GAGE

BOOK 8 OF THE ANGELBOUND OFFSPRING

CHRISTINA BAUER

COPYRIGHT

Monster House Books

Brighton, MA 02135

ISBN 9781946677822

First Edition

Copyright © 2022 by Monster House Books LLC

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

DEDICATION

For All Those Who Kick Ass, Take Names

And Read Books

AUTHOR NOTE

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the end of the Angelbound Offspring series! Although I’ve written many books, this is my first attempt at a series send-off. In honor of my loyal readers, this novel ties together many characters from the past. I hope you enjoy it!

Full disclosure: Most of my stuff is written so folks can jump in anywhere and catch up pretty quickly. I’ve tried to do that here, but there are simply too many characters to do them all justice in terms of backstory.

As a result, you’ll probably enjoy this finale best if you’ve read the rest of the series.

With heartfelt thanks to all my Angelbound readers,

CB

CONTENTS

Dedication

Author Note

1. Gage

2. Huntress

3. Gage

4. Gage

5. Huntress

6. Huntress

7. Gage

8. Huntress

9. Gage

10. Huntress

11. Gage

12. Huntress

13. Gage

14. Huntress

15. Gage

16. Huntress

17. Gage

18. Huntress

19. Gage

20. Huntress

21. Gage

22. Huntress

23. Gage

24. Gage

25. Huntress

26. Gage

27. Huntress

28. Gage

29. Huntress

30. Gage

31. Gage

32. Huntress

33. Gage

34. Huntress

35. Gage

36. Huntress

37. Gage

38. Huntress

39. Gage

40. Huntress

41. Gage

42. Huntress

43. Gage

44. Huntress

45. Gage

46. Huntress

47. Gage

48. Huntress

49. Gage

DRAGON BOUND - Book Description

Also By Christina Bauer

DRAGON BOUND

ARCHENEMY

ANGELBOUND

FAIRY TALES OF THE MAGICORUM

DIMENSION DRIFT

BEHOLDER

Sample Chapter - ANGELBOUND

Standard Appendix Of Cool Stuff

If You Enjoyed This Book…

Collected Works

Acknowledgments

About Christina Bauer

GAGE Bonus Book

1

GAGE

AGE THIRTEEN

I’m a kid.

Alone in a cave.

With tons of treasure.

Welcome to my happy place.

I’m a glass dragon shifter. Loving treasure is basically my job. And no cave in the dragon realm—and by this, I mean anywhere across Furonium—has better goodies than mine. I’m about to count my gold coins for the hundredth time when it happens.

A glowing blue cube materializes before me.

The square looms six feet tall and is made from rippling blue power. It’s a portal made from Aeternum, which is glass dragon magic that’s unique to my people. I’ve seen blue cubes like this one before. My heart soars.

This Aeternum cube is a transport portal. No question who’s on their way, either.

Huntress.

We dragon shifters have a magically fated mate. Our rhana. Mine is Huntress, a powerful warrior and future queen of our people. She’s the one who’s creating this portal.

So far, this is a basic day. I hang out in my cave. Count my stuff. Fight monsters in my mountain home. Hang with my crew. Smile my face off when Huntress stops by.

All that ends.

Whoosh…

A warm breeze surrounds me. I frown. Talk about super strange. I live in a cavern. And not just any cave, mind you. This is a rock pocket buried deep under a mountain range.

Regular weather stuff just doesn’t happen here.

Another gust slams into me. This one’s searingly hot. Even more odd. Caves are chilly places. A minute ago, I could see my breath on the cool air. Now, it feels like an oven. Every time I inhale, my lungs feel as if they’re on fire.

The weird factor goes up even higher. A sizzling sensation stirs inside me. Connections form. Energy zings through my limbs. Could this be magic? An electric sensation rolls down my arms. Bright red sparks rise from my palms and float through the air.

That looks like magic, all right.

The sparks from my palms waft toward the Aeternum portal. The bits of red waft inside the huge blue square.

I step closer to the Aeternum portal. Red shards swirl inside the cube. My red magic is combining with Huntress’ blue stuff. Huh. Who knew that could happen?

A new image appears within the cube— it’s a brown mountain range that spikes up into cloudless sky. This is my home, the Bulwark Mountains. It’s a sight I’ve seen often, only this vision has one key difference.

Glass dragons fill the skies.

