Chapter 388: Mother-In-Law On Hell’s Brochure

Jaxon’s eyes were locked on Emma Eldritch, who was about to get a crash course in what happens when you piss off the Master Mage of Drakencrest.

Storm-blue magic formed in both of his fists.

But before it went anywhere, Jaxon realized the white light wasn’t something he could just walk through.

"Let me in, Your Highness," he called to Guinevere.

At that moment, Brennan Pike ran into the throne room, skidding on the obsidian. He looked about as happy to see his ex-girlfriend as expected, which is to say he would rather set himself on fire.

His gaze landed on Nicholas next and he sprinted towards him. Dark magic was pointed at his Alpha. Not on his watch.

THWACK.

His nose pancaked against the white light.

The barrier held. Everything else about Brennan folded like a shit soufflé in a wind tunnel. He bounced backwards one full step, both hands flying to his face, eyes watering, a noise leaving his mouth that sounded like a duck getting steamrolled by a horse.

"LET ME IN, LUNA. If I cast through it, it will weaken it for you," he called through his hands, voice muffled by the palms currently assessing whether his nose was still centered.

Luna.

Brennan had tossed the title out like it had always belonged to her, which was hilarious, considering Brennan had learned about wolf hierarchy a week ago. Both kings heard it. Nicholas’s chin lifted by a fraction. Maddox’s eyes cut sideways. Neither man said a word.

The white barrier evaporated in two places simultaneously, letting both mages through before sealing shut behind them.

ON THE RIGHT:

Jaxon Valerios. Murder eyes. Dual blue hurricanes in progress. Internally dying laughing that Brennan ran face-first into the barrier, and he would never, under torture, admit he’d nearly done it too.

ON THE LEFT:

Brennan Pike. Blood dripped from one nostril. He wiped it on his sleeve. Dual black hurricane hands in progress. Determination eyes. His crazy ex, who belonged on a timeshare brochure for the underworld, was shoving dark magic at his Alpha.

IN THE CENTER:

Guinevere, Nicholas, and Maddox. Her white magic was still mid-battle with Emma’s black. Two columns meeting mid-air. The line between them teetering back and forth by an inch. No one was winning.

The second Emma saw Brennan Pike enter the ring, her expression soured.

"Oh, wonderful. Look what the cat dragged in." She gestured at Brennan with one hand, dark magic still streaming from the other. "Really, Brennan? At what point do you give up? I know you’re obsessed with me, but this is ridiculous."

Her gaze shifted to Jaxon.

"And the BOYFRIEND. Jaxon Valerios. Master Mage of Drakencrest. The one who has been following my daughter around this keep like a puppy with a blue magic trick. The same one who knows absolutely nothing about dark magic. Cute. Very rescue-mission. Problematic when you go up against a dark mage."

"Wrong," Jaxon stated.

He raised both hands. Blue magic erupted from the right. Dark magic erupted from the left. Two different signatures. Two different disciplines. A man meeting his future mother-in-law for the first time and not enjoying the experience.

"Oh no," Emma deadpanned. "Azure magic. How terrifying. I’m shaking. Truly. Blue magic in the dominant hand, dark in the off-hand. I’m sure it will go exactly as you intend."

Jaxon lifted his chin. "Are you coaching me right now?"

"Gods, someone should. Azure is the weakest manifestation classification according to every index published. And you LED with it," Emma said, her tone communicating exactly how she felt about her future son-in-law.

Both streams in Jaxon’s palms doubled in power, hitting Emma square in the chest. On the opposite side, dark magic slammed into Emma from Brennan.

Her boots scraped obsidian an inch. Dark magic poured from both palms in a torrent that split into three defensive channels, each one meeting an incoming stream and holding it at bay with the desperate, furious efficiency of a perfectionist playing three chess games at once and refusing to lose any of them.

"Magic is not black or white," Jaxon called. "You would be foolish to assume all Azure magic is the same."

"He’s correct," Brennan yelled. "Most wielders of Dark Magic would innately understand that, due to the stigmas that come with dark magic. But that was never you, was it Emma? You have always been a royal bitch."

"What is this? Attack of the nerds?" she snapped. "I have secondhand embarrassment from listening to you both. Bring back the princess or one of the dragons. They were at least fun."

Meanwhile, behind the throne, in a small room that was debatably a closet, a Young Dragon had just given his sister the sex talk of a lifetime. So the Dragon princess did what any reasonable person would do: said fuck it and kissed a wolf.

✦✦✦

DRAKENCREST THRONE ROOM - CLOSET

Kael Ashenvale launched himself across the room, tagging Sterling’s temple in the process.

THUNK.

Sterling’s head rocked sideways against the obsidian. A fresh knot began forming on top of the knot that was already forming on top of the original knot from when Kael had dropped him to be the chastity-belt during the necklace incident.

Ryker stared at his unconscious friend. "If the dark magic doesn’t get him, the concussion will."

Kael didn’t notice. Kael was busy trying to strangle a Beta wolf whose brain was malfunctioning.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH, YOU KISSED MY SISTER."

"I DID IT, KAEL," Blair yelled, clapping her hands loudly like her brother had done two minutes prior. "I KISSED HIM. ME. I initiated it. My mouth. My decision. My face went to his face. My tongue went in his mouth."

"It looked mutual from over here," Ryker commented from the corner, legs crossed at the ankle, leaning against the wall with the posture of a man watching premium entertainment that he had paid zero admission for.

Blair shot him a death glare. "Stay out of this."

Ryker raised both hands in surrender. "I’m reporting what I saw. His lips were involved. Both of them. The top one and the bottom one. That’s participation, Princess. Kael warned you what skin contact would—"

Blair whacked Ryker so hard that the rest of the sentence never came.