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“What are you supposed to do? What are you here to destroy?” Ari pushes, and the Drake huffs, eyes returning back to mine, but not before he takes a moment to stare at my hair.

“You are the necromancer,” he points out, redirecting the conversation and ignoring Ari’s questions.

“What makes you say that?”

“Your hair.”

Of course, he’s familiar with the fact that my hair darkening in certain spots is linked to my magic.

“What does my magical ability have to do with anything?” I ask, irritated with the distraction the Drake is causing.

“If you’re the necromancer, that means your name is… Raven, correct?”

I still, my mouth going dry, but tamp everything down and focus on remaining unfazed. “Correct.”

With the confirmation from me, a sudden movement behind him catches my attention as more and more Drakes appear.

“Raven,” Brax warns as Ari growls, ready to attack, while Gia and Figgins inch closer to me.

Before anyone can make the first attacking move, the Drake standing front and center lowers to the ground, knees pressing into the dirt with his head tipped. The second he’s in position, the others follow.

I frown, staring at the group of Drakes kneeling before us as they shift before our eyes one by one.

They’re not magical creatures.

They’re men.

Shifters.

What the fuck?

“Raven, we are the Brotherhood of the Drakes. We pledge to help with all that we are, all that we could be, and all we wish to be.”

They speak in sync, causing my throat to clog and my pulse to thump in my ears as I gape at them.

“They’re pledging an oath to you,” Brax mutters, stating the obvious as he stares in disbelief too.

“Why are they doing that?” Figgins asks, like I have any idea myself, but thankfully, the Drake, or the man who was the Drake, answers for me.

“We believe in the necromancer.”

I shake my head. “Erikel may be trying to play me like a puppet, but I am not on his side or under his control. Pledging yourselves to me will not end how you envision.”

“Oh, I believe it will.” He rises, confirming that he doesn’t, in fact, have a single stitch of clothing on. “Our agreement with Erikel was voided the moment he imprisoned us here and went back on his word.”

“What was your agreement?” Ari grunts at the same time Brax speaks too.

“You can’t go back on a pledged oath.”

Silence descends over the forest as the Brotherhood of Drakes all stand, revealing far too much limp dick for my preference. I hear Figgins splutter on her next breath, and I fight back a chuckle at the current turn of events.

“We have never pledged an oath before. We know the value of it,” the original Drake states, planting his hands on his hips, all casual as hell.

“So, you didn’t offer him the same,” Brax clarifies, and the Drake shakes his head in confirmation.

“Why?” I ask, the question slipping from my mouth without thought.

“Because he won’t join the realms and set us all free,” he explains with a simple shrug.