Hunter parked the vehicle behind a mound of old engine parts, then we relocated to the ATV. It was a newer model, one of those rugged off-roading versions that would be fast and capableover any terrain. It didn’t appear to be registered for road use, but that wouldn’t matter.
If everything went to plan, we’d be out of town before anyone here noticed.
“You shifting now?” Kellan asked.
I nodded, already calculating in advance. “Yeah, we’re still in early sunrise and this area is isolated. I’ll be able to get high enough to blend before anyone notices. You two follow as closely as you can, and signal if you feel her through your bonds.”
I ditched my clothes, leaving them in the back seat of the Mercedes. The shift was seamless, and my beast wanted to roar at finally having his freedom to hunt our mate again. For the sake of remaining undetected though, we kept that roar internal.
Spreading my heavy wings and pumping them until my body lifted was as easy as walking. As I soared into the chilly morning air, the fires in my gut burned hotter and brighter. I traveled in shadows as the sun rose, and pushed my essence to the surface until the shimmer of my scales reflected the light. If any humans looked up, I’d appear as nothing more than a sunbeam.
In this form, my senses were strong, and while I couldn’t scent Emme, there was a tugging in my center that led me away from the town toward an uninhabited section of land.
I flew for a while, changing directions as I followed the tug. I’d always felt a pull toward the omega, but this calling felt different. It reminded me of the time I was hit with an urge to return to the volcano and search for more of my kind—a search that had ended in disappointment. I refused to believe today would yield the same results.
When I got closer to whatever was drawing me, my beast took over, moving frantically as if he was afraid we’d be too late. Trusting in his instinct, I let the human side of my mind fade under the ferality of the dragon. Our kind was ancient and wise,and I trusted him to act right when it came to our mate. At least when it came to saving her.
That pull in my chest deepened, and I smelled a rich sweetness on the air for the first time. Only it wasn’t Emme’s chocolate and honey, it was different. Deeper and tied to the land, with a very mild undercurrent of the same smokiness of my scent.
My beast roared suddenly, and to my fucking surprise, there was a roar in return.
A dragon roar.
I’d know that sound anywhere. My wings moved faster as I raced across the countryside, leaving my brothers behind for the first time.
I had to get to whatever waited out there.
I had to know who had called me.
A dragon appeared on the horizon, roughly the same size and dimensions as me, but his scales were an inky black, with just a shimmer of green, like an oil slick across water. My beast roared again, and he returned it once more, this time with a hint of rage underlying the sound.
Emme was here too, I felt her in my gut, but the tugging had been for this shifter.A dragon.
Who, in my center, I knew was part of my clan.
My family line.
The same that had called to me when I was younger. He hadn’t been there when I arrived that time. But he was here today, and he had something to do with my omega.
The darker dragon raced towards me, and I wasn’t sure what he intended to do, until he struck out with his tail, aiming right for a vulnerable section of my throat. I dodged and rolled to the side, shaking off confusion and pain as I registered that, kin or not, we were about to fight.
Spinning into another evasive maneuver, I came up from below him, my fangs out as I bellowed fire and sliced with my claws into his side. The fire would do nothing, but while we were vulnerable to very few weapons in this form, dragon claws cut through our scales.
Ignoring the gouges now dripping blood from his side, he attacked with force, swiping across my right front leg. I pulled away in time for it to only end up a minor scratch, but it was a close call.
He was well trained too.
As we moved closer again, clashing mid-air, I locked my gaze on his dark eyes, noticing that they held the same hint of green as his scales. It was almost as if he had inverted colors to mine, and I wondered if his green went darker or lighter depending on his beast’s mood.
Wait.I shouldn’t be wondering about him at all. He’d attacked me, and was clearly part of whomever took Emme. Which meant he was the enemy.
An enemy who had to die.
Even if it did feel like I would be cutting out my own heart in the process.
For my mate, I’d do that, and worse.
I’d cut out every fucking heart in this world and let her bathe in the blood.
