Chapter 132: The Dragon’s Bargain
DRAGON LORD THERON POV
The vampire’s blade whistled past my ear, missing by inches.
"Foolish bloodsucker," I growled, taking Marcus by the throat and lifting him off the ground. "I came here to help, not fight."
"Then why did you attack first?" he gasped, grabbing at my hand.
I set him down gently and stepped back. Around us, the other magical creatures Elder Malin had gathered were still tense and ready to fight. The witches had their power crackling around their fingers. The werewolves were half-shifted, showing their fangs.
"I didn’t attack," I said quietly. "I tried you. How did you think I was going to trust you with my life if I didn’t know if you could fight?"
The truth was more complex than that. Dragons don’t just make agreements with anyone. We’re proud beings, and we’ve been burned before by trusting the wrong people. The last time I worked with other supernaturals, half of them betrayed me when things got scary.
But Elder Malin’s sacrifice had shown me something important. The old werewolf had given his life to save one girl. Not because she was powerful or useful, but because he thought she was worth saving.
That kind of belief was rare. And it made me think maybe these creatures were different.
"Elder Malin is dead," revealed Luna, the silver-haired witch. "I can feel it. His life force is gone."
A heavy silence fell over the group. Even though we’d only known the old monster for a few minutes, his death hit us all hard. He’d brought us together, and now he was gone.