You can talk to whoever you want, I tell him forcefully. You might have been Queen's guard in the past, but now you are Mhal, a strong warrior who gets stronger by the day. A drakoni who protects his mate and his people instead of his queen.
My people. He rolls around the idea and decides he likes it. My people, my mate, and my child. I will protect them all.
I send him an absolute ambush of love, flooding his head with happiness. That's right. You can be more than you were. Being here doesn't mean it's the end of everything. We're the beginning of something new, something better.
I like that, too.
Below, people stream out of the barracks. I see two golden, naked bodies mixed in with the others, so those have to be the other drakoni—Gwen's Vaan and Rachel's Jurik. As we circle lower, I see a pale figure dressed in flowing, pale robes move forward. Azar.
Ugh. Well, we'd better get all of this over with, I suppose.
Will you let me eat one more person? His thoughts fill with Azar's face. I promise he will be the last.
No! If you eat him, I'll never kiss you again.
You like him that much?
No, I like kissing you. I don't like him at all…but just because I don't like him doesn't mean that he deserves to die, does it? If I went around killing everyone I didn't like I'd be… I pause, trying to think of a suitable connection.
You would be exactly as you are, because you like everyone. Mhal's thoughts are full of amused warmth. You say you do not like him, but you do not hate him either, because he protects the females in the fort. Even if his ways are wrong, there are things he does that you appreciate.
It's just that…they're vulnerable. No one looks out for women in the After. The fact that he does gives him a few points in my book. But only a few. I think of the ringing slap he gave poor Manda. Very, very few.
I'm going to keep that slap in mind when we do our bargaining, because I'm not going to back down. We have a list of demands, and if he doesn't give in, we're going elsewhere. I don't care if we're saving the universe—if we do it by trampling down others, we're the bad guys, too.
Courage, Mhal tells me. I am behind you all the way.
I know, love.
He lands amidst the crowd, deliberately close to where they stand, and forces them to scatter to make room for his bulk. I can feel his smirk of pleasure at watching them hastily move out of the way. He makes Azar scowl, too, which I know must feel good. Then, he sets me gently down in front of him and remains in his battle-form, looming protectively over me.
I stare at the surrounded people, a little uncomfortable. "Uh, hi."
Azar steps forward, his smile triumphant. "I see you've come to your senses and decided to do things my way," he declares. "Good."
"Wrong," I say immediately. "I've come back with a list of demands."
His face clouds up and fury practically vibrates through him. "What is it with you females and demands?"
"If you want our cooperation," I continue on, my voice casual. I pretend as if he's not speaking. "You have to give us a little something, too. If we can agree to work together, great. If not, we'll be moving on to another fort."
Silence.
The Salorian—Mhal's name for Azar's people—glares at both of us. He's silent for so long that my skin prickles with worry. Is he trying to take over Mhal on the sly to force our hand? I immediately reach out to my dragon. Is he pushing at your mind? Is he up to something?
Mhal's thoughts are confident and easy. He cannot. He has five dragons atop the walls. I do not think he can hold more. He had more once, I believe, but I suspect he could not handle them all. His thoughts blur for a moment, and he checks the “faces” of the dead-eyed dragons. There is a new one with them, too. My replacement.
His thoughts are sour. Mine explode with anger. We're stopping this today, I tell him. Right now.
I turn my gaze to Azar and the gathered audience. Melina is with them, dressed in one of her colorful gowns, so inappropriate for a doctor—or anyone in the After. Her face is expressionless, her mouth tight, and I don't know if she's mad at us or at Azar. Rachel and Gwen are a short distance away, gleeful expressions on their faces. Behind them are their drakoni mates, watching us.
They are with us, Mhal tells me. Jurik and Vaan do not like Azar's actions either. They have tried to get him to stop, but he insists he needs them to protect the city.