My limbs turn numb with awe. This is amazing. My people are almost gone from the Bulwark Mountains. I’m seeing a vision of the past. Interest sparks inside me. I want to savor every little bit of this vision.

On reflex, I move closer to the portal. Inside the cube, hundreds of serpentine beasts soar and dive above the Bulwark. Their long insect wings beat so quickly, all the movement is a blur.

Which confirms these are glass dragons—we’re the only shifter tribe where everyone has insect wings.

The sight fills me with equal parts of joy and despair. These days, the number of glass dragons can be counted by the dozens, not thousands.

The image of glass dragons vanishes. Instead, a single monster appears inside the liquid. It’s a seven-foot-tall creature who’s all muscle and no skin. Great tusks protrude from his heavy jawline. Adrenaline spikes through my bloodstream.

This is Ruin, the Orcneas King. Unlike most glass dragons, this guy is very much alive.

At one time, Ruin was a glass dragon shifter, but he used evil magic to transform into a monster. Ever since then, Ruin’s been raiding the Bulwark and killing my people. A familiar question echoes through my mind.

Who transformed Ruin into a monster… and why?

The realm of Furonium holds countless tribes. Glass dragons are a minor branch. We live under an isolated mountain range. Changing one of our own into a massive skinless monster takes a lot of magic.

My thoughts circle back who whatever’s happening with my own powers. I stare at my hand, watching the tiny red sparks lift up from my palm. The fiery breeze turns even hotter.

Then it ends.

Whoosh…

The breeze dies down. Instead of heat, icy fingers of cold wrap around my body. The sparks above my hand fade. Inside the Aeternum portal, the image of Ruin dissolves, along with any red shards of magic.

Huntress now reappears inside the cube. I exhale with relief. Whatever that strangeness may have been, it’s over now.

My rhana steps through the portal and into my treasure cave. Huntress is tall and lean with high cheekbones, violet eyes, and long brown hair. Like always, she wears battle leathers. By contrast, I’m taller than Huntress with dark hair and eyes. Today, I wear black body armor.

A sense of warmth and completion fills my soul. Even my dragon purrs within me. I scan all the precious things inside my cave.

Next to this girl, all my other treasures become worthless.

My thoughts circle back to Ruin. His orcneas still raid the Bulwark. Whenever Huntress and I meet, we track these invaders through nearby tunnels. Which is fine—we’re both trained warriors who are far older than we appear, thanks to magic.

Still, I worry. My rhana deserves more.

Huntress steps closer, the Aeternum cube vanishes behind her. “Hello, Gage.”

“C’est inattendu.” I clear my throat. When excited, I revert to my native French. “This is unexpected,” I restate in English.

Stepping forward, I kiss Huntress gently on either cheek, French style. Each brush of my lips sends an electric charge of excitement through my heart.

“How was your journey?” I ask.

“Faster than usual.” She gently runs her fingertips across my forehead. “You seem worried. What’s wrong?”

“When the Aeternum portal appeared, I sensed magic inside me.” I raise my hand. “Actual sparks came off my palm. These visions of the past appeared inside the cube. What’s up with that?”

“Have you gotten any new relics lately? Sometimes those are magical and you don’t know it until you set off a boobytrap.”

“None that I know of.”

“I can ask Doofus.” That Huntress’ teacher. Doofus is instructing my rhana on how to become glass dragon queen one day.

“Huh.” I shoot her a sideways glance that says, I don’t trust that little dragon.

“What did you see?”

I tilt my head and think this through. “Mostly, I saw the past. Which isn’t a surprise. I get that all the time with forebear memory. I suppose it’s not really that big of a deal.”

“Cool. Do you want to check the northern tunnels today? I’ve only an hour before Doofus gets back.”

I slowly step around her. Perhaps it’s because I’m both French and a romantic, but it seems a shame if Huntress and I only hunt orcneas today.

Huntress notices my silence. “What’s up? Have a pack of orcneas been sighted? I can wear something else.” She morphs into silver armor. This is one advantage of being a glass dragon shifter—we can transform our clothing and skin tone at will.

“No, you look parfaitement. Only, we’ve been patrolling the Bulwark a lot lately. There’s more to life than killing monsters or endless lessons.”

“Of course.” Huntress stands at attention. “Who needs our help?”

That’s Huntress for you. Her heart’s good as gold. “No,” I say gently. “I mean something just for you.”

