At that moment, the house’s main door slammed, hard enough to rattle the windows. Ashton barreled into the room, his height and presence crowding the air, with Erin close behind, her hair a mess of red and her hands clamped on his arm.
Ashton scanned the circle, eyes flicking to Aurelia, then to me. "What the hell was that?" he demanded, voice pitched to reach every corner of the manor.
Aurelia answered, "We broke the suppression. The mate bond activated, and it’s stronger than any of us predicted."
Erin looked at me, her face gone pale. "It wasn’t just here. I felt it all the way out in the garden. Like the world twisted."
Eleanor nodded. "It’s a hybrid bond, dragon and wolf. It’s rewriting her nature in real time. There may be side effects."
I started to stand, but the room spun. Zaden crossed the chalk line before anyone could stop him, catching me under the arms and lifting me upright. He smelled like cedar and something metallic, and I wanted to bury my face in his neck and sleep for a year.
He whispered, "You did it. You’re free," and it meant more than any celebration I’d ever known.
The moment was cut short by the shrill buzz of a cell phone. Mine. Aurelia was closest. I nodded and she answered, listened, and then said put it on speaker.
It was Nathan, his voice barely controlled. "Something’s happening to Bryce," he said. "He was asleep, and then, things started flying. Windows breaking, lights exploding. He’s in pain, but I can’t get close. Every time I try, I get thrown back."
I clutched the back of a chair, panic swallowing the last of my newfound peace. "Is he?—"
"He’s alive," Nathan said, "but I don’t know for how long."
Aurelia, Eleanor, and Vivienne locked eyes in a triangular standoff. Vivienne said, "The backlash."
Zaden glanced at me, then at Aurelia. "What do we do?"
Aurelia was already moving, collecting bowls and candles and tossing them into a velvet satchel. "Flight is fastest," she said, pulling on boots as she talked. "The dragons can get us there before it escalates."
Vivienne rolled her shoulders, then stalked over to Skye, who had just appeared in the doorway, breathless. "Are you up for a midnight flight?" Vivienne asked.
Skye grinned, all teeth. "Hell yes."
Zaden looked at me, concern drawn across every line of his face. "Can you ride?" he asked.
I didn’t hesitate. "If it gets me to him, I’ll do anything."
He nodded, squeezing my hand. "Let’s go."
Aurelia snapped instructions with military precision. "Ashton, take me. Zaden, you and Krystal. Skye, Vivienne is with you. Drake and Chance, flank and cover." She pointed at Erin and my mother, who both looked unsteady. "Drive and meet us there."
Erin protested, but Ashton bundled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "I’ll call as soon as we land."
The whole party surged out the door, down a long hallway and into the yard. Above, the moon pressed through clouds, highlighting the lawn.
Ashton shifted first. The process was too quick to be beautiful, bones cracking, clothes shifting with him, and then the great black dragon stood where he’d been, scales absorbing the moonlight. Aurelia mounted with the ease of long practice, climbing the ridges of his back and settling between two spines.
Zaden dropped my hand and stepped away. The change hit like a silent explosion, his body expanding, red scales fanning out, limbs doubling and then doubling again. He was a beast of living garnet, his wings catching light like stained glass. For a second, I could only stare. He was impossibly beautiful, and terrifying in a way that made my heart lurch.
He extended one wing toward me, lowering it to the grass. I set my bare foot on the leather, testing the surface, then scrambled up, finding handholds in the subtle dips between the scales. I slid into the hollow behind his shoulders, straddling his back, and clung to a bony ridge.
The other dragons shifted in rapid succession, Skye in a flash of pearl, Drake in a sweep of blue, Chance in silver. Vivienne mounted Skye as if she’d done it a hundred times, her skirt flaring as she swung her leg over the neck. Drake and Chance flanked the group, scales glittering with pent-up energy.
Aurelia and Vivienne raised their hands, and for a moment, the world turned to syrup. A dome of light shimmered into being, a shield of distortion that would hide us from any mortal eyes. Aurelia called, "Now!" and the dragons sprang forward in unison.
The takeoff was nothing like a commercial flight. There was no gentle build, just the instant, ferocious thrust of muscle and magic. My head snapped back, hair whipping into my mouth, eyes streaming as the ground fell away. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't get in enough breath to.
We banked hard, flying low over the town, the world below reduced to a blur of streetlights and sleeping roofs. The wind burned, but I couldn’t stop grinning. I felt alive, every part of me tuned to the impossible power beneath me.
Zaden roared, a sound that vibrated through my whole body, and I pressed closer, burying my face between the warm curve of his shoulders. The cold was nothing compared to the fear for Bryce, but I couldn't help feeling the thrill of my first flight.
