“I can already see that brain of yours running on overdrive, trying to figure out a way Kingston out of this mess, but you can't. You cannot interfere, girl. No matter how much you want to, you have to let this play out. Have no doubt that the Fates are on your man's side. His destiny has already been written. There's nothing you can do,” Gerri said.
“She's right,” Malia said. ”And if you were to interfere, Kingston would have to forfeit the challenge. No one is allowed to obstruct anything. Not even one of his brothers. That's what Jace told me.”
Emmy nodded, not knowing what else to do. There was not a damn thing she could say, or apparently do, other than watch as her man was challenged by his evil uncle.
“If I didn't know better, I’d think that this hadThe Lion Kingwritten all over it,” she said.
Kingston turned to her. “What did you say?” His eyes glowed, deeper than she had ever seen them.
“I said this feels like the movieThe Lion King. You know where Simba’s uncle Scar kills Mufasa because he wants the pride lands for his own. I keep waiting to see the hyenas show up any second.”
“Motherfucker! Why didn't I see this before?”
“See what?” she asked.
“I need you to stay out of the way. Jace will keep an eye on you and keep you safe.” Kingston’s lips closed over hers in a quick yet passionate kiss.
He quickly turned his back on her and went to face his uncle.
Emmy had no idea what the hell to expect, but she could say for certain that she never once expected Kingston to open his human mouth and spew fire out of it. For some reason, she thought that he could only do that in dragon form. Boy, was she wrong.
He had created a perfect circle of flames around himself and his uncle. The small crowd gasped as she had. Apparently, they were just as surprised. As was his uncle, by the look on his face.
“How did you do that?” Agazon asked.
“It's funny, Uncle, how the heir's powers change once he finds his mate. You see, over the last couple of days, I felt my strength growing and growing until I knew for certain that all of the ancestors’ powers, all of their energy, now ran through my veins. I guess there was some truth to the old stories regarding the covenant,” Kingston said.
The crowd gasped again, not expecting the answer that he had given.
“It can't be. You are lying!” Agazon shouted as a rush of fear washed over his face.
“You feel the truth of my words. You feel our ancestors’ power seeping from my veins that’s been contained in this circle,” Kingston said.
Emmy was surprised by how calm he seemed. He didn't even bother to raise his voice. If that would have been her in that circle, she would have been screaming her damn head off.
“You killed my father, didn't you?” Kingston asked, as calm as could be.
Emmy had to give him credit. He didn't show a single emotion. That was some scary as shit. When you knew someone was living, but outward, they were as cool as a cucumber. She knew from experience that's when someone had reached the nuclear stage. If she didn't know better, she'd say his uncle is in big trouble. Big, big trouble.
“It's not what you think. I didn't kill him on purpose. It was an accident. You have to believe me,” Agazon stuttered.
“Bullshit. Sweet Jesus! You were always jealous of him. Jealous of the fact that he was going to be king and not you. So you wanted to put an end to it. And end to him. To my father. To our king. You wanted to destroy our clan. Don't deny it. Be a man and fess up to your sins before you meet your maker.”
Now, Emmy knew exactly why he had asked her what she said.
“Fine, you little shit. I killed him. I killed my brother, and if you think for one second that I regret it, you're wrong. He didn't deserve to be king. He didn't deserve this clan. And neither do you. But luckily …”
Emmy’s eyes widened. Her mouth made on O when Kingston’s wings popped out of his back … while he was still in human form. With one quick swish of his wing, his uncle's head rolled across the ground, separating from his body.
Once again, everyone gasped in surprise as the events unfolded. The fire circle died down and slowly stopped completely.
Kingston turned to face the crowd. “To kill one of our own, a king at that, can only be punished in one way. Our ancestors have given me their powers, their energy to right the wrongs. To lead our clan into the future. If anyone has a problem with that, I will create a new circle, and we can discuss it there,” Kingston said, eyeing the crowd.
When Emmy glanced around at all those in attendance. She was shocked to see all of them … every single dragon … had taken a knee to honor their new king.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
Two weeks later