“Me?” Huntress frowns. “Doofus says that hive queens are meant to serve.”

“Doofus is a small dragon with rather large and strange ideas.”

Huntress smirks. “He calls them rules. And the biggest one is that future queens never indulge.”

Frustration tightens across my neck and shoulders. Future queens never indulge. That’s classic Doofus logic.

“You need to care for yourself, Huntress. And once in a while, that means having a little bit of fun.” I pinch my thumb and forefinger together to show the exact amount of enjoyment. “Does Doofus have any rules against indulging... when it involves two people?”

Huntress nibbles her lower lip. “We only have fifty-one minutes before Doofus returns and notices I’m gone. What can we do?”

She agrees! My heart feels so full, it’s as if it might burst. “Lots of things.” I wink. “Chase me.”

Now, for another perk of being a glass dragon. Invisibility.

One moment, I stand in my treasure cave. The next second, there’s no sign of me.

In the blink of an eye, I switch into my beastly shape, which is a serpentine dragon with long insect-style wings. Quick as a whip, I speed off through the maze of tunnels under the Bulwark. A single thought overtakes my mind.

Huntress will love this.

2

HUNTRESS

AGE ELEVEN

Gage just turned invisible, changed into a dragon, and flew away. I should follow. Yet, for some reason, my feet stay rooted to the spot. Doofus’ rules appear in my mind.

Always obey your familiar.

Never enter a vortex of Aeternum.

Glass dragon queens only serve others, not themselves.

That last one is the biggest of all. I’m about to smash it into bits. However, if I think about it another way, I’m helping Gage, not myself. Somehow, I doubt Doofus would agree. I picture his sad little dragon face as he announces how I’ve disappointed him.

Maybe I should go home.

On reflex, I raise my hands, ready to create another Aeternum portal and leave. Then, I come to a big realization.

Forget Doofus. I’ll break a few rules, just this once.

After turning invisible, I change into my dragon shape and take off. My beast is a lot like Gage’s, meaning I have serpentine body with insect-style wings, only my beast is gray while Gage’s is black.

I speed through the darkened tunnels. Although my rhana has a head start, I can easily follow his scent. I speed around corners and up corkscrew passages. Soon, I catch up with Gage. From there, my rhana and I fly in sync. We twist and swirl as we take corners at top speed.

We reach a heavy oak door that marks the far wall of the stone passageway. Dead end. Gage and I pause in the air. Our wings let off a gentle hum.

All of a sudden, Gage’s full plan comes into focus. My pulse speeds.

“That’s an exit door,” I state.

Gage turns both visible and human. He looks so handsome in his black body armor. “You’ve never been outside?” he asks.

I return to my human shape as well. “Doofus casts spells that show me the outdoors. But, I’ve never really been there.” I glance backward. The tunnel curls off into the darkness. “We’re really high up.” My insides twist with worry. “Most dragons adore heights. What if I’m the exception?”

“One way to find out.”

I shake my head. “Doofus has forbidden me to go outside. It’s one of his rules.”

“His rules don’t stop you from visiting me.”

“Technically, there is no rule against seeing you. Doofus doesn’t know it happens.” I twist my hands at my waistline. “I shouldn’t do this.”

“I understand. If you don’t want to go, I won’t force you.”

His words hang in the air. I won’t force you.

The truth hits me with a wallop. Gage means it. He’ll never compel me. However, Doofus forces me into stuff all the time, even when it isn’t part of my lessons. I straighten my spine and firm up my resolve. “Please, open the door.”

Gage gently laces his fingers with mine. His touch is warm and calming. “You can do this. I’ve got you.”

Warmth and love spread across my chest. “Thanks.”

Gage pulls on the round handle. A long creak sounds as the heavy oak door swings open. I inch my way outside. A cold wind swirls around me. Bright light sears into my eyes.

Shuffling along, I plaster my back against the mountainside. Ice-cold rock chills my spine. Not sure what awaits me below, but it can’t be good. I keep my gaze locked on the stone ledge beneath my feet.

“Look up, mon ange.”

I don’t look away from my boots. “I’m good.”

Gage sets his knuckle under my chin. Little by little, he guides my gaze to the landscape.

I look out over Furonium. All breath leaves my lungs. This landscape is as fierce as the dragons within it. The mountain range reaches to the horizon. The peaks remind me of so many fangs biting into a blue sky. A rough breeze kicks around me. Each touch of wind calls my inner dragon to roar with pleasure.

