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“Seeing as you killed our father, then spent centuries hunting me, I think I have earned the right to speak freely,” Cain said casually, his eyes falling to my face and studying me. My shadows loosened around him, hoovering nearby and ready to strike.

The muscles in Landers’s arms tensed under my fingertips.

“We get it,” Dukovich said, his voice sounding from behind us and our heads whirled to face him. “The two of you have scores to settle, but we have much bigger problems that will soon walk through those doors that have no interest in your little family reunion.” He lifted his hand, a single finger pointing toward the hole in the mountain.

“A man of reason,” Cain said, nodding his head toward Dukovich in agreement. “In that case, I will take my mate and leave you to it.” He was at my side before I could register what he had said, his fist wrapping around my wrist and pulling me against his chest.

A snarl ripped from Landers’s throat as he lunged forward, his sword plunging into Cain as I scrambled out of his hold. The sound of flesh ripping echoed between my ears as Landers pulled me behind him. Cain stumbled backwards as Landers pulled the blade from his abdomen, collapsing to his knees and clutching the wound on his stomach.

A guttural sound escaped my throat as I clamped my hand over my mouth, trying to process the sight before me. Crimson liquid trickled from Cain’s lips and splattered onto the dirt, mixing with the dust as a sharp laugh bellowed from his lungs. Cain spit another mouthful of blood as he tilted his head up to look at us, his mouth and teeth stained crimson.

“Have you forgotten, brother, you cannot kill me,” he said, grinning as he slowly pushed from the ground. “You cannot stop me from taking what ismine. She is no longer yours to claim.”

He should be dead, that wound should have killed him, but as he stood to his full height the wound had already healed—nothing left but a shredded hole in his tunic.

“She willneverbe yours,” Landers growled.

“Both of you stop it,” I scolded, the words biting as I stepped from behind Landers and looked between the two men.

Anger danced behind Landers’s eyes, so many emotions pooling behind his irises as his gaze met mine. We had come here for the Fallen Ones. Whatever Cain was doing in that tomb with them, would have to wait.

“I’m nobody’s property,” I snapped, turning to Cain and refusing to cower away from him. “Your brother didn’t claim me,he earned me. There is a difference between the two that it seems you don’t understand.” I took a step toward him, letting shadow flow from my back.

“I will choose Landers every single time over some bond the universe did not give me a choice in. I choose my fate and who I love; you will not take that choice from me. And if you try, Iwillkill you.”

Cain lifted an impressed brow, the corners of his lips turning up as he took in the shadow crawling toward him.

“I do appreciate the sentiment, but you cannot kill me either. Once the bond is accepted, you cannot kill your mate.” My hearttumbled down my spine at his words and he chuckled at the color that drained from my skin.

The sound of stone crumbling crashed from the chamber and, for a second, I saw fear flash in Cain’s eyes as he slowly turned to face the opening and backed toward us.

The roar of a dragon sounded and the entire mountain quaked from the strength of it as my heart began violently beating. My hand flew into Landers’s and I pushed myself into his side. Instinctively, I reached for Dukovich, my fingers wrapping around his forearm and dragging him toward us. I could feel his pulse pumping as rapidly as my own as a buzz of energy hummed over the surface of my skin.

Five beings stepped from the opening into the clearing and my heart stopped in my chest as a dragon’s head ducked under the arch of the doors. I had thought Nithra was enormous, and she was, but these creatures—they were monstrous.

I couldn’t tell if I was breathing, couldn’t feel my heart beating as the first dragon pushed itself fully from the opening and roared fire into the skies. I watched as it pushed from the ground and soared into the heavens. Four more dragons followed, their wings stretching and pulling taut as they beat against the air and stirred up dust around us. My hair whipped around my face as I lifted a hand to shield my eyes from the debris.

The air stilled and Landers’s grip tightened around me. My eyes slid up to see his jaw flexing, the vein in his neck pumping quickly as his fingers slid from mine. He looked down at me for one moment, giving me a shallow nod then strode away from us. With each step he took toward them, my throat tightened, my stomach twisting around itself in fear.

“Well, as much fun as this has been, I think I will leave before the massacre starts,” Cain said, his voice full of forced confidence as his eyes flickered to mine.

He tried to hide it, but I could hear the panic pulling at every word. He moved to reach for me then stilled as Dukovich stepped between us.

“Touch her, and you will have the wrath of every realm to hide from,” Dukovich said, taking another step toward him.

“Are you bedding her too?” Cain deadpanned, smiling as he let his eyes fall to mine. “Are you giving everyone a turn, Dearie?”

The words barely left his lips when Dukovich’s hand clasped around his neck, cutting off his air supply.

“You will show your God some respect,” Dukovich snarled as Cain’s eyes widened and shot to mine. I watched as Dukovich’s grip tightened only for a second before he shoved Cain backwards and let him go.

Cain smiled, his fingers gliding over the reddened skin on his neck. “I will be seeing youverysoon.” And with a wink, he vanished before our eyes. My stomach dropped as I stared blankly at where he had been.

He was going to be a problem.

Thisbondwas going to be a problem.

“Come on,” Dukovich said, pulling on my arm as he strode past me toward Landers.