Nausea rolls through me in violent waves.
I’m going to be sick.
I swallow hard, forcing it down. My head is pounding. My stomach is in revolt. Every part of me wants to curl into a ball and never move again.
But I can’t.
Through my blurred vision, I see Falkor in Grim’s other talon. The old male is completely limp, his head lolling to the side. His eyes are closed.
Fear pierces through my nausea.
Please be okay.
He looks so pale. I push through the sick feeling, through the fear, reaching out with the bond. It’s still so new, so strange. Like flexing a muscle I never knew I had.
Grim’s presence floods my mind again, and this time I don’t fight it. Instead, I let it wash over me, let myself feel the connection between us.
“Take us to Eldra’s house.” The words are swept away by the wind rushing past.
I don’t even know who Eldra is. I have to trust that Grim knows what he’s doing. He might have lied to me, but he has never done anything to put any of us in danger. If he thinks that Eldra is somewhere safe for Falkor, then that’s where we’re headed.
Grim’s dragon makes a deep, rumbling noise and banks hard, changing direction. The sudden shift makes my stomach lurch all over again, but I grit my teeth and hold on.
We pick up even more speed. The clouds blur past us. My eyes water from the wind.
Then we’re dropping like a stone.
My stomach shoots up into my throat. A scream tears from my chest, but the sound is ripped away by the rushing air. We’re falling so fast that everything becomes a smear of color and motion.
I’m going to die. We’re all going to die. This is it.
At the last possible second, Grim slows. His massive wings snap out, catching the air. The deceleration is almost as violent as the fall, but it works.
We hover just a few feet above the ground, grass and wildflowers swaying beneath us from the wind created by his wings. There is a house right next to us. We must be at Eldra’s home. I lift my head and note that there are more houses nearby.
He opens one talon.
Falkor drops onto the grass below with a soft thump. He doesn’t move.
“Falkor!” I try to scream his name, but we’re already shooting back into the sky.
Grim’s dragon skyrockets upward with terrifying speed. My vision tunnels. Black spots dance at the edges.
“To the Vaccination Center.” I’m not sure I even say it. In fact, I doubt I do, since I’m barely holding onto consciousness.
Our bond pulses. I know he heard me because he banks sharply, and my world goes black again.
I’m shocked awake by the sound of gunfire.
My eyes snap open. We’re descending toward what’s left of the Vaccination Center. I recognize the parking lot and the temporary tent structure Drake spoke of.
Weapons swivel in our direction. Muzzle flashes light up the late afternoon.
Bullets pepper Grim’s scales once again. He twists his body, angling himself so that I’m protected. I hear each impact. Feel his body jerk with the force of them.
We descend rapidly. Grim uses his free talon to slash through the blue tarp covering the same hole he created when he rescued me days ago.
The tarp tears away with a sharp ripping sound.