“It’s so beautiful.” I take in a deep lungful of air. “There’s the faintest trace of glass dragon musk. Thousands of our people must have lived here once.”

“I’ve seen them.” Gage gestures across the landscape. “Years ago, these skies were filled with dragons and kits. Perhaps, those days can return.” He shoots me a sideways glance. “If you become queen, how would you bring us back?”

I blush. “Me?”

He winks. “I know you have a plan.”

My heart warms from my rhana’s confidence. “Our numbers may be low now, but magic always makes more dragons. Recessive dragon DNA can show up in humans, quasis, and ghouls. It may take centuries, but if we’re careful, we can find new members and rebuild.”

Gage leans in closer. His body warmth surrounds me. All of a sudden, the chilly rock against my back doesn’t feel as icy.

“I like this plan,” Gage states, his voice low. With his accent, his words sound like I like zees plan. Something about his tone makes me tremble.

“One day, you will make a great queen,” adds Gage.

I shiver once again, only this time, it’s with fear. “Lately, Doofus has been teaching me all about Pasiphae and Minotaur. I’m in no rush to rule.”

“Ah, that’s only a children’s story.”

Humans have a version of the story about the Minotaur. We glass dragons tell a different tale. In our story, Pasiphae and Minotaur were the first king and queen of the glass dragons. Together, these royals built a tower, the Spellspire, in order to store all our Aeternum magic. Minotaur volunteered to transform into a monster and patrol the lands around the tower.

It gets worse from there. There’s something called the Prophecy of the Horde Absolute. One day, a glass dragon royal will use Aeternum magic to raise a demonic horde to take over the after-realms.

Dragons aren’t demons, but no one seems to connect the dots.

“Pasiphae and Minotaur.” Gage shakes his head. “I’ll show you something far better.”

All this time, I’ve been standing with my back plastered against the cliff wall. Now, Gage unhooks his hand from mine. A jolt of worry twists my stomach.

“What are you doing?”

“Sitting down.” Gage parks on the cliff’s edge. “Don’t worry. Your wings will appear if you ever fall. It’s instinct.”

“Are you sure?”

“Would I ever place you at risk?”

True. I scooch over and sit down beside him.

Before, the mountain range felt raw and strong. Now a playful side envelops me. A breeze tosses my hair. The sun winks at me as it dips below the horizon. My inner dragon awakens. Every cell in my body wants to fly. It’s exhilarating and calming, all at once.

“No magical simulation can beat this,” I state.

“Any time.”

I’m so happy, I hum one of my favorite tunes.

“C’est magnifique,” says Gage. Which means, that’s magnificent in French.

I wink. “It must be good if you’re slipping into French.”

“What’s the tune?”

“It’s called Crown of Secrets.” I sing aloud.

From the ghouls’ mouth

To the dragon’s nest

From the human’s brew

To the quasi’s head

The Spellspire rises

Less four hidden stones

A labyrinth of vices

The queen dies alone

“The music is pretty, but the words are awful.” Gage purses his lips. “Let me guess… it’s another Doofus special?”

I chuckle. “Absolutely.”

Gage exhales a long breath. “Speaking of Doofus, we should head back.”

“We still have a minute,” I state. “Let’s look at over the landscape for a few more seconds and pretend it’s forever.”

“Ah, bien sûr.”

And so we do.

It’s so sweet, I nearly forget about Pasiphae and Minotaur.

Almost, but not quite.

3

GAGE

AGE NINETEEN

8:07 p.m.

Ghoul Underground Boxing Arena #SBL-4, The Dark Lands

Anticipation zings through my limbs. My prize match kicks off in twenty-three minutes. To relieve tension, I jog in place while popping my boxing gloves together. A long tunnel opens before me, ending with a rowdy crowd of ghouls. Their chants echo all around.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Normally, ghouls are pretty chill. It all goes with being super-tall, pale and undead. They only wear black robes. But even ghouls lose their collective minds during the infamous Undead Rumble. Why? There’s a championship belt at stake.

“FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!”

The room’s an underground chamber carved out from open earth. Inspirational posters cover the walls, telling the population to Love the Oligarchy or Adore Paperwork. Classic ghoul stuff. Tiered metal risers are filled with ghouls, all of them in their ghoul robes. They cheer madly at an empty boxing ring.

