The phone was still ringing, buzzing against the marble unattended, until with horror, Adrien heard a beep and the oracle’s voice speaking, requesting he leave a message.
Dammit.
“You’re trying to call the oracle?” Sever called to him as he left Kelsey’s side to run and grab the phone off the ground.
“Yes. I need this damn ring off,” Adrien cursed. He grabbed an iron poker from the huge fireplace in the hall and tried to swing at Mercury.
Mercury just laughed and knocked the thing away like a pencil.
“I got it,” Sever said, raising the phone. “I’ll try something else.
“I don’t think so,” Mercury said, turning his focus to Sever, ramming into him and knocking the phone completely out of his hands.
With a slight stroke of luck, the phone skittered toward Kelsey, and she reached down to pick it up just as Adrien could hear a grumpy voice respond on the other end.
“Who the hell is this?” Aegis’s voice came through the speakerphone.
“Uh… this is Kelsey.”
“Who’s that?”
“Tell him to take off my ring!” Adrien shouted, just barely ducking under a powerful swing from Mercury’s left fist.
“Um, Adrien’s in trouble. I’m here at the club, and there’s this guy…”
“What else is new? Adrien’s always in trouble,” Aegis grumbled exasperatedly through the line.
“It’s Mercury, dickhead! He’s here,” Adrien yelled, hoping the stupid green dragon would be able to hear him even amidst the fighting.
“Is that you, Adrien?” Emerald said more loudly.
But right then, Mercury had his hand around Adrien’s neck, and Adrien struggled against his steely grip, punching his elbow.
Thankfully, he could see Sever behind them, running for the phone in Kelsey’s hand.
“Just tell us how to get the ring off, Aegis. Please,” Sever demanded, the gravity of the situation clear in his voice.
There was a slight pause, and then he heard Aegis speak again.
“Fine. Your mate can take it off for you, Silver. Just stop bothering me, assholes. I have a pregnant wife trying to sleep right now,” Aegis grumbled, not sounding any more urgent or caring now than he had at the start of the call. Then there was a click and silence.
Well, that seemed simple enough.
So long as Mercury didn’t kill them all first.
There was a loud battle cry that came from Sever’s direction, and Adrien looked past Mercury just in time to see the humongous, long-haired Viking charging in their direction.
Mercury looked over his shoulder just as Sever rammed into him, throwing him to the ground and freeing Adrien from his viselike grip.
“Go to your mate,” Sever grunted as he wrestled with Mercury.
Adrien sucked in air, then rushed toward Kelsey, confusion and shock still in her eyes as she watched.
“What’s a mate?” Kelsey asked as Adrien considered his answer, knowing Sever wouldn’t be able to hold Mercury back for long.
“For dragons like me, it means forever, with one person. I guess you could call it destiny. It would mean I’d be forever yours, Kelsey,” he said rapidly, reaching his hand up, showing her the thick silver band
It was the only thing standing between him and Kelsey being mated and between Adrien kicking Mercury’s ass into the next century.
“It’s what you were talking about the other night—”
“Yes. It’s just our way of sealing the deal, so to speak. Dammit, I can’t explain everything right now—”
“Then I agree,” she said, nodding and looking in Sever’s direction with concern. Her cheeks were marred by specks of concrete dust, and he wanted to brush it away when he had time.
“Ha-ha-ha. How horribly sappy, Silver,” Mercury mocked from behind them. But just as Kelsey was about to reach for the ring, Adrien’s hand was yanked away.
Adrien turned around just as Mercury’s fist pummeled him into the metallic cage behind him, knocking the wind out of him.
“Can’t have you doing that, now can I?” Mercury said, grinning as he tossed Adrien aside.
To his left, Adrien saw Sever trying to stand, his face bruised and bleeding from one eye.
But true to his namesake, the platinum dragon was indomitable, with or without his full strength.
Sever gave a quick nod, his dark-grey eyes somber, and Adrien nodded back. There was only one way out of this fight. And Kelsey was the key to it.
Adrien picked himself up, summoning his last bits of strength, as Sever slowly circled Mercury.
“It’s been enjoyable beating the two of you to a pulp, but at some point, it’s just pathetic. You’re useless without your powers,” Mercury chided. “So when I kill you and take your fragile human mate with me, just remember you brought this on yourselves.”