“This has to be the way,” Cassius says, easily pulling a rock out of place. It’s going to take forever to get through this though, even with our enhanced abilities and strength.”
“Then we need to start,” Atlas says, kicking several rocks down.
Roman sniffs around, scratching the back of his neck. “Something’s not right. This could be a trap.”
“No. Mac is here. I can feel it in the bond.”
“Are you absolutely certain?” Cassius asks, gently rubbing my shoulder. “We can’t help him if we get caught too.”
Nodding, I close my eyes to focus on the bond.Can you feel me, Mac? Are we close?
A new intense wave of warmth greets me along with the tangible smoky sweet scent of my mate.
“Yes, he’s here. Let me see if I can find out anything else.”
Are we safe to enter?
An uptick of panic reaches me, which is concerning.We’ll figure out how to get to you.
“I don’t think it’s a trap, but it’s not safe either. The mage is tricky.”
“Of course he is,” Roman murmurs. “I guess all we can do is bust through this wall and see what’s on the other side.”
“We’ll deal with it,” Cassius says. “We have to. We don’t leave our own behind.”
“Our own?” I repeat.
Atlas pats my back. “He’s your mate, which means he’s our family. We’ll find him.”
I smile, nodding and whispering my thanks. Mac may not have wanted this family or me as a mate, but he got us anyway, and he’s about to find out we’ll do anything to keep our own safe.
Sit tight, Mac. We’re on our way.
FIFTEEN
DRAX
My dragon is close.Soclose. I can feel him. I can smell him. The desperate need to see that he’s okay with my own eyes would be suffocating if I actually needed oxygen to live. Roman and I join in Atlas’s attempts to clear the heavy boulders while Cassius slinks away to check for other ways in. Picking up each enormous rock and heaving it behind me quickly becomes repetitive, mindless work, every part of me focused solely on getting to my mate.
Roman grunts with each stone he throws, the scent of his sweat getting stronger and stronger as we work. Atlas isn’t bothered. He doesn’t breathe any heavier and he doesn’t sweat; he just tosses one boulder after another away like they’re nothing.
“Uh, guys…” Roman stops, pulling his shirt up to wipe the sweat off of his face. “Is it just me or should we be getting somewhere by now?”
Atlas’s biceps bulge as he lifts another stone, and I huff in frustration. Is Roman right? Should we be seeing the other side by now? How deep could the mage have made this barrier? Is it even real…
“Shit,” I mutter as the realization rushes over me. “It’s a trick.”
I wait for the boulder in my arms to vanish now that I know it’s not real, but it stays put. I can feel the sharp, uneven surface cutting into my skin, and my muscles strain slightly with the weight of it. There’s nothing that gives it away as an illusion, except for the fact that itcan’tbe real. There’s no way Rune had time to build a barrier dozens of boulders deep in this hallway before we found it.
Atlas grunts and, angling his shoulder down, he barrels into the barrier. The walls rattle and he stumbles back, rubbing his shoulder and glaring at the wall of rocks still standing firm between us and Mac.
“Rune’s magic must be incredibly strong. I’ve never seen an illusion hold like this.” There’s a mixture of awe and frustration in Atlas’s voice that mirrors the infuriating feelings swirling in my chest. “It shouldn’t even be affecting me this strongly. Gargoyles are mostly immune to mage magic.”
“I don’t think we’re dealing with an ordinary mage,” Cassius says, appearing suddenly behind us.
“Please tell me you found another way in?” I demand through gritted teeth, drawing my arm back and aiming it right at the wall of stone.
Atlas catches my wrist before my fist can connect.