The cries grow even louder as the announcer steps out from a nearby access tunnel. She pauses in a pool of light at the center of the ring. A microphone dangles from a long cord that’s attached to the ceiling.

The announcer grabs the mic. She’s a skeletal figure who wears the same black robes as everyone else. Her face is skull-like and covered in a thin layer of gray skin.

“Welcome to the Undead Rumble!” Beams of red light shine out from the announcer’s eye sockets.

The crowd cheers. It’s a good thing they’re already dead. This much yelling might kill someone.

The announcer continues. “This isn’t a fight with a champion who’s an angel from Heaven… a quasi-demon of Purgatory… a thrax of Antrum… a human from Earth… a dragon shifter from Furonium… or even a demon of Hell! In this match, the champion’s our very own undead warrior, Ghoul Killa!”

The crowd punches their fists in the air while jumping up and down. The audience loves the idea that a ghoul is the baddest of the badasses. Mostly because it never happens. Ghouls are notorious wimps.

“Tonight, GK goes up against Gage L’Griffe, the new glass dragon king!”

I tilt my head. Am I hearing that right? Did the announcer say, glass dragon king?

She most certainly did.

That makes no sense. Huntress and I shared a kiss a few months ago, but that only made us bonded mates, not crowned royalty. And even when we gain our official thrones, it won’t be a big deal. There are only six glass dragons left.

When it comes to taking my throne, all I know is the story of Pasiphae and Minotaur. And that leads to the prophecy of the Horde Absolute.

Whoosh…

Those words—Pasiphae, Minotaur and Horde Absolute—move through me in strange ways. Power zings through my soul. A searingly hot breeze slams against me. I inhale deeply. My lungs feel as if they’re filled with hot embers.

My muscles tighten with worry. With every corner of my soul, I know one thing for certain: If Huntress and I take the glass dragon crown, something horrible will happen.

On reflex, I glance at my hand. Somehow, I feel certain that red mist should be above my palm. Only with my heavy boxing gloves on, I can’t see anything.

Whoosh…

The sensation vanishes. A vague memory kicks at the back of my mind, but it’s too far away to grasp. I blink hard to clear my head. Odd things happen in the Dark Lands. This must be just one more example.

Over in the main chamber, the announcer steps around in a dramatic circle. “Unless our very own GK wins, this glass dragon king will soon lead a demon army as the Horde Absolute. He’ll destroy us all!”

And this is why I hate royalty talk. It always ends up at the horde Absolute. Although I’ve never been named as the future leader before.

Where are they getting this stuff?

The announcer stalks around the boxing ring as the crowd cheers. Signs appear in the crowd.

Die Glass Dragon

Kill the King

Stop the Demon Horde

Although I’m the only one in this access passageway, the rest of my dragon crew are concealed in the crowd. Not for the first time, I’m thankful my dragon pack are all fierce fighters.

The announcer raises her arms. “And we all know what glass dragons want, don’t we?”

The crowd gets berserk. The wooden floor vibrates from all the collective stomping. Metal tiered risers sway ominously from side to side. Not a good sign. Ghouls may be undead, but they can still expire one final time. And once you’re a ghoul, death is a permanent deal.

Huh. I expected some excitement. Not this.

A low hum sounds. A tall, door-like hole appears in the access passageway. It’s a ghoul portal. Sure, most undead can’t lift a five-pound weight, but they can open a transport portal to most places in the after-realms. It’s a good skill.

A ghoul named Walker steps out from the portal, along with a member of my crew, Axyl.

Like all ghouls, Walker is exceptionally tall, with pale skin and all-black eyes. Walker also has long sideburns and a confidence that says he can handle himself in a fight. Which he can. Walker’s rare in that he’s part archangel and a trained warrior. He’s also an old friend of Huntress’ family, which explains why he helps me from time to time.

Axyl is a quiet moody dragon shifter, so he makes a good pair with Walker. Axyl is half-human and originally from Australia, which explains his standard outfit of a leather duster and wide-brimmed hat. Axyl has dark green eyes, long brown hair, and a distinctive scar along his jawline. I trust him with my life—he’s the Beta to my Alpha rank in the crew.

Axyl bows in my direction. “Greetings, Alpha.”

“Hello, Gage.” Walker’s voice is deep and slow.

“Hey, guys.” I hitch my thumb toward the main chamber. “What the hell is going on?”

