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  She could tell the conversation was quickly going in a direction she didn’t have time to deal with. That, and there was something very odd about the way he looked at her, something that worried her. So she abruptly left, jogging off down the street and ignoring him when he called after her.

  She couldn’t help but admire the city all around her, tall spires reaching to the heavens in coppers and golds.

  Hoping to stay off the major lanes, she turned onto a small cul-de-sac lined with similarly shaped buildings that would have looked like houses if not for the ruddy metallic color they all shared. Several men stood at the end of the cul-de-sac, milling about and chatting amongst themselves.

  She could scent they were all dragons, too, and she hoped at least one of them had some answers.

  They didn’t seem to notice her as she approached and stood in front of them. “Where can I find Mercury?” she asked.

  One man turned to her, a surprised expression on his face. “Er, at the palace. This afternoon, he’s going to be… Wait, a female dragon?” he said, stuttering at the end.

  “Where’s the palace?” she asked. At least someone knew where he was. There was a glimmer of hope.

  “Just up that way. You’re not from around here, are you?” another said, stepping forward and pointing up the hill at a gleaming, metallic-white spire that rose above all the others.

  For an instant, she saw Mercury’s face flash through her mind. She was close. She could feel it now.

  To her shock, while she’d been looking in the direction of the palace, one of the men had stepped closer to her and, without invitation, had begun stroking her hair.

  “So soft. So clean. So pretty,” he was muttering to himself.

  Marina snatched the man’s wrist and twisted it backward, making him grunt.

  “Keep your hands off me,” she demanded. But around her, the men’s eyes had turned a dull grayish-green, their faces vacant as they watched her with rapt, hungry attention.

  Then suddenly, the man’s other hand grabbed at her wrist, pulling her closer to him as she felt rage and desire in his gaze.

  “Make me,” he growled.

  As he knelt on the cold, metal floor, awaiting his presumable execution, Mercury felt an odd sensation tightening inside his chest that was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Not surprising since he might be about to die.

  A great hall rose far above the ground where he was chained, this time in a kneeling position, with his hands drawn behind him and locked into thick plates on the floor.

  The furnishings in the hall were fit for a king, with tinted windows casting unearthly colors all around him, the walls and ceilings shining in bright metallic colors of bronze, silver, gold. With a glance, he could note the ornate workmanship of every fixture, every inch of surface inscribed with decorative pictures, scrawls, and letters in a language foreign to him.

  Above him, perched at the top of a high flight of golden stairs, stood a towering throne, upon which was seated a regal-looking monarch. Next to him, on a similarly ornate throne, was a woman, presumably his queen. Both of them looked down at him, faces aged and drawn with lines.

  He couldn’t possibly imagine how old they were.

  Standing next to Mercury was a man holding a long metallic scroll, which he was in the act of reading aloud. Something about “crimes” and “punishment” and “dishonor.”

  Things that Mercury frankly didn’t give a damn about.

  At this point, he was just tired of chains and prisons. So very tired.

  Why couldn’t they just skip to the good part and end it all?

  But as the thought skipped through his mind, Marina’s face flashed before him, almost as if he could see her right there before him.

  She would be sad, and he didn’t like that.

  He shook his head, trying to rid himself of her countenance, but it was no use. It was still there, stuck like an image etched in the back of his mind.

  Why was she haunting him even now? She was impossibly far away, separated from him by untold space. She was an angel of light, an angel with a bright future ahead of her. A future that was better without Mercury in it.

  Why couldn’t he have just faded away into nothingness? Why was her kiss still burned into his soul, her smile, the pleading tone of her voice when she’d asked him for help?

  “And thus, the line of Mercury must end, never to be spoken of again,” the man standing next to Mercury said, finishing his droning and wrapping up the oversized scroll. All around him, men with spears lined the walls, presumably guards, all standing motionless and at attention.

  “Thus, it is the king’s will,” announced a man standing beside the overcompensating, large throne, this one in glittering green robes that reflected light coming through the windows.

  His bearing screamed “stooge.” Every ruler had one.

  A small group of men approached Mercury’s side, and Lead was at the front of them. Behind him was the guy with dark-silver hair and eyes who had come to visit him last night, and despite the frown on his face, he could still sense a resigned sadness in his expression.

  Lead came closer and kneeled in front of Mercury. Mercury wished he’d get closer so he could head-butt the idiot.

  Wouldn’t that make a good last hurrah?

  “Your ancestors weep with shame for what you’ve done,” Lead said darkly.

  Mercury couldn’t keep from grinning. “I never knew them, so I don’t owe them anything,” he said spitefully.

  Lead scoffed, then stood, addressing one of the men at his side. “Bring the Dragonslayer.”

  Oh, this was going to be good.

  He disappeared for a second behind a door at the end of the hall, then reappeared, a thick, metallic-looking cloth draped in his arms. In the middle of it was a thin blade, impossibly ornate, sheathed in a brightly colored scabbard.

  That looked nasty.

  Mercury was practically counting the seconds until his demise. He was so done with these dragons and their honor.

