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His end game is a complete mystery to me. If he really does want me dead, which it’s looking pretty likely that he does, then surely it would have been easier just to try and kill me off at the academy or on a job? Hell, it would have been easier to kill me anywhere else but here, at the Choosing. His motivation isn’t really clear either.

Before I saw him at the academy, I had never met him before, I am one hundred percent sure of that. He had it out for me from the second that he saw me, and it would be impossible to make someone want to kill you that quickly, even for me. Surely he can’t hate the guys that much. The dislike that he seems to have for them is pretty extreme in itself, but it’s clear from the treatment of Coen that his hate is extreme.

The anger that floods me at the thought of Coen being controlled by Kylen is extreme, and I feel my magic stir in anger too. The feeling is such a surprise that it distracts me enough that my anger dies. Smiling, I can’t help but be pleased that my magic is as angry as I am about the situation because hopefully that means that if, no fuck that, when the opportunity presents itself and I can get that stupid necklace off Kylen’s neck and figure out how to destroy it, hopefully my magic will help me do it.

I really hope it does because I’m not entirely sure that I’m going to be capable of getting hold of it without some sort of help. Not only amI not a supernatural, but dragons are notorious for how well they protect their treasure, otherwise known as their hoards, and I would be incredibly surprised if Kylen doesn’t consider the necklace a part of his hoard.

A dragon’s hoard isn’t necessarily things like jewels or gold, although for some dragons that is true. A hoard can be anything, and is extremely personal to the dragon, they protect them with deadly ferocity. I have met dragons whose hoards have been stamps, mugs, buckles, bottle tops, and my absolute favorite, books. Coen’s hoard is weapons, all weapons, from all time periods and realms, and I was lucky enough that he showed me a small portion of it. It was a huge honor, especially since usually a dragon’s hoard is only shared with their true mate, and their other half.

“How are we going to get the necklace off Kylen?” I ask suddenly, interrupting the conversation that the guys were having, which I’m pretty certain I was supposed to be a part of.

It takes them a moment to pick up where my train of thought has come from, but they soon easily switch up the conversation to match me.

“I don’t know, if I’m being honest,” Van replies with a frown.

“We’ve been so busy and focusing on the Choosing tasks that we haven’t really thought about how we’re going to get the necklace from Kylen, it was just sort of left as we’re or rather you are, going to get the necklace from Kylen since you’re likely to be near him more him than we are,” River replies, also with a frown, but this time I think it’s more because of the idea of me having to be that close to Kylen, rather than the fact that we’ve still got to get the necklace.

I nod, “Yeah, it’s just I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to get it. I don’t even know if I’ve got another task with them or not.”

“I think it’s probably likely that you will. We’ve got two days of trials left, so it would stand to reason that one will be with us, and one will be with the Draconian team,” Reed replies.

“I don’t like the idea of you getting that close to Kylen,” Ransom frowns. “We think that he might be trying to kill you, and getting close enough to snag the necklace is going to give him the perfect opportunity to hurt you.”

I frown, “Yeah, that thought had crossed my mind. I don’t know how else we could get away with it, though.”

The guys are all silent for a moment, and I try to think of a way around it.

“The only thing that we could really do is to wait, and not get Coen out now,” Doc says, clearly not liking the idea.

“We could, but I don’t like it,” Raiden says. “He’s suffered enough, and I have a feeling that he’s suffered far more than we realize. I want him out as soon as possible.”

“We all do,” Doc agrees.

“But we also can’t put Neith at risk,” Raiden adds, pushing a branch out of the way with more force than strictly necessary.

An idea occurs to me.

It’s a risky one for sure, and its suggestion will give the guys more of an idea of what I am capable of, and the sorts of things that I have done, but it’s a good idea, and they’re going to find out eventually anyway.

“How much trouble am I going to get in if I murder him?” I ask casually.

The guys all start chuckling, apart from River, whose gaze is intensely studying my features.

“You’re serious,” River says, as a statement and not a question.

His words have the guy’s laughter dying, and they stop in their tracks as they turn to look at me.

Doc raises his eyebrow curiously, while River tries to hide his smirk. Of course, River was the one who recognized that I was being serious; he is the one who does the torture when it’s needed. Like tends to recognize like, and my darker side would probably surprise them, especially since they probably think that they have already seen my darker side.

“Are you serious?” Griff asks, more curious than repulsed by the idea, which is kind of reassuring.

I shrug, “Well, the only reason why I’m not one hundred percent certain that I can get the necklace off Kylen is because I need to keep him alive. If I can kill him, then I can have the necklace in my hands in maybe five minutes max.”

The guy’s eyes widen, River’s, Raiden’s, and Griff’s eyes all fill with heat, making me smile and my own curiosity rise.

Interesting.

“Just let me double check that I am understanding you properly,” Reed starts, his eyes beginning to heat with desire as well. “You aren’t worried because you may die, or because you can’t do it, but more because you can do it, but keeping him alive while you do get the necklace is going to be difficult.”