Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and I couldn’t breathe. My dragon wanted to break free. I didn’t know what was happening, but my dragon was pissed. I concentrated on controlling the pain and my beast.
“Are you okay?” Seth asked, worry lacing his voice.
I was about to respond when an explosion rocked the plane. The blast sent us flying through the air to land on the hard tarmac. I shook my head, trying to regain my bearings. A light flashed anda tall, beautiful woman appeared. She had porcelain skin, long legs, and raven hair. She wore a sheer black gown.
“Harper,” Bazer whispered from a few feet beside me.
I’d heard that name before. This was the witch from ancient times, who desired to kill all dragons and take our blood to enhance her magic. Her eyes narrowed at Bazer as if she’d heard his whisper. I went to call on my dragon, but before I could, she raised her hand and, with a flick of her wrist, she and Bazer disappeared.
Crap! Crap! Crap, Krispin is going to be pissed!I thought.
I stood up and looked around. Seth was still lying on the ground, Ummir by his side. Julgan was barking into his phone. I got to my feet. I noted all my limbs, making sure I was okay before I started walking toward the gargoyles. Seth was trying to sit up, and Ummir was holding him down. When I reached them, I saw why—Seth had a piece of metal sticking out of his leg.
“This is going to hurt,” Ummir said.
“I don’t care. Just pull it out. I’ll heal,” Seth replied.
“Chieftain, we were ambushed…I don’t know who…some woman…. Yes, Chieftain,” Julgan said into the phone.
“OW, fuck!” Seth cried out.
Ummir placed pressure on the wound with a torn piece of material. Blood quickly stained the fabric. “Damn, I knew Ishouldn’t have pulled it out. He’s losing too much blood,” he said.
I wasn’t like Addison, who had healing magic, but I was still a dragon, and there was a way I could help if I wanted. I didn’t think—I acted. I got to my knees, changing one of my hands to my dragon claw. I cut the palm of my other.
“Move your hand,” I ordered. Ummir hurriedly pulled away to comply as he watched my actions.
I put my hand over the wound and squeezed. A single drop of blood hit Seth’s injury, and instantly the wound sealed. Seth, Ummir, and Julgan stared in shock.
“Wow, thanks. It doesn’t even hurt anymore,” Seth said in awe.
“You’re welcome,” I replied simply. I didn’t speak more about it. Dragon’s blood held a lot of power. Enough could make a person immortal. It was one of the main reasons Harper’s father, the evil mage, had first sought it out.
“Chieftain Tomlin wants us to head back to the clutch. We need to find out who that woman was,” Julgan said, apparently picking up on the fact I didn’t want to talk about what I had done.
“It was Harper. Bazer recognized her. I need to tell the king. If she is back in action, he’ll want to know about it. Can you all make it back to the clutch?” I asked. My dragon wanted out, and he wanted to fly.
“Yes, I’m feeling a hundred percent. I can carry you, and we can fly to the clutch; we’ll be there in no time,” Seth said. I looked at him and smirked.
“I can fly on my own, but I’m not going back to the clutch. I’m heading to the King. Have a safe journey, all of you,” I replied.
With that, I stepped back and let my dragon free. Scales covered my body in a bright flash, and then I was in my dragon form. I looked at my gargoyle friends; they had expressions of awe. I knew what they saw; I was the size of a bus. I had powerful claws and wings, and the blue scales, of course. I unfurled my impressive wings and took off into the night sky.
It took an hour, but the large cabin that I now called home came into sight. It was four stories, made of dark wood, had floor-to-ceiling windows, and a deck that wrapped around the entire structure. The inside was modern. The king and his family lived on the top level, and Roarke and his family on the third. Aaran, Addison, and I shared the second level, and the first floor contained the common areas.
As I approached the back deck, Krispin and Roarke exited. I landed and shifted in one graceful move.
“What happened?” Krispin asked as Aaran came out and handed me a kilt.
“We were ambushed, my king,” I replied.
His eyes widened. “Come inside. I want a full report,” he commanded.
I walked into the cabin and saw Roarke’s mate Devin, Krispin’s mate Ben, and Addison sitting on the oversized couches. They looked up in concern as we entered the family room. It was late, nearly midnight; the kids must be asleep. “Who ambushed you? Did Bazer get away? Were there injuries?” Krispin’s questions came fast.
“We had just landed and were disembarking when I felt a sharp pain in my chest. My dragon wanted to take over. As I was attempting to control my beast, the plane exploded, sending us flying onto the tarmac. I was disoriented. Then a beautiful, black-haired woman appeared in a flash of light…” I paused at the sharp inhales of breath.
“Harper,” Krispin growled.