  His heart couldn’t take another second of wishing he could see Marina one more time. Feel her hair, her skin. Kiss her.

  This was better for everyone.

  “I’ll make this quick,” Lead said coldly down to Mercury as he pulled the sword from the cloth, then withdrew the blade from its sheath. The blade glowed with an alien red hue, the air humming in Mercury’s ears as Lead came up to him.

  But instead of terror at the thought of losing everything, Mercury felt a strange calm wash over him, as if fate herself were nodding in agreement with this.

  Lead raised the blade, pointing it straight at Mercury’s heart.

  Too bad Mercury knew there was nothing but a gaping hole where his heart should have been.

  He looked down at the ground, taking one last breath, when he heard an incredibly loud crash behind him. He looked over his shoulder, unable to fight his curiosity even in his last moments, and saw the impossible.

  Running through the humongous brass doors was Marina, golden hair flowing behind her like a roman goddess as she rushed into the great hall. Behind her, Mercury could make out the shapes of men chasing her at top speed, and for a moment, he could feel his fingers twitch with rage.

  Marina, acting fast, grabbed the doors and slammed them shut just in time. The sounds of fruitless pounding sounded for a moment, then stopped as Marina turned her back to the door, facing the rest of the room.

  Though Mercury couldn’t see them, he could feel the uncanny stillness in the room as all eyes were on Marina. Beside him, the courtier stood agape, stock still, and Mercury wished he had eyes in the back of his head so he could see Lead’s dumb silence as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

  Mercury couldn’t help stifling a laugh at the absurdity of it all.

  Truly, the universe had an interesting sense of humor.

  Chapter 4

  Marina’s heart raced as she pressed her body against the closed door, glad to have a huge slab of ornat
e, heavy metal between her and the gigantic, desperate men that had been chasing her.

  She was used to being pursued, both by humans in her time and in the modern world, but never like this, by dragon men with so much hunger in their eyes it took her breath away.

  And not in a good way.

  She exhaled, focusing in on the room in front of her. Metal walls all around her glittered with ornate decoration. Metal tiles in a sand-blasted, matte finish stretched out in front of her.

  And there were people all around the periphery of the room, watching her.

  At the front of the room was a raised area where a few steps led up to a landing with two ornate thrones, where a man and a woman were sitting, watching the scene intently. A thin man wearing green robes stood by the thrones, glaring at her with glittering eyes.

  She jerked her gaze to the center of the room and was startled to see a man there, chained and kneeling. His muscular body was turned away from her, but when he glanced at her over his shoulder, her heart leapt instantly in recognition.

  Silver-gray hair, piercing eyes, a sharp, aristocratic face. And then a hoarse laugh as he shook his head, as if he found the whole situation hilarious.

  Mercury.

  She wanted to slump in relief, but given that he was chained in the middle of the floor and Lead was in front of him, holding up a mean-looking, thin blade while everyone else in the room watched, there wasn’t time.

  “Mercury!” Marina said, running forward to get to him as soon as possible.

  “Stop her! Don’t let her near the prisoner!” the thin man at the front of the room yelled.

  At the command, she saw a handful of men step up beside Lead, making an intimidating semicircle. When she’d met them before, they’d been relaxed, amused even, but right now they looked like hardened warriors who meant business.

  They each drew swords and held them at their sides, waiting for their next command.

  The room was totally silent, except for Mercury’s laughter, which had a harsh, bitter tone to it.

  “Shut up,” Lead snapped, his sword lowering slightly as he awaited his next command.

  Marina looked to the man and woman who stood at the front of the room, dressed in beautiful robes, who appeared to be royals of some kind. They were looking at her with curiosity, but no enmity, and she guessed they were her best bet for help.

  “Please free this man immediately,” she said, looking directly at them.

  The thin man next to the king scowled, folding his arms. “Why should we?”

  But the king, a regal, tall man with white hair and a long beard and a warrior’s presence, stood, putting a hand to his aide. “Silence, Nilo. I wish to hear this.” His keen, whitish-silver eyes pinned on Marina. “Why?”

  “Because his life belongs to me. He’s my responsibility, and I’ve come to bring him home.”

  The king waved his hand once more, and the guards in a line in front of the steps stood down as he got up from the throne and began walking down the steps, approaching her.

  “You’ve come a long way, haven’t you, Earth dragon?”

  “Yes,” she said firmly. “I made a promise.”

  Mercury looked over his shoulder at that, and his eyes flickered slightly, his expression surprised.

  Laughter and now surprise from Mercury. So many new things today.

  The king paced around her in a slow circle, and she felt as if the air were practically buzzing with anticipation. His robes shimmered with an array of various unknown metals all finely woven together.

  His eyes were piercing, in sockets deeply lined by responsibility and time. “A promise. And what are you willing to do for the sake of your promise?”

  The thin man in green, Nilo, spoke up. “My liege, you can’t possibly be thinking…”

  The king simply cut him a glare that resulted in instant silence. He turned back to Marina. “So you’ll do anything for this criminal?”

