Elara yanked Serena out of Dex's arms. Harder than she meant to.
Serena registered the pressure, the urgency, and knew Elara would not have done that unless it mattered.
"Please excuse us," Elara said smoothly, already pulling Serena down the corridor.
They didn't speak until they were out of earshot.
"You have a rash on your neck," Elara commented. "I know you heard something. Where do you need to go?"
Serena smiled faintly. "Damn, you're too good sometimes."
She turned without explanation, taking a narrow passage that led downward, toward the library. Elara followed immediately, close enough to be a shadow.
Alert. Tense. Already halfway to violence on Serena's behalf.
It was only then that Serena became aware of the heat. And not just the mark burning on her arm. All of her. She was burning up.
She slipped her cloak off and draped it over the back of a chair just inside the library entrance. Elara did the same without comment.
Serena spoke in Draken-Vorah and reopened the vault, ignoring Elara's stunned expression.
She entered, not bothering to check for dark magic.
Sure enough, she felt a hum coming from a large treasure chest.
She tried to lift it, but it was extremely heavy. Even with the strength Dex's venom gave her.
So she began to push. She shoved her full body weight against it, moving it an inch.
"Shit, this is heavy," she muttered, panting.
Elara entered the vault, trying to help her. The two of them in full makeup, hair done, wearing closed-toe high-heeled pumps in skin-tight, long-sleeve gowns adorned with jewels, trying to shove a damn treasure chest. Their faces were red.
"You look like you're in labour," Elara wheezed.
"You sound like a nun who just saw her first dick," Serena snapped back.
"You have sex twice and now you're making dick jokes," Elara said, heaving air in between every word.
They tried for another minute. Stopped. Looked at one another. Looked back at the chest. And tried again.
Two future leaders of Drakenfell. Currently defeated by a chest and too stubborn to mindlink their mates for help.
Another minute went by of them struggling.
Dex, Tiberon, and Hyran entered the vault. Both girls were too focused to notice.
"Fascinating," Hyran remarked dryly.
Both girls screamed at the same time. Serena's hand flew to her chest, heart pounding.
"Two women in formalwear attempting to relocate a five-hundred-pound artifact. Truly the pinnacle of strategic planning," Hyran continued unbothered.
"We almost had it," Serena said.
"You did not almost have it," Hyran replied rolling his eyes.
"Don't stop on our account." Dex grinned and shook his head. "That was genuinely the most entertaining thing I've seen all week."
Hyran looked at Serena, eyes sharp. "You left a treasure vault fully unlocked, allowed three people to enter without detection, and didn't bother to have me scan. You're lucky I don't sense any dark magic in here." He paused. "Protocol exists for a reason."
"Oh. Right. That," Serena replied. "Understood."
Only then did Dex take in how red Serena's face was from trying to move the chest.
"You moved it what, two inches?" He crossed his arms, still grinning. "At this rate, you'd have it out by next winter."
He made his way over to the chest, treading carefully with his blood oath. He couldn't reveal he heard, not yet. As long as he didn't ask or mention it, he was in the clear.
"Step aside," Tiberon instructed. "We'll handle it."
Dex nodded, already positioning himself on one side. "Try not to swoon."
"I'll contain myself," Serena replied flatly.
Elara stepped back immediately, looking entirely too relieved. "Take it. Take all of it. I'm done."
Dexmon and Tiberon gripped either side of the chest and lifted. It was heavy, but they were both Alphas. Muscles strained, but they carried it out into the main part of the library without ceremony, setting it down with a solid thud.
Serena followed, then knelt down in front of it. Her breath hitched.
"Well, I'll be damned," Elara breathed, also noticing it. "I never thought I'd see it."
Both girls looked up, just now realizing the three men were watching them.
"You have ten minutes," Hyran stated, not elaborating. Serena had a hunch why.
She nodded and began reading the inscription on the chest. The ancient writings snaked and shifted, changing form, showing a dragon.
