About a Dragon (Dragon Kin #2)(102)

She couldn’t wait to pull her heart out through her mouth.

No one betrayed her. No one.

And if Talaith, Daughter of Haldane thought she’d be grabbing her little scum spot and taking her out of here alive, she and that light-eyed freak were sorely mistaken.

Besides, she needed Talaith’s body. With it, she could get past Rhydderch Hael’s protections and destroy Annwyl the Bloody with her bare hands before the bitch ever had a chance to breed anything.

But first…first she would savor this bitch’s screams.

Plastering on her best and softest smile, she turned and faced Talaith. Naked, which was required to pass from her world to Arzhela’s unless escorted by a god as Iseabail was, Talaith stared at her blankly. Already terrified and Arzhela hadn’t done anything to her yet. Or her whelp.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Talaith,” she lied. She never felt honesty was all that important when it came to the humans. “I merely want to talk.”

She walked toward Talaith, glancing at the woman’s daughter still cowering by her favorite tree. The girl stared at her mother as if she’d never seen her before.

She stood a ram’s length from Talaith. “Come, my daughter. Let us sit. And talk.” She held out her hand and Talaith looked at it blankly. “Just talk, Talaith. I promise.”

Talaith grabbed hold of Arzhela’s hand and that’s when Arzhela yanked her close and wrapped her free hand around the woman’s throat.

“Betray me, you little bitch?” she snarled. “For that, you’ll get to watch your daughter die.”

Talaith said nothing as she took her own free hand, grasped the one at her throat and slowly pulled it off by bending Arzhela’s fingers back.

Confused, Arzhela tried to fight back, but Talaith’s strength was formidable. She dragged the goddess’ hands from her body. Once free, she grabbed both sides of Arzhela’s head and held her.

“My sweet, sweet Arzhela. I’ve waited so long for this. So long for you.”

And that’s when she knew. Arzhela knew what that betraying little bitch had done.

“No!” She struggled to get away but Rhydderch Hael, who’d finally found a way into her realm, merely smiled Talaith’s smile.

“No, no. Don’t fight, my sweet. There’s no point in fighting.”

“Release me, Rhydderch Hael! My brothers and sisters know you’re here. They’ll come to protect me!”

The god shook Talaith’s head. “No. They don’t know and they won’t. Talaith’s lovely body hides my presence nicely, does it not?”

“Bastard,” she spit at him in her rage.

Rhydderch Hael snorted. “Thousands and thousands of years and you still haven’t changed, you worthless little bitch.”

“Go to hell!”

“You first.” He threw her—in her own realm—and she slammed into one of the trees she loved. Landing hard on the ground, Arzhela looked up in time to see blue, black and orange flame shoot out from Talaith’s every pore, before it smothered Arzhela in its embrace.

* * *

Izzy watched Rhydderch Hael walk up to her in her mother’s body.

Tears streaming down her face, she watched him crouch in front of her.

“What is it, my little Izzy?”

“I want my mother.” She sounded like a child. But at the moment, she really didn’t care. “You promised me I’d have her.”

“And you did.”

Her tears turned to sobs. “You can’t take her from me now. Please. Don’t take her from me now.”

The god tilted Talaith’s head. “I do this for you, what will you give me, my little Izzy?”

Now she understood what her mother had been trying to tell her all this time—with gods there was always a price to pay. But for the woman who gave her life for her there was no other choice.

“My undying loyalty. That is all I have to offer. All I can willingly give.”

The god smiled her mother’s smile. “That is all any god can ask, my little Izzy.”

Her mother’s body stood and the god held out her mother’s hand. “Then take my hand, little Izzy. Your dragon kin awaits you.”

* * *

Morfyd dropped her arms. “It’s no use.”

Briec rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. “Try again.”

“I can try until the end of time, brother. But Rhydderch Hael will do what Rhydderch Hael wants.”

For hours he and his kin waited. Morfyd had healed everyone’s wounds. The lot of them shifted to human and put on their clothes. Then they waited for Talaith and Izzy to return. But still nothing. Even when Morfyd tried again and again to call on Rhydderch Hael, hoping he’d send them back, nothing happened.

“So now what?” Even Gwenvael’s frustration was showing. “We can’t leave them there.”

Frustrated herself, Morfyd growled, “I wasn’t planning to.”

“Then do something!”

Angry, Morfyd stood, the hood of her midnight-blue cloak hiding her white hair, but not her angry crystal-blue eyes. “If you have any brilliant ideas, little brother, then please feel free to share them. Otherwise, shut up!”

They barely glanced up as Fearghus glided to a stop beside the lake. “Well?” he demanded.