Chapter 488

Nina

The bars of the strange cell must have been made of silver, because they burned my flesh when I reached through for Enzo. I winced, reluctantly pulling back from his touch.

“Enzo,” I panted, “what-what’s going on here?”

“Nina, Luke, why did you risk everything to come here?” Enzo stood, shaking his head and clutching his hair. “You don’t know the half of Mila’s depravity… she’s fucking crazy!”

“Yeah, man, we can see that,” Luke said, his voice strained from shouting. I turned to see him pushing himself to his feet; thankfully, he was unharmed. So was I. Enzo, on the other hand…

“Who was that corpse out there?” I blurted out. “Enzo, what happened? Are you hurt?”

Enzo scoffed and gestured to the silver ropes wrapped around his wrists and neck, wincing even as he did so. “Aside from this mess?” he asked. “Yeah, I guess I’m fine. And that corpse… that was a bear shifter. Mila, she… she made us fight to the death.”

“Holy shit…” Luke murmured. Now, he was the one clutching his hair.

My eyes widened as I climbed to my own feet. “Fight to the death?” I murmured.

Enzo nodded and walked over to the back wall of his cage, the one wall where there was stone instead of silver. “Some sort of profane ritual,” he rasped. “Fuck, I don’t know. Like I said, she’s crazy. Crazier than Selena and the Luna and all the others combined.”

His words made my stomach sink. Luke and I exchanged worried glances again, and out of instinct, I found myself holding my belly as if that could somehow protect the baby inside.

“The man that brought us here,” I said, swallowing. “He said that she might see reason. Something to do with our baby… Whatever it is, maybe we can use it to our advantage.”

Enzo scoffed again. “Yeah. Good luck with that,” he said quietly. “I love you guys for coming for me, but… you’ve risked way too much by coming here.”

“Losing you risked far more,” I said, taking a tentative step forward. “Tell us everything you know, Enzo. Everything that happened. There has to be something we can do.”

Enzo took a deep, shuddering breath before finally speaking. Gradually, I managed to pry free the full nightmare that my husband had endured since he had gotten here—Mila pretending to be remorseful and apologetic, plying him with drinks, a sudden and unexpected hug…

“The next thing I knew,” he muttered, “I was waking up in the hotel room with these things around my wrists.” He held up one of his wrists, the silver rope glimmering in the dim light. “And then she opened a portal and brought me here. Turns out, she’s a goddamn Dragon shifter. The last of her kind.”

Luke drew in a sharp inhale. “That explains everything,” he whispered. “Dragon shifters are one of the most ancient species of shifters. They possess elder magic that was thought to have been extinct for centuries.”

“That’s why she opened a portal so easily,” I interjected. “So she can do it anywhere, regardless of how thin the veil is?”

“Seems like it,” Luke replied with a solemn nod. “That’s only scratching the surface of it. All of the silver, too; her people were known for their mining capabilities. They were the first to discover that silver is basically a werewolf’s kryptonite.”

“That explains why she’s got so much of it.” I shivered, drawing my arms closer around me. We were powerless here; at least, Enzo and I were. Luke wasn’t sensitive to silver like we were, but even with his own powers, he didn’t stand a chance against the guards and the army that Mila had behind her.

Enzo shuddered. “It’s not just that,” he said. “She claims that my blood contains traces of dragon DNA. She seems to be under the impression that I’m fated to help her reinstate her bloodline. It’s madness.”

I chewed on my fingernails, exchanging another terrified glance with Luke. “So she thinks you’re her own personal stallion, basically,” I said. “You’re right. That is madness.”

“Yeah, well, she’ll have to kill me first before I father anything for her,” Enzo hissed, leaning his head back on the wall.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps interrupted our conversation. We all froze, turning, and that was when we saw her. Mila swept into the room in a flash of green silk, flanked by two guards dressed in all black. Just seeing her made me sick.

“I should’ve known you would have gotten your pretty little self involved,” she growled, her red eyes flashing with fury as she stared down her nose at me.

I frowned. “You stole my husband,” I retorted. “Of course I’d get involved.”

“Luckily for you, I was prepared. Enjoying your cage?”

Her cutting words dripped with mocking venom. Enzo suddenly stood, crossing his cell, and banged on the bars with his fist. But then he recoiled slightly in pain, wincing and cursing under his breath.

“Tsk, tsk,” Mila said, turning to him. “So spirited. I’d be scared of you, if it weren’t for the fact that a little silver is all it takes to subdue you.”

Her burning gaze shifted aside to glare at me once more. “Take her,” she said. “I need to be sure.”

Guards instantly burst into my cell and seized me, ignoring Enzo’s desperate roars echoing down the hall. I shrieked, but my cries fell on deaf ears.

…

I wrapped my arms tighter around myself as I returned to the dungeon with what dignity I had left. Enzo, still banging on the bars of his cage, rushed over to the door and shoved his hands through the gaps.

“Nina,” he cried out, “are you okay? What did they do to you?”

“Don’t worry,” Mila said. “It was just a gynecological exam. She’s fine.”

One of the guards suddenly thrust a spear through Enzo’s cage, causing him to back up. Then, another guard swung the door open just enough to let me through—into Enzo’s cell.

Instantly, both of us rushed forward to collide in the center of the cell. Enzo’s warm arms enveloped me, pulling me tight. In that moment, I didn’t care whether the guards behind us were locking us in or if they ever let us out again; I was just happy to be in his arms.

“So, it’s true,” Mila said with a scoff. “I’ll be honest; when I first heard that you were pregnant, I assumed that the little thing wouldn’t make it. The blood of the dragon is, after all, rather powerful; almost impossible for a little waif like you to bear.”

Mila sighed, circling around our cage. Enzo and I continued to hold each other, unfazed by the silver burning our skin. “But, here we are,” Mila said. “The baby lives, and here you come, strutting into my kingdom. Commendable, if I may say so myself.”

I pulled away from Enzo just enough to glare at Mila. “So you’ll let us go,” I said. “You should be glad, that the blood of the dragon is spreading; let us raise our child in peace, then.”

“Oh, no no no,” Mila giggled. “Dragon tradition says otherwise, and besides… I’d be unsatisfied if I didn’t get to watch you suffer. You have, after all, bewitched my mate.”

“He’s not your mate. He’s mine.”

Mila clicked her tongue. “No matter,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “Here is how it’s going to play out: tomorrow, you two will fight—as per Dragon tradition.”

Enzo and I paused, looking warily at each other. And then, Mila’s eyes flashed, a mocking laugh escaping her lips.

“To the death, might I add,” she hissed.