Chapter Thirty-Two Dragon Fire #2
Despite the shock, despite the raw, terrifying power of the creature in front of her, there was a strange, comforting sense of rightness. It was Nox—her Nox.
She didn't take a step back. Adan stood her ground, her body tensed, both in awe and anticipation.
They needed to get to Darius, where the key to her collar would be.
Even with the iron gate down, she couldn't touch her magic.
Her metal powers passed down from her great-dragon-grandmother were still present, always protecting her.
But her phoenix-fire was buried deep under a cloud of smoke and fog.
Even so, the flame inside her still fought, still pulsed with life.
"You need to get to Darius," Adan said, her voice steady despite the way her heart hammered in her chest. She wasn't afraid of him—no, not of him. But the situation? The chaos? That was something else entirely.
His massive head dipped slightly, as if to acknowledge her presence in his space, and the air around them hummed with the raw intensity of his power.
Thousands of guards burst through every gate, rushing to surround them, spears pointed. Before they could even lunge, Nox let out a blasting furry of fire and flame. His tale batting Adan in close, covering her from his dragon-fire, so hot she felt its burn through the cover over his scales.
Nox burned the entire arena, shifting the sand at their feet to specks of glass it burned so hot. Every single guard turned to ash instantly. The crowd's screams broke out in pure terror and unorganized panic.
Nox's tail fell away as he shifted back into his human form, "stay close," Nox rumbled, his voice deep and low. He took a step toward her, his body moving fluidly, but his wings remained spread, casting a protective shield around them.
Adan didn't hesitate--neither of them did. They moved with purpose, matching each other's pace as they ran toward the stairs that lead to the balconies-- toward Darius-- where her freedom waited.
The surrounding chaos escalated. The fire and panic spread through the arena like wildfire. Nox had shattered the illusion of control, and the screams of the crowd grew louder, more frantic, as they realized the true power they were witnessing.
The power of the people.
The first that raged were set by the rebellion, Adan could spot; Thammas, Ren, Aster, Asha, Czandra--even Theo, fighting in the throngs of the mob.
But Adan had to keep her eyes locked on the path ahead. She couldn't worry about what the others were dealing with. They all had their own fight, their own job. They need each other to get this done.
Her heart pounded, not from fear, but from the weight of what was coming. Nox had given them the chance, but they couldn't waste it. They were so close now.
With every stride, she could feel the heat still radiating from Nox's form, his power pulsing through the air around them. His wings were still stretched wide, creating a barrier between them and the madness behind them.
Wind and rain began to pelt them, used to slow their assent, to which she knew Darius would be at the center of.
Adan gritted her teeth, fighting against the elements as they battered her and Nox.
The wind and rain tore at her clothes, her hair, but she didn't flinch.
Each drop of rain felt like a promise, a countdown to the moment she would take everything back.
She was the storm, and he was nothing more than the prey.
Nox vanished his wings to not be swept away by the storm swirling around them. Reaching for Adan, grasping her hand tight. The crowds were nothing but distant noise now, their panic drowned out by the thundering of her heart and wind.
Her eyes flicked to Nox as they reached the base of the stairs leading to Darius's high platform.
His form was imposing, a hulking presence even without his wings, and his steady pace mirrored her own.
She knew that look in his eyes—he was already planning what came next.
She didn't have to ask; he'd be with her every step of the way.
The platform was within sight now, as they ascended the steps, the wind howled louder. As if the magic was protesting what they were about to do, but it didn't matter. Adan gripped her dagger tighter, feeling the metal hum beneath her fingers.
They were panting when they reached the top, Darius standing there, towering--almost regal in his cruel composure. The wind howling around him waiting for its masters command. His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of the two of them--hand in hand.
A cruel smile curls on his lips as he speaks, his voice cutting through the howling wind like a blade.
"Come on then," Darius sneered. "Show me what you've got."
Darius tilted his head, his gaze fixed on Adan, a smirk playing on his lips.
"But remember, the cost of defying me has always been more than you can bear."
Nox snarled, the sound deafening as he took a slow, deliberate step forward, his gaze never leaving Darius's face.
The ground beneath them seemed to shift with the force of his words, the air thick with the anticipation of something inevitable about to happen.
His every muscle rippled with barely contained rage.
"You and your family took everything from her-- from me!" The ground beneath them seemed to tremble as he spoke, as if the very earth understood the wrath of the dragon in front of him.
Darius took much--her powers, her freedom, but for Nox it was more personal.
He took the chance of their future--children.
Nox would never begrudge Adan for the actions she was forced to make--that she felt she needed to take.
Nox would never take away her choices--but Darius did--Because there would be no one else for him--Adan was his beginning and end.
Nox took another step forwards, "You branded her," Nox growled, each word laced with venom.
"You collared her like an animal. Do you think I'll stand by and let you get away with it?"
His voice rose, each syllable burning with fury.
"You think you can control her, that you can control me?"
Nox's lips curled into a cruel, twisted smile, and there was no warmth in it—only the cold promise of vengeance.
Darius's storm fluttered at Nox's words, fear flaring in his dead eyes.
Nox's eyes flashed, glowing with a burning hunger for destruction.
"You'll die by my hands," he said coldly, the words a death sentence as he took another step forward, his body beginning to transform once more. The air shimmered with power. "And I will savour every second of it."
Nox pounced as lightening lit up the sky.