“And you.”
Willow exited the truck, then paced away from it. In the mirrors, I watched her shift into her silver-gray dragon and take to the air. She circled overhead a few times, gaining altitude, then banked toward the north and the low, rolling hills betweenus and the estate. I knew she’d hug the ground, flying low, and come to the house from the rear and the sea.
I put the truck in gear, and drove further up the highway until I found the unmarked yet paved road leading up and into the hills. The truck climbed the steep grade easily, even as the road doubled back on itself many times.
The Hollywood producer must be very wealthy indeed. The road turned into a long curving driveway that passed acres of manicured lawns, shrubbery, and low stone walls before finally arriving at the multi-million dollar house. Beyond it, the blue ocean moved like a restless animal in a cage.
With Fiona away on her mission to meet me, Damon should be alone in the house. With Hayley. It occurred to me that should he hold a gun to her head, I’d do exactly what he ordered. If he said jump, I’d ask how high.
Nothing at the house moved as I parked the truck and got out. I knew I was being watched, however. My dragon’s instincts told me. With Damon’s attention on me, Willow should be extracting Hayley at this very moment.
“I know you’re there, Damon,” I called. “Let Hayley go.”
My demand was met with silence. The feeling of being watched intensified. Uneasy, I shifted into my dragon –
Damon came at me from the left, from behind a low hill, flaming. I leaped into the air, my wings wide, and caught his fire with my own. Our fires met and mingled, doing neither of us any real harm. He banked away, hurtling up and over the house, and toward the open water. Terrified he’d already killed Hayley, I gave chase.
“I’ll kill you,” Damon screamed, switching his head for his tail in a tight roll, and came at me with his talons extended, ready to slash and maim.
I didn’t bother to answer.
We hit with the power of two freight trains colliding, cutting, ripping, tearing each other’s hides. I dodged Damon’s attempt to bite my throat, and sliced my talons at his jugular. I missed by a fraction, opening his neck but failing to do much harm.
Roaring, he flamed at my vulnerable eyes. I swung my head aside just in time, and bit deep into his shoulder. Yelling in pain, Damon twisted and bucked midair, trying to get me off of him. I tightened my grip, sinking my teeth deeper into his muscles. He furled his wings, dropping both of us like stones toward the sea below.
I let go a moment before we struck the surface. Throwing myself away from him, I slashed my front talons across his vulnerable neck while at the same time I dug my rear claws deep into his belly. I knew I’d just gutted him as I would a deer.
We both hit the water.
Under the waves, I opened my eyes.
I watched as Damon sank.
A cloud of scarlet blood filled the water around his body as he thrashed, trying to swim, trying to fight for his life.
I knew I’d opened his jugular this time.
His struggles finally ended as he dropped lower and lower into the dark depths.
Swimming upward, I breached the surface. Beating my wings, I gained altitude and circled over the sea where his blood floated atop the waves.
“Feed the sharks, you bastard.”
Banking toward the house, I flew fast, shedding my own blood from the deep cuts from Damon’s talons. Willow flew toward me, and even from this distance I recognized the despair in her eyes, her expression.
Willow banked around to fly at my side, her grief etched across her face. My survival meant Damon, her son, was dead.She must live with his treachery, his evil, for the remainder of her days. No matter how justified I was in taking his life, would she ever forgive me?
“Willow,” I began. “I’m so sorry.”
“No. Don’t say anything. Let me have my grief.”
We reached the vast estate on the cliff’s edge and circled over it. I half thought of seeing Hayley waiting to greet us as we descended over the lawns to land.
“Where’s Hayley?”
“She wasn’t in the house.” Willow furled her wings to drop lightly to the grass. “I found the rooms where she was being held. I think she went down the cliff, but I saw nothing of her.”
Chapter Twenty-One
