Joey's head snapped up. "Did you say Malcolm?"
He nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"That was my uncle's name." A thread of uneasiness curled itself around her spine. Could it be the same person?
"I don't remember this guy's last name, but it wasn't Preston, so it couldn't be the same guy."
Her stomach suddenly went queasy, and she was afraid she was going to lose those Ravioli's that she had eaten. "My grandparents divorced when their boys were young. One took my dad, the other his brother. Malcolm went with my grandmother, and when she remarried, he changed his name, too."
Drake ran a hand through his hair. "We definitely need to look into that."
"I don't want it to be the same guy, Drake. I would never do anything to hurt you."
"The only way you could hurt me is if you walked out that door and never spoke to me again."
She glanced at the door. "Should we get to hiking? I think we can sneak our way back down."
He grinned at her. "Why sneak when we can fly?"
"In case you forgot," she teased as she flapped her arms like a bird, "I can't fly."
"No, but you can ride. All you have to do is hold on."
Her stomach lurched a little. "I don't really have a thing for heights."
"I would love to say you wouldn't have to worry about that, but flying requires air, and I have to stay high to avoid detection."
She swallowed hard. "I don't know if I can. Seriously, I am petrified of being off the ground any higher than a horse."
He cupped her face. "I promise. I won't let anything happen to you. And we don't have many options to get off this mountain. We need to get back to my family in case Percy has exposed himself to them also."
Her eyes widened. "I didn't even think about that. He might go after them because we're missing."
He gave a nod. "Exactly. It won't be a long ride, and you can keep your eyes closed."
A thumping sound outside made her pause before she responded. Drake's head snapped around as he looked at the door. Another thump sounded from behind the building.
"What is tha--"
"Oh, shit!"
They spoke at the same time before the front door was suddenly torn off the e building along with half of the front of the shack. At the same time, the side wall crashed in as Joey spun around. Two black winged creatures sneered at them.
"I think we're too late." Joey moved to stand with her back to Drake's in a classic defensive move. Two more wyverns joined the first, one through the ceiling and the other through the front window.
Drake growled. "My own stupidity. I didn't stop to think they could fly, too."
The creature closest to her suddenly lashed out with a clawed hand. Joey ducked and twisted to avoid it, but it was successful in moving her away from Drake. As soon as there was distance, the other three attacked him.
Joey screamed as the wyvern suddenly leapt and tackled her to the floor. It easily pinned her down, and then lifted her firmly in its talons. She yelled for Drake, who seemed to be holding his own against the three he was fighting.
"Can't you shift?" she screeched at him while she struggled to free herself. If she could shift into a dragon, she would have happily bit the damned thing's head off.
Drake threw a creature across the room and looked at her. "I can't until I--"
"Look out!"
Joey's scream was too late. A fifth creature suddenly entered the fray and crashed a large boulder into the side of Drake's head and neck. Joey almost felt the immense pain he felt as Drake fell like a sack of feed to the floor and didn't move.