“Trouble,” says Axyl. “You remember the tale of Pasiphae and Minotaur?”

I do a double-take. “The children’s story?”

“My people believe it’s true,” says Walker.

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Let me get this straight,” I state. “Everyone thinks I’ll turn into a monster and lead a demon horde? Well, they’ve got that right. My dragon could rip this place apart.”

“My people aren’t afraid of dragons,” states Walker. “there’s the story of Pasiphae and Minotaur, which is fine. But there’s also the prophecy of the Horde Absolute, where someone turns into a monster and leads a demonic horde across the after-realms.”

“Dragons aren’t demons,” I state.

“Try telling them that.” Walker gestures to the underground chamber. The crowd is nearly apoplectic. They’ve taken to tearing down the motivational posters while screaming with such fury, actual color enters their bloodless faces.

“You should call off the match,” adds Walker. “Believe me, I’ve seen my share of fights. This crowd wants blood. If GK doesn’t kill you, they will.”

Howls ring in my ears. The air is thick with sweat and rage. For a minute, I keep jogging in place while considering my options. I’m here tonight on a mission to stop a gang of ghoul criminals, the Kaolin. Running away just feels wrong.

“We’re here on account of the Kaolin ghouls,” I announce at last. “They’ve been stealing away ghoul teens for months.”

“And you have my full support for your efforts,” states Walker. “Surely, you can continue your work another evening. ”

“That’s not so easy,” I explain. “After months of work, we finally know where one of the Kaolin runaways will be picked up. The meet is tonight. Huntress’ll take that runaway’s place and let us know the location of the next so-called Kaolin celebration. After the party’s over, the ghoul teens disappear.”

“I understand all that,” states Walker smoothly. “I still don’t comprehend what part of that means you must enter that boxing ring.”

“I need entry to that party so I can help Huntress rescue the runaways. I can only do that if I get a unique, one-time password.” I nod toward the boxing ring. “Guess who has one.”

“GK,” states Walker. “I’ve heard he’s part of the Kaolin.”

“If he weren’t fighting me tonight, GK would be at that so-called party.”

Walker rubs his sideburns. “So you could end the Kaolin trafficking ring in the next few hours.”

“We don’t know what’s happening to those kids. It could be trafficking… or worse.” I pop my boxing gloves together. “I’m going in.”

“Damned right,” says Axyl.

Walker sighs. “Still, I don’t like it. I’ll have to answer to the Great Scala if something happens to her granddaughter’s rhana.”

The Great Scala is the only being who can move souls to Heaven or Hell. She also happens to be Walker’s honorary sister and Huntress’ grandmother. Let’s just say the situation is complicated.

“Look, we don’t know when we’ll get another chance to stop the Kaolin.” I look toward Axyl. “Is the rest of the crew in place?”

There are five glass dragon shifters in my pack: Axyl, Bastien, Forest, Zag and Quin.

“Everyone’s set.” Axyl sets his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t you need someone in your corner?”

“The plan doesn’t change just because some ghouls are getting rowdy. Have the crew stay away from the boxing ring. Make sure they keep up their ghoul disguises. No tails. Pale skin. Black robes. And go dragon at my signal.”

“Please, don’t go dragon,” says Walker. “Last time you did that, you upset the Oligarchy. Remember them? The four ghouls who rule all the Dark Lands?”

“Oh, yeah.” I do keep forgetting about them. The Dark Lands are basically lawless. It’s hard to imagine those four old dead guys do anything.

“Well,” continues Walker. “The last time you went dragon, I ended up calming the Oligarchy for two weeks straight.”

I shoot him a sly smile. “If the ghoul crowd doesn’t attack the ring, we won’t need to go dragon.”

Walker groans. “You owe me.”

“And I’ll repay you by taking down the Kaolin.”

Walker nods. “Agreed.”

The announcer sounds again. “Let the fight begin! In the challenger’s corner, we have the glass dragon, King Gage L’Griffe!”

“That’s my cue.”

I crack my neck and jog toward the boxing ring. With every step forward, my inner dragon purrs with delight.

They call us demons? We’ll show them what it means to be a dragon.

4

GAGE

I move through the crowd. Pale hands grasp at me, but they don’t try too hard to actually touch my skin. The crowd wants me beaten by the strength GK, not get manhandled by a mob. I slip under the ropes and onto the ring.

