But even as she managed to leash the magic and bend it to her will, an unexpected pain smashed through her. No, it wasn’t pain. It was a debilitating agony that cascaded through her like an avalanche, threatening to rip her apart. Her bones snapped and the skin began to peel from her flesh.
No, this was all wrong!
She had to get out of there. She had to flee before the magic destroyed her.
Gabriela tilted back her head to roar with a combination of fear and horror. “Release me.”
* * * *
Azh remained on guard as Wynn curled into a ball and fell asleep. Behind this barrier they should be safe, but he wasn’t taking any chances. They not only had to worry about the corruption that was seemingly able to infect demons with its evil magic, but now his mother had caught Wynn’s scent and declared her an enemy.
Not that he regretted taking Wynn into his lair. A smug smile curved his lips as he glanced down at the delicate woman who he’d gently coated in weaves of fire.
He’d known she had courage. Enough courage to give him gray hairs. But there were few creatures who could have watched the sparring between the dragons and not cowered in fear. He needed to be sure that she could accept him in all his forms.
Savoring the rumbles of satisfaction from his inner beast, Azh was abruptly distracted as Wynn began to twitch in her sleep. Then the movements became bigger, her arms thrashing as if she were trying to hold off an unseen enemy.
Whatever nightmare she was experiencing was bad enough to cover her skin in a layer of perspiration.
Azh dropped to his knees, reaching out to wrap her in his arms. “Wynn, wake up.” He gave her a gentle shake. “Wynn. Can you hear me?”
She fought against his hold, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Then her eyes snapped open to reveal a lingering terror.
“Azh.”
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, pressing her tight against his chest.
“It was her,” she rasped.
“What?”
“Gabriela.”
He studied her tense expression. “You were dreaming.”
She shook her head. “It was more than a dream. IwasGabriela. I could feel everything that she felt. I soared through the air and plunged toward the ocean. I walked on two legs to enter the strange pyramid that we saw in the book and sat on her throne.”
Azh would have dismissed her claim as simple weariness if it wasn’t the dragon magic that pulsed inside her. Somehow she’d managed to tap into Gabriela’s power. Why not tap into her memories?
He ran a soothing hand down her back. He could still feel the tremors that raced through her body.
“You were obviously disturbed by something. What happened?”
“She tried to leash the corruption. That’s how it escaped.”
Azh hissed. “Gabriela caused the destruction of our homeland?”
Wynn winced as if belatedly realizing the stark impact of her words. For countless eons Gabriela had been a folk hero out of legends. Even to those who weren’t entirely convinced the mythical paradise was real. Now he had to consider the possibility that the savior of his people might actually be the villain.
“She didn’t mean to. It was a mistake. That’s why she sacrificed herself,” she hurriedly added.
Azh shook his head, dismissing her fear that he was having a crisis of faith. Actually, he wasn’t sure he was surprised. Gabriela the Savior was a fable. The real flesh-and-blood queen was no doubt as complicated and flawed as every other dragon.
He was far more concerned with the knowledge that Gabriela’s memories were causing Wynn a pain that lingered in the depths of her lavender eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry about what?”
