous bodies entwining and tangling, glistening wet, and much easier if he’d been feeling his usual self. “Doesn’t this river have some kind of power?”

“You’re stalling,” Petra teased with a laugh.

“I’m gathering information to make the best choice,” Damien retorted and she laughed again. He couldn’t help but smile that she knew him so well.

“The Leche is called the river of oblivion, which is a tempting prospect in a way.”

Damien was surprised. “What could you want to forget?”

“You broke my heart, Damien,” she said softly. “And forgetting that ache would make any situation easier to bear.”

He caught her hand in his, wanting to make this right while he could. He had absolutely no confidence that he could pass through this river unscathed, and this one thing, he had to set straight with Petra while he could. He turned her hand in his, trying to find a way to explain. “I thought I was supposed to take care of you.”

“I thought you were the one man who could accept me for what I was.”

Damien nodded, knowing he should have done better. “I’ve been with others of my kind while I’ve been gone,” he said. “These other Pyr have an idea that their mates are more than the mothers of their sons.”

“I like them already.”

“They think of their mates as their partners, and in fact, they believe that making a permanent bond with their mate makes them stronger.”

“The whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts?”

“Exactly.” Damien nodded. “I know I disappointed you, Petra, and I know I was wrong, but I’ll take that chance you offered.”

She considered him. “I thought you came just for your son.”

He smiled at her. “I thought so, too, but seeing you again has made me realize how empty my life has been without you. Come with me, Petra. Be partners with me.”

She averted her gaze, her throat working. “It’s not up to me. We have to appeal to Hades, but you have to know that he never lets anyone leave.”

“I won’t believe it. The darkfire has to be making the impossible possible. I have to believe that if you decide to be with me, then we will be able to leave.”

She considered him for a long moment. “You won’t abandon me again?”

“Never.”

Petra studied him for a long moment. She squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek, then turned and walked into the dark water. The water stained the hem of her tunic first, making the fabric look dark. She walked steadily into the water, showing a bravery Damien wished he felt, especially when the first of the snakes wound around her legs. He shuddered and couldn’t bear to watch, but couldn’t turn away either.