The announcer raises her arms once more. The crowd quiets.

“In the second corner, our reigning champion, the ghoul without pity, the unbeatable… GK, the Ghoul Killa!”

Ghoul Killa was a big guy in life. He’s even taller in death. And while the announcer’s eyes glow red, all of GK emanates crimson light. He marches out from his access hallway in loose black pants and nothing else. His entourage follows behind him, all of them wearing long ghoul cloaks.

GK enters the ring to resounding cheers. The announcer waves us into the center. I can’t help but smirk. This is the part of the traditional ghoul boxing match that I absolutely enjoy.

For a few minutes, GK and I stand toe to toe in the center ring. My opponent is glowing red with fury. I remain calm and pin him with an icy stare. Nothing irritates a guy like GK more than knowing you aren’t upset by his presence.

“I’ll tear you apart,” says GK.

“If you want to live, give me the password.”

A knowing glint shows in GK’s all-black eyes. This ghoul knows exactly what I’m talking about. Still, he plays dumb.

“What password, reptile?”

“Your fellow Kaolin are having another party tonight. I want in.”

“Not a chance!”

The announcer steps closer. “Let have a clean fight. No dismemberments. No spellwork.” She looks right at me. “And don’t go dragon.”

I nod. “I’ve no plans to take my beast form.” Until after the fight is over.

The announcer steps back and cries out. “Let the wild rumpus start!”

Bells go off. The crowd goes nutso. Every muscle in my body snaps into awareness as GK and I circle each other.

GK throws a punch at my chin.

I dodge the blow.

“I know why you want to hit tonight’s party,” says GK.

GK slams his fist into my ribs this time. I take the strike and deliver one of my own. GK hisses in pain. I don’t. We go back to circling each other, which makes the crowd yell for blood.

“You tell me,” I state.

“Our party is a dinner theater. We’re showing a movie by Pasiphae., you know, Pasiphae and Minotaur?”

“How’d you guess? It’s my favorite story.”

“Monster. Horde Absolute.”

GK throws a few fast punches, and I allow them to hit my torso. My skin may look like human flesh, but my chest has the strength of dragon scales. It’s GK’s insult that causes pain.

Monster

Horde Absolute.

Rage heats my veins. I throw a series of counterpunches to GK’s ribs, kidneys, and jawline. All my blows land. GK spits blood onto the mat. The crowd screeches.

GK goes back to circling me, only now his movements are jerky. “Ask someone else. I won’t betray the Kaolin.”

“All I want is tonight’s password. Tell me.”

I release another series of rapid-fire hits to GK’s chest and head. Blood trickles down GK’s cheek. He circles me in an uneven stagger.

“Tell me the password and you can leave with all your teeth.”

“No.”

I land a wallop of a punch to his jaw. Sure enough, two incisors fly out. GK slumps against me.

“Come on,” I urge. “Password.”

GK makes another attempt at a punch, but he can barely lift his arm. I end up holding up my opponent while pretending we’re still fighting.

“Anubis33,” says GK in a low voice.

The party location is always hidden in the password itself. This one means that tonight’s party will be held at Club Anubis, 33 Perdition Row in the Dark Lands’ Gray City.

At last.

There’s no need for another punch. This match is over. I step backward. GK tumbles down, unconscious.

The crowd’s howls echo all around me.

“How can this be happening?”

“Get up GK!”

“UP!”

The announcer tries to climb back onto the boxing ring, but the audience is too fast for her. The crowd spills out from the risers and pours onto the stage.

I whip off my gloves, set my pinkies in either corner of my mouth, and let out an ear-piercing whistle.

That’s the signal. Time to go dragon.

My crew instantly changes into their massive serpentine shapes and soars upward. I do as well. We zoom right through the building’s wooden ceiling, leaving six massive holes behind us. From there, we head for the clouds.

And wait for a sign from Huntress.

5

HUNTRESS

8:44 p.m.

Abacus Subway Station, The Dark Lands

I stand upon a sleek platform in an underground rail station. Everything’s decorated in stainless steel and poured cement, along with the kind of gargoyle statues that belong in haunted houses.

In other words, it’s in the classic ghoul style. Which works. After all, this is the Dark Lands, home to the undead.

Words scroll along the concrete. Another non-shocker. Ghouls love technology and magic. Many of their structures have a constant text flow. The walls here read:

Welcome to Abacus Station.