And I was leaving our family behind.
Angry tears blurred my vision as I ignored the tingling sensation in my muscles—a sign I was close to my limits.
Tremors raked through my body as I pushed past the oncoming fatigue and raised us higher.
Away from everything we had built.
Screaming, I yanked us the rest of the way to the top, where the mouth of the cave opened. Crispin climbed over the rocky alcove first, then grabbed my hand, helping me onto the ridge.
Then we ran inside the dark mouth of the cave.
My husband moved toward the lantern on the hook, right next to the rest of our supplies. I’d never been more grateful for his constant need to recheck our provisions and make sure we’d have enough oil and food to get us through the caverns and safely out the other side.
An animalistic roar erupted in the valley.
I stood at the mouth of the cave, staring out, sweat sliding down my neck. Specks of white light flashed in front of me. A sign I’d used too much power.
A black dragon hovered by the ridge.
There were many stories about the immortal fae king and the forms he could shapeshift into. But to actually see him in his dragon form…
Spikes trailed the top of his head right between two massive black horns.
Those oddly colored eyes were slitted, the amber more luminous than before.
“Bring it down!” Crispin yelled.
Kane flew forward, his head almost the same size as the cave entrance.
We weren’t going to make it.
CHAPTER TWO
Deidre
All Father,save us… Of all the ways I thought things might go if worse came to worst, this was not on my list.
Never did I think Kane would come for me himself. He’s a king, so certainly he would have sent guards or trackers… Anyone other than himself.
Crispin and I never planned on how to fight a dragon!
Another roar.
This one so close hot breath lifted my hair.
If I didn’t act fast, I was as good as dead.
As Kane’s head lunged closer, I spun and ran farther into the cave, hoping he really was too big to follow in his current form. That might at least buy us some time.
Holding up my hands, I focused on the dirt around the wooden beams we had built in the ceiling. With extreme force, Kane smashed against the mountain, trying to fit his gigantic head into the mouth of the cavern.
With shaking limbs, I ignored the raging beast. Calling to the roots webbed around the ceiling, I split the wooden beams, causing all the boulders Crispin had set to fall and block the entrance.
A shudder rolled through the cave as we descended into darkness. Dirt and rocks sprayed my head. Coughing, I stumbled back, reaching out to find my husband.
A soft glow illuminated the shadows, and then Crispin's arm was around me.
“We're halfway there,” he whispered, kissing the back of my head and turning me around. With one hand, he cupped my cheek. “That was the hard part, and we survived.”
