30. Chapter 30
thirty
Ares
T he mark on her neck is almost completely faded, like it was never there. As if our love, our bond, means nothing.
I fear I will lose her, but there is something else, a feeling I never knew I had, but seeing Ethan like this, his body lying lifeless in front of me…
It pains me, hurts me more than I thought it would. I wonder what that means.
The scent of ashes wafts my way, and my eyes snap to Ethan, knowing what a dead dragon smells like.
His full lips are a pale shade of blue, his warm skin turning ice cold as this graying color spreads.
Crawling closer, I press my head to his chest, hearing his faint heartbeat slowing with each second. “No, no, no,” I mumble as panic grips me. What is happening?
Tears prickle my eyes. My chest tightens. I can’t lose him. He can’t leave me… He has to… He’s….
Fuck…
“Aetherion, you need to see this,” Grayson says, tearing me away from Ethan. My breath trembles as I don’t want to leave their side. This is where I should be.
This is where I belong.
With them.
“Aetherion, it’s Cedric,” Grayson says carefully.
The tears that almost escape me evaporate as rage boils within me.
“What is it?” I rise, squaring my shoulders as my gaze won’t leave them.
Grayson shifts on his feet, unease radiating from him. “He’s here, Aetherion.”
A menacing growl forms in my chest as I storm out, my claws growing as scales paint my skin.
The heavy wooden doors open, showing who’s waiting.
There he is. Hephaestus’s vessel, Cedric. Surrounded by dragon shifters, all ready to fight. Clans that used to stand by me are now siding with him.
How did he manage to persuade them?
“Get the warriors ready. Use the tunnels,” I say to Grayson.
He nods and hesitantly goes back inside, not wanting to leave me alone. I step closer to Cedric, as he must know I’ll never give up without a fight. Never! I’ll protect what’s mine.
I don’t need to be an Aetherion. I only need them, my family. Rodi and Ethan. They’re mine .
“I heard you were looking for me,” Cedric taunts, a crooked smile spreading across his face.
I chuckle as I shake my head. “I have to say, you do look better in this vessel than in your true form.”
I need to stall him long enough for my warriors to use the tunnels to attack them from behind. We might not have the numbers, but I can’t let him win.
His eyes flash to his dragon’s. “I’m not here to play games, Ares. I’m here to take what’s mine.”
“There’s nothing here that’s yours,” I say. The door creaks open behind me and soft, quick footsteps follow. Glancing over my shoulder, I notice Tara hurrying forward. I briefly wonder if something has happened to Rodi or Ethan.
But as she won’t meet my eyes, as her focus remains on Cedric, I realize my mistake.
“You see, Ares. I could never pull something like this off alone. Never could I keep her that long in that dream world. The spell needed to be recast every couple of hours, or she would’ve woken up,” Cedric says.
My control slips through my fingers with Tara right there. But do I even want to stop? Isn’t it better if she’s dead?
“But your plan failed, Cedric .” I grin. Closing the distance between me and the witch, my hand wraps around her neck, claws puncture her skin, and blood gushes over my hand.
“You will never have her,” I say to Cedric as the witch’s heartbeat slows under my grip.
“Don’t, please, I had to, please,” she whispers, her gaze pleading as I drain the last bit of her life from her body, watching as the light fades in her eyes.
“Rodi will always come back. Whatever you throw at us, we will always find each other. You can kill me, but I will come back and find her,” I say to Cedric as I peel Tara’s lifeless body from my hold. His warriors edge closer as Cedric retreats, his words resonating around me.
“Ares, I’m not killing you. I’m letting you live. I’ll never let you die again. I’ll make sure of that.”
As the first warriors shift, an obsidian dragon emerges from behind them. A sapphire glint brushes over the scales as more dragons follow.
Cedric’s warriors turn toward mine, and the fight begins.
“Let’s play, shall we?”
Chaos ensues. My vision is filled with gnashing teeth, curved claws, billowing wings, and blood. So much blood I can almost taste it.
I fight, using every ounce of strength and speed that I have as I can’t use my other ability. If I did, I’d take the lives of Rodi and Ethan with me.
My wings angle and flap, helping me cut through the sky and dodge attacks from other dragon shifters as they take to the sky. Down below, dragon shifters slash and mutilate their way to small victories.
It’s unclear who is winning.
My jaws clamp onto the throat of a rival dragon, my teeth puncturing his skin. Blood floods my mouth until I rip my head backward, slicing flesh and making the dragon plummet toward the ground.
The crimson blood from those who stood against me covers my dark scales, shielding them from the moonlight. The scent of ashes fills the night air as screams surround me.
There is a sudden gasp for air as my chest tightens, a pain that strikes me down. My breathing shallows and quickens. My heart stings again and again, tearing me, breaking me, until there’s nothing but emptiness.
My shift back is without control, and I stagger to my feet with a grunt as I clutch my chest. Panic grips me as I run to the castle door, moving swiftly through the fighting crowd.
I’m afraid I’m too late, knowing all too well how it feels to lose the one you marked.