She read aloud the Draken-Vorah fluently, her eyes staying green. Tiberon glanced at Hyran, surprised. He thought she only could speak this language when she fell in a trance. So clearly she'd learned it.
"I am a flame born of the southern sun, keeper of fire that cannot be undone. What am I that burns but does not consume, that lights the dark but needs no room?"
When she read it aloud, the treasure hummed, almost as if acknowledging her.
This was related to the Frostbound Accord, known to Elara and her. She continued, answering in Glaciovox, her ancestors' language.
"I am ice born of the northern star, reflection of flame from lands afar. I am the ember's opposite twin, the frozen light that burns within."
Elara's lips twitched at Hyran's fascination with the language. It was a true overlap with Draken-Vorah, as Serena had mentioned.
She touched the chest and felt it hum. The same as the energy lock in the floor that she'd matched to the dragon's energy earlier. She knew what she needed to do.
Gods, this was going to hurt like a motherfucker.
Dexmon could feel her dread through their matebond but didn't understand. He was about to ask, but she stood abruptly.
She winced before she did it. Elara winced too, knowing what was coming.
Flame came out of Serena's hand, and the chest opened.
All three blood oaths activated at once, but she'd moved too fast. They stayed silent, adrenaline now running hot. All three put in a tight spot.
Golden cuffs flashed. They were stacked into cylinders.
"Do you know what you need to do next?" Hyran asked, picking one up with his brows furrowed. He worded his question carefully to not activate his blood oath again.
Serena nodded once.
"Do it."
"I need access."
Hyran's lips twitched.
That was all it took.
Serena moved in a blur. She crossed the distance to the gate as a key formed in her hand, wrought from pure magic.
She slid it into the lock, let her senses sink inward, visualizing the mechanism not as metal but as energy, and turned.
The gate yielded.
She was already descending the stairs, to the underground room.
She'd read this in that Draken-Vorah scroll yesterday. Fate was on her side.
Gold light flew from her hand, and she carved a rune, matching the treasure chest. And matching the one she'd read on that scroll.
Flame came from her hand, locking it into place.
It hurt and she gasped at the pain. No she would not get used to it.
"Serena!" Dexmon was at the bottom of the stairs just as she hunched over panting.
His arms were around her instantly, scooping her up.
"I'm okay," Serena said quickly feeling his worry through their matebond. She didn't want him to worry.
His face darkened. "No you're-"
Before he could finish his sentence she was kissing him.
He groaned, and started kissing down her neck.
"Dex..." She breathed. She'd been missing him too, and was craving him. She wanted him. Now. Her face flushed at the thought.
She didn't say anything outside of his name. Dexmon was already beyond aroused. But when he felt her through their matebond his eyes flashed gold.
He continued kissing down her neck onto her chest, moving faster. They would need to be quick.
Elara's voice broke any possibility of that happening. "Serena! What are you doing. Rhetorical. Don't answer."
Serena jumped surprised at the sound of her name. She struggled to get out of Dexmon's arms.
Dexmon shut his eyes, swallowing down his wolf who was very displeased at Serena being yanked out of his arms again.
"I was getting her," Dexmon said, not bothering to hide his irritation.
"You two are dry humping in the basement of a library," Elara remarked.
Serena's face went scarlet. "We were not."
Elara didn't even look at her. "Oh you were. And I could hear you from the top of the stairs."
Elara pulled her all the way up the stairs through the restricted section of the library. Dexmon was behind them, silent. His wolf hated Elara at the moment and was still fighting for control.
Hyran and Tiberon were waiting by the exit. Neither looked patient.
Serena flicked her hand. In one motion the vault sealed and a smooth golden dome of magic appeared over the treasure chest.
Hyran saw and fought the urge to sarcastically ask Serena why she didn't just shut it. He knew why. Channeling flame hurt like a bitch and she had no control over it. And normally, he'd call that out immediately. But due to his blood oath, he stayed silent.
Tiberon briefly glanced at him.
Tiberon: You have twenty four hours.