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Dani looks at me with confusion in her eyes.

I mentally reach out to her to use her light and give her an encouraging nod; I watch Dani close her eyes serenely. She gathers energy between her palms until a soft glow emanates. The shimmering orb brightens dramatically. Cradling this sphere, Dani fixes her gaze on the sentinel.

"My services aren't free," she says boldly. "I'll take that trinket you're hiding as payment."

Grinning, I admire her nerve facing down this ancient being—the tension mounts during the guardian's lengthy silence.

Finally, it speaks, a touch of awe coloring its gravelly voice. It fixes Dani with its intense gaze. "You carry a great burden. Much needs to be done, and it may cost you your life. Are you aware of this? Are you ready—”

But before it can finish its warning, Dani quickly interrupts. "Listen up, pebble nuts," she spats. "I'm exhausted and monumentally pissed off. I've nearly died a dozen fucking times on this bullshit quest. Nearly falling to my death upon our arrival in this shithole cave, which was a cosmic mindfuck. Savage-ass dogs tried to rip my damn face off. Oh, and my parents and very good friend were freaking brutally murdered! All for the sake of some ancient prophecy that says I must save all your asses."

My jaw drops, slack with disbelief, as she lets loose — a verbal assault that doesn't let up. Meanwhile, Adrian's face is a frigging disaster, etched with pure panic as he flicks his desperate eyes toward Dani. He's shitting bricks, worried she's crossing lines that should never even be approached.

Judging by the stunned quiet smacking us in the face, no one's ever had the balls to spit fire at a guardian like this. Adrian's look says it all — he's damn sure she's treading some seriously thin ice here.

"So how about you stop with the vague mystical horseshit and move your stony ass out of my way. I'm the Light-Born, fucking Chosen One, Princess of goddamn Destiny. Just let me get this relic to finish what I'm destined to do. Then, we can all get the hell on with our lives. Comprende?"

My cock instantly swells. Dani's fiery, sassy outburst ignites a savage lust within me. I hunger to pin her down and take her right now, shutting up that dirty mouth with my cock. I'll grip her hair and growl in her ear to wreck her pretty pussy as punishment for being such a foul-mouthed brat.

Erik and Adrian exchange surprised looks, smirking. But I only have eyes for Danica, utterly enraptured by her spirit.

She locks eyes with the guardian and then smirks. "Do I pass your inspection, oh wise one?" Her tone is laced with sarcasm as she awaits its response.

The guardian steps aside slowly, stone scraping stone. It clears the entrance, opening our path forward. As the dust settles, I'm awed by Dani's steadfast bravery. "Shall we?" She suggests.

I can't help but smirk at my feisty little Angel. Soon as we get home, I'll dominate her completely, fucking her into total submission—loving every second of me taming that mouth.

Danica

72

Maybe I didn't need to be so harsh with that overgrown rock collection. But I was at the end of my rope dealing with his mystical gatekeeper bullshit. I only want to grab the relic and finish this heroic quest. Then, we can move on with the next thing of this prophesied nonsense. If I came across as a little bratty, so be it. I wasn't about to take any crap from some ornery stone golem. Not after the endless parade of bullshit I've endured leading up to this point.

A shiver runs through me as we step through the arched doorway. I can feel the energy radiating from the hulking stone guardian looming over us. My heart pounds in my chest, the sound echoing off the walls like drums as we creep into the chamber.

In the room's center lies an expansive mosaic of intricate symbols etched into the floor, glowing faintly in the dim light. The tapestry of interconnected shapes and swirling lines is astonishing in its beauty and complexity. I'm struck breathless, taking it all in.

As I approach the mysterious carvings, my boots scuffing lightly on the smooth floor, a tingle runs up my toes in anticipation. I brush my foot against a slight indentation on the floor. A low hum suddenly fills the chamber, making the walls vibrate. The floor splits open with a grinding rumble, ancient stone slabs parting like a quilt coming undone. From below rises a marble pillar engraved with a single symbol. We all gasp collectively, transfixed as it ascends.

My eyes widen, and my jaw drops as I stare at the pillar's surface—a bright blue emblem depicting three interlocked wavy lines glimmers in the half-light.

"Wow," I whisper incredulously.

Adrian steps closer, hand tracing over the carving. "Water," he murmurs.

Rhyland and his brothers spread out, each standing before a symbol on the mosaic floor. They press down, and more marble pillars rise up in response, engraved with different images.

"This one is fire," Rhyland announces, pointing at a stylized flame. I wander over and see it dancing in shades of orange and gold.

"This symbol is for air," Erik calls across the chamber, gesturing to a carving of swirls.

"I believe this represents light," Adrian muses as I join him by a pillar with a circle emitting rays.

I examine two more pillars, muttering "Earth" at the mountain symbol. But the last carving is unfamiliar, a circular shape I can't place.

"What do you think this is?" I ask the others. They gather around, Adrian's fingers tracing over the grooves.

"Magic," he declares with dawning realization. "Of course—magic has to represent the Fae realm."