Taking a deep breath, Caz breathed out frost of his own. Brighter and purer than the cloud circling his wrist, it contacted Yarl’s power and froze it solid.
“Wretched things,” the ice tyrant grunted and sliced his other hand across the icy mass, his fingers out like blades.
Two things happened next.
Yarl’s power shattered into nothingness.
And Ella began to scream at the top of her lungs.
“Ella!” I shouted, snatching her up in my arms as she thrashed. “Ella it’s me. It’s Anna. I’m here. Ella, it’s okay!”
I eased her to the floor while Caz stepped away, taking deep breaths.
“No. No. No,” Ella sobbed, clawing at her face before she screamed some more.
“Caz? What do we …”
Ella’s eyes rolled up into her skull and she fainted.
“Ella!” I screamed as Caz wrapped giant arms around me, holdingme still.
“Hush,” he growled in my ear. “She’s still alive.”
I struggled some more, but Caz was far stronger and simply held on, not letting me go for a second, knowing that I needed his touch, his presence, while my friend lay unconscious on the floor in front of me.
“She’ll be okay,” Dirk said, coming to crouch next to her. A strange look filled his eyes. “I know it looks bad, but it’s normal, Anna. She just needs time to sleep it all off.”
“How long?”
“That depends on how strong she is. Days or weeks,” Caz said, adjusting his grip around me.
I gasped at the sight of his other arm. It was bright, ugly red from his wrist halfway to his elbow.
“Yarl is an ass, but he’s no slouch with his power,” Caz said in answer to my unspoken question.
“Yeah, I’m not doing that.”
We all looked up to see Holly at a landing above, looking down at us in the reclining area.
“But the collar. You must have it off,” Kolar urged.
“Sure. But not yet. I’m going to need to be rested and ready to go throughthat,” Holly said.
“But—”
“Kolar, she said she’s not ready,” Caz ordered firmly. “Once she’s rested, take her to meet upwith the others. Keep her there until she’s ready. Understood?”
Kolar snapped to attention. “Of course.”
“Good.” Caz’s eyes were starting to glow. “Dirk. If it’s okay with Anna, take Ella to one of the suites and get her in a bed. Stay near so she can wake to a friendly face. She’ll need it.”
Dirk looked at me. I wanted to protest, but Ella was unconscious, and neither of them seemed worried for her, so I did what I’d done a lot of lately. I trusted my mate. He had more experience removing collars than I did.
Moving with utmost tenderness, Dirk scooped Ella up into his arms and rose to his feet, carrying her effortlessly up the stairs. He was careful to avoid hitting any furniture or walls. In fact, he wasverycareful.
“I’m going to take Durion some food,” Florian said from the kitchen, heading out the back way after the other dragon.
In seconds, I was alone with Caz. He was breathing hard. Using his good arm, he wrapped me in to his chest. I molded my body to his, basking in his touch and the calming effect it always brought.
