Chapter Fifteen
T he enemy’s finger tightened on the trigger of his gun. These hired guns had honored the ancient supernatural laws regarding battles between supernaturals, fighting with the gifts of their species, and handcrafted blades. But now it seemed that they were less concerned with honor, and more focused on ensuring we were put down quickly. I guess they weren’t too pleased at how fast their numbers had diminished.
Something had caused Draven’s spell to crumble and the wizards now used their magic to hold us in place. Our few remaining wizards no longer had the strength to fight.
Levi?
Yeah?
I’m proud I got to fight by your side.
Same. We had a good run, bro.
I stared my killer in the eyes, forcing him to meet my gaze as he aimed toward my head. Tia’s sudden scream blew through the clearing, crashing into everything in its path. The wizards stumbled, losing their focus for long enough that their spell broke. I lunged forward, jumping on my would-be killer and sinking my long canines into the tender flesh of his neck. Beside me, Levi did the same with another wizard. It was unlikely we could kill them all before they took us down, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying.
As soon as the man beneath me stopped struggling, I stole a quick glance toward my beautiful mate, terrified of what I would see. My mouth dropped open, releasing the man as I stared transfixed at Tia, not believing what I was seeing.
Her body was pure light, and I don’t mean like it was glowing around her, I mean she was a freaking ball of blinding light. The light began to blur and bend, the gorgeous shape of her body becoming less clear. My heart ceased beating. What had Draven done to her?
I expected the light to explode and disappear, taking the light out of my life with it. What I didn’t expect was for the light to bend and stretch, the shape constantly changing until it stood several stories high. The clearing was completely still; time seemed to have stopped as everyone watched the light sculpt itself into a dragon.
A freaking dragon.
Uh. Do you see a dragon too? Levi’s shaking voice interrupted my thoughts as I tried to process my bewilderment.
Yeah. I think it’s Tia .
Did we know she turned into a giant lizard like something out of those movies you like to binge watch?
I don’t think even she knew that she could shift into a full dragon.
The shape solidified and the light began to fade, leaving a white dragon the size of a house in its wake. It took a step forward, wobbling unsteadily like a newborn filly. I wanted to laugh; it wasn’t every day you got to watch a mythological creature learning how to walk. I opened my mouth to bark a laugh, but it came out garbled, excruciating pain tearing through my throat and making me lightheaded.
The dragon’s intelligent eyes narrowed on me, the color shifting from sky blue to cobalt as she studied me. Her wings flapped in agitation, sending debris scattering around us. Throwing back her massive head, she opened her mouth and bellowed her outrage into the sky.
That brought the wizards out of their stupor and they rushed to finish off our team so they could figure out what to do with the giant elephant—I mean dragon—in the room.
They moved fast, but it turns out dragons are shockingly fast.
Dude…. are you seeing this? I thought hippos running thirty miles per hour was shocking, but this should be impossible!
Why did he know such random trivia? Tia was going to whoop his butt when she found out he had compared her dragon to a hippo.
One moment she was at the far side of the large clearing, the next minute she was between my brother and myself. Several mercenaries lay crushed beneath her talons. Her chest expanded, separating the scales slightly to show the skin glowing between them. Crackling echoed inside her and I immediately knew what was coming. She opened her mouth and blue fire poured from her chest.
The world around me was consumed by fire, men screamed and the noxious odor of burned flesh stung my sensitive nose. I waited for the pain, but it never came. Instead, a warm stream of air ruffled my fur. It was like having a giant blow dryer aimed at you.
When the fire died out, most of Draven’s soldiers were nothing but a pile of ashes. The ground was no longer the red tones of earth, now it was completely blackened. Wispy curls of smoke added to the strange, almost apocalyptic, scene. Turning toward Levi, I let out another strangled laugh; my eyes stung from the laughter and the pain it caused. His fur stood on end, looking like a lap dog after being groomed. I would have given anything to have a picture of my werewolf twin puffed up like some pampered pooch. I must have looked the same because his chest rumbled in amusement.
We will never speak of this moment, agreed?
I agreed instantly. Never again.
I was knocked to the ground as the furious dragon roared and headed toward Damien and Leo. The last three wizards were charging at them, firing wildly. Why didn’t the idiots just try to make a run for it? Gregor, Elani and three other wizards attempted to throw up shields to protect themselves, Leo and Damien, but they were struggling just like the rest of us. The outraged dragoness again stepped between her team and the enemy, their shots ricocheting off her glinting scales. She snorted in derision and then slammed her claws down onto the men. The crackling of her fire began again and her chest expanded once more. Her jaw dropped open, allowing the fire to flow freely and incinerate the men.
I watched her liquid blue flames and overwhelming relief rushed through me. It was over. The battle was truly over. Our little circle had survived. Sure, we were not in great shape, but we were alive.
Leo had an arm wrapped around Damien, holding him up as they hobbled toward Tia - a bold move since we had no way of knowing how much of our human mate was aware inside the mammoth beast. Gregor and Elani stepped under the protection of her body, likely attempting to avoid the scorching heat of her fire.
Those intelligent eyes once again searched the clearing, searching out each of us. A stinging pain in my mind was quickly followed by an awareness that I wasn’t alone in my head. My wolf was overjoyed; Tia had created a pack bond between her mates, Damien and herself. Being without a pack was hard on a wolf; we craved the connection with our loved ones, something that my wolf had been mourning since leaving Cage’s pack. Tia didn’t speak in the bond, she simply brushed our minds to reassure herself that we were okay.
Leo’s sharp cry brought my focus back to the world around me. Gregor had shoved a strange blade into the underside of Tia’s chest. She shrieked in pain, jerking as she attempted to dislodge the blade.
“I am sorry, Dragoness,” said Gregor. “It was an honor to fight by your side, and we thank you for your service in cleansing the world of Draven and his evil. Sadly, it was decided long before we met that you were too powerful to be allowed to live. If you allowed that power to corrupt you after you gained full control of your abilities, nothing on earth would be able to stop you. I hope you will find comfort in knowing that Leo did not know of the decision to end your life. He did not betray you.”
Gregor raised his palms and sent a blast of magic toward the blade, the force slamming the blade in deeper. A sound like shattering glass came from Tia’s chest. A mournful call ripped from her throat, a sound that sent chills through my body.
Leo threw Damien to the ground, raising his hands and sending a blast of purple magic toward Gregor and his team. The wizards weren’t expecting a magical attack, and had no time to defend themselves. His magic went straight through them, and for a moment I thought his magic had been harmless. But then their confused expressions contorted into agony and they disintegrated, until no sign of them remained. Leo dropped to his knees, breathing heavily.
Tia collapsed on the ground, her iridescent scales shimmering like they were made of nacre. Blinding light consumed her body, forcing me to look away. When the light suddenly blinked out, I found my mate’s naked human body lying curled on her side, unnaturally still. I strained my supernatural hearing, trying to find the reassuring sound of her heartbeat, all I heard was silence.
Mithraheal’s cry of sorrow was cut short, his body going slack before falling face first on the ground. He didn’t get back up.
Everything in me was numb. I didn’t think I would ever feel anything again. My mate was dead. She had put an end to Draven’s evil soul and those he had infected, only to die a senseless death by those she had fought to protect.
I curled against her body and closed my eyes. I had no intention of ever rising again.