  “Yes, I’d give my life for him,” Marina said.

  “Such honor,” the king said, stepping back with folded arms, making his metallic robes shimmer. “I hadn’t thought Earth dragons possessed it.” He seemed pleased. “Very well. If you agree to offer yourself for a right of union challenge, then Mercury may go.”

  Marina stared at him. At first, her heart had calmed slightly at the words “Mercury may go.” But what was a right of union challenge?

  The king’s eyebrow raised. “Lead, you seem to know this Earth dragon. Explain.”

  “There would be a tournament in your honor,” Lead said dully, stepping forward. His eyes seemed to almost be warning her off. “Six of the strongest dragons from the most honorable of houses will fight for your hand, exhibiting their strength and fortitude. On the third day, you will select your final two. After they fight, you make your decision and pick the winner. The dragon you choose will become your… mate is how it would be referred to on Earth.”

  “It is the highest of honors to be challenged for,” the king explained. “Once you accept your union, you will be given wealth, status, anything you could imagine to make your way in our society. But your decision would be final.”

  She heard a sharp intake of breath and looked over to see Mercury glaring at her steadily. He gave a small shake of his head, and his eyes seemed to scream, I’m not worth it.

  She swallowed, ready to accept the offer. She didn’t care about wealth or status. The true treasures in life were the people she loved, and Mercury, despite all his difficult personality quirks, had become one of them.

  She was ready to keep her promise, and she knew fate would take care of the rest.

  “I accept,” she said.

  “Very well,” the king said, smiling and returning to the queen, who was still waiting on her throne, watching calmly. He sat next to her and gestured something to Lead.

  “Release the prisoner,” Lead commanded, and some guards stepped forward.

  “What will happen to him now?” Marina asked quickly, suddenly realizing she’d saved his life, but not been promised anything beyond that. Would she even get to say good-bye to him?

  “He has been pardoned. My men will return him to Earth,” the king said. “He’s survived this long, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

  Marina bit her lower lip, realizing for the first time the situation she was in. She was on a new planet, and she’d just given up her life and freedom to save a prisoner who probably deserved what he was getting.

  And now he was going free back to Earth. Maybe he would at least act worthy of the gift she’d given him. Maybe try to turn over a new leaf and not go trying to wreak havoc on the Earth dragons.

  She had to hope.

  She heard the clanking of chains as Mercury was released, but couldn’t see him because of guards all around him.

  Meanwhile, guards were moving toward her, gently guiding her toward the front of the room where the king was sitting.

  “I challenge!”

  She heard a slight scuffle and then saw Mercury shove free of the guards, his chains falling to the ground in a loud cacophony of sound.

  He was standing taller than she’d ever seen him, shirtless and pale, chest heaving, expression seething.

  “As the house of Mercury, I challenge for right of union,” he said darkly.

  The room went completely silent, and Marina looked over at Lead, whose expression of jaw-dropping shock mirrored the riotous feelings in her heart.

  He had confused her many times, but never as much as right now.

  What was going on? What had he just said?

  Had he gone truly insane?

  Mercury looked at the shocked faces of the people around him. Lead’s jaw looked as though it would have dropped to the floor if it were possible. The others watched him with a wide array of disturbed, confused, angry, and indifferent looks.

  Marina’s eyes had widened slightly, her lips parted as if to say something, but nothing came out.

  Mercury would have laughed again if not fo
r the fact that he was the clown this time.

  Marina had just offered him freedom, sacrificed herself for his well-being under the auspices of keeping some unnecessary promise she’d made for his sake. He was off, scot-free.

  And yet here he was, invoking the name of the dead family he never knew so he could fight other dragons for her.

  Marina’s mouth closed, her stunned silence saying more than a thousand words as she took a single step forward. The air was thick with tension so heavy it made the execution a moment ago feel like a party in comparison.

  But as much as it felt like the old Mercury would have left without even a second thought, just taken his freedom and ran, he somehow couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Marina here alone on this planet. Not with all these honor-bound weirdos hovering around her like vultures.

  No, he’d win this damn challenge, take Marina back to her home where he was sure her sobbing brothers and friends would receive her with open arms, and then find himself some abandoned corner of Earth far away from anyone he could harm. Far from Marina’s blue eyes, deeper than the sea. Far from her flaxen hair the color of spun gold, far from her smile that felt sharper than the silver dragon’s blade had been in his chest.

  Maybe the weather on Mount Everest was good at this time of year.

  “Is my hearing wrong? You can’t possibly be saying what I think you’re saying,” Lead sputtered, breaking the silence, but not the awkwardness as he stepped forward.

  Mercury couldn’t hold back a slight grin, seeing the huge brute stumbling over his words.

  “You have no house. No lineage. No knowledge of your history. This is unacceptable,” Lead sputtered.

  “My liege, I agree. This is untenable,” Nilo, the king’s stooge, said.

  Mercury looked up at the throne, wishing his stare could send actual daggers at the imbecile for butting in.

  The king remained silent, his fingers tented in front of him as he took several prolonged seconds to consider his response.