I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. I can’t cry out to him. Not here, not now. What was he doing here? Had he come searching for me and the Irukas caught him?
Blake met my gaze. In the light, I made out a blackened eye and a bloodied lip. I had jumped forward a few steps before remembering Jocelyn would not show kindness for Blake’s predicament. Jocelyn’s disdain for him was pretty clear in her bedroom two days ago. Or had I been gone longer?
I couldn’t blame Blake for coming after me; I would’ve done the same thing in his shoes. Reading relief in his expression, I knew he’d been worried over my safety. If only he’d waited a bit longer to come! I was going to make my escape tonight. Although, seeing how the Defenders kept casting glances at me, I began to wonder just how easy escaping would’ve been after all.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?” Kory drawled out as a few of the Defenders hooted.
“Kory, this is madness,” Blake said firmly, not seeming to mind the Defender holding on to him.
“Madness? You showing up here is madness. I must say, I thought you’d come a bit more prepared. I mean, what did you expect to find?” Kory’s laugh was mirthless. “I knew you’d figure out what needed to be done, eventually. See the wisdom in my plans. So I’m going to assume since you came so… unarmed… that you must be ready to join our great cause.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” Blake demanded. “You’re creating monsters! Why on earth would I want to be a part of that?” Blake shot the four ancients who hovered near Kory withering looks.
They dropped their heads, refusing to meet his gaze.
“Because, my dear, old friend,” Kory drawled, “this is all inevitable. Dragons are the superior race. We’re stronger, faster, and live so much longer. Humans will be a thing of the past. And when this new world begins, there will need to be some kind of order to the madness. I don’t know why you refuse to see it. I’m not creating monsters; I’m creating trained soldiers who can help keep things from unraveling. You can’t keep sticking your head in the sand. When are you going to man up?”
Blake’s eyes narrowed. “Man up? Is that what you were doing when you injected my brother? Tricked him into becoming something you knew nothing about? Now he fights a demon within himself. Then you had the gall to trick me into killing him for you! Was that all you manning up, Kory?” he retorted. His words caused a ripple through the crowd.
Apparently, the Defenders knew nothing of Jaxon. Still, the four ancients would not meet Blake’s piercing gaze. Amazing how he could command so much authority with his arms still pinned behind him.
“I agree with you on one thing,” Blake continued as Kory shifted his weight. “I won’t stick my head in the sand anymore. I can’t pretend the Dragon Fae world doesn’t exist. Because it does, and I’m proud to be a part of it. But,” his word rang out over the crowd, “creating super soldiers from bug DNA is not the answer. We can’t control them. We will never be able to control them.”
The Defenders looked to Kory, their black eyes widening.
“Oh,” Kory crowed, “that’s where you’re wrong. These are good men. They want to defend the innocent. I’m sorry, truly, for what happened with Jaxon. I never meant for it to turn out like that.” Kory frowned. “Jaxon came to me, begging to be able to help watch over you, his kid brother. I thought the desire to protect and fight for something he loved would be enough to keep the monster at bay. But I was wrong.”
“You never told him there was a difference! You never gave him a choice. Which makes me wonder—did you even give these people a choice? Did they know they didn’t have to become bugs? That they could still fight and be warriors as dragons? Why give them the extra demon to fight within themselves?”
As the argument moved between the two, I noticed how the Defenders’ gazes would shift, listening to both intently. Maybe this was the moment we needed. Maybe Blake could reason with the Defenders, make them see whose side they should be on.
“They’ve overcome their demons, and now they have the strength of thousands of dragons. And yes, I did give them a choice,” Kory retorted.
“How?” Blake demanded. “If what you said is really true, how did they do it?”
Kory snorted. “Your precious girlfriend helped us. Or didn’t you know that already?”
Blake shook his head. “Samantha has nothing to do with this.”
“Not Samantha—Sammy. I must say, Blake, you’re one dirty dude. Got yourself two girls for the price of one. That’s the thing of daydreams, right?”
Seeing Blake straining to lunge for Kory, his wings a blur of movement, I hauled back and punched Kory in the arm—hard. Kory whirled around, shock in his eyes.
“Hey, that’s my sister you’re talking about,” I hissed back at him, praying Jocelyn would have had enough decency to defend my honor.
Kalepe’s monstrous form had easily stopped Blake’s struggling, holding him in place. Hearing no cry of anguish, I hoped the popping sounds I’d heard weren’t Blake bones. Maybe Kalepe wasn’t trying to actually hurt Blake. Not yet, anyway.
Kory seemed to consider me for a moment, his eyes sweeping my frame, leaving goose bumps across my skin. Can he tell? Maybe the gag is up.
“You never cared what I said before,” Kory muttered under his breath, but then he shrugged, pointing to Blake in Kalepe’s arms. “Well, I can’t just let you go, now can I, Blake? You know where my Defenders are. I can’t risk you running off to tell Tonbo.” He gritted his teeth. “I can’t stand how you worship that man.”
“Don’t kid yourself; you only wish Tonbo still held you in high regard. You’re nothing more than a spoiled brat,” Blake sneered.
Kory grimaced as his eyes narrowed. “You’re a bigger damn fool than I’d thought. I couldn’t care less what that old man thinks,” he growled. “You leave me no choice, Blake. If you aren’t going to join my cause, you’ll only get in my way.” He scowled. Looking at Kalepe, he commanded, “Do what must be done.”
“No,” I gasped, shrinking back at Kory’s hard stare. He waited, and I stuttered, trying to formulate my thoughts. “Maybe he will change his mind if he sees what these Defenders can do. He’s only been around his brother. He hasn’t seen how different they are from what his brother became.” Funny how the straight-up truth was the best answer I could come up with at the moment.
Kory’s lips twitched, his eyes darting between Blake and me, a smile spreading across his face. “You know, you’re right, Jocelyn. Take him down to the cages, Kalepe. Maybe spending some time by the unchanged will help him see how different my Defenders are.”
“Yes,” I agreed, even though I wasn’t so sure anymore that I’d saved Blake from a worse fate. Hoping to convince Kory he’d want Blake alive, I added, “Blake could influence Tonbo’s followers. Get more on your side.”
Kory glanced over at me, his expression hard to read in the fire-lit night. “Perhaps he can.” There was something in his tone that sent the hairs on the back of my neck on end, but I couldn’t focus on what it was. Kalepe forcing Blake away captivated all of my attention.
Two additional Defenders had to manhandle Blake’s struggling form before he was contained enough to fly away. It sickened me, but it delighted Kory, who clapped like it’d been the evening entertainment.