Vivienne’s arms shot up, blue light pouring from her palms. The blast hit me in the chest, hard enough to knock my feet out from under me. I landed flat, the cold shock of it stealing every breath from my lungs. Zaden crashed down beside me, the impact rattling my teeth. For a split second, all I could hear was the hum of power and my own heart slamming against my ribs.
The grass sizzled where Vivienne’s magic had hit. She spun, eyes wild, and tried to bolt for the woods.
My body refused to move. I fought to suck in air, my head ringing. The mate bond shot panic up my back, hot and sharp, but my limbs were leaden. I caught a glimpse of Zaden, still down, scales flickering in and out as his dragon tried to stabilize. It was chaos.
Then, over all of it, I heard Bryce yelling.
It wasn’t a child’s cry. It was a roar, a broken, furious sound that clawed the air open and made me forget every single pain.
He was out of the house, barefoot, pajamas bunched at the knees, his hair wild. His eyes were no longer human-brown. They burned gold, the color of sunrise and fury, and light pulsed everywhere inside him. Under his skin, behind his teeth, through the tiny cuts on his knuckles.
Vivienne froze at the edge of the yard, halfway between threat and flight.
"No!" Bryce screamed, the word so loud it cracked the night. He threw both hands forward.
The world stopped breathing.
Energy exploded from Bryce. Not a clever spell, no measured release, just raw, wild force. It slammed into Vivienne, picked her up, and spun her in midair, then dropped her where she stood. The blue-white glow snapped solid, shifting to something iridescent and cold. A crystalline shell formed around her. Clear at first, then shot through with veins of gold and blue.
Vivienne was stuck, mid-step, mouth open in an O of shock. Her skin took on a blue tint, her hair frozen mid-whip, her eyes huge and terrified. The crystal climbed up her arms, over her face, encasing her.
Then it was silent again. The only sound was Bryce, gasping, barely upright.
I crawled to my feet, knees scraping dirt, not caring about the pain. Zaden beat me by a second. He was already on his feet, his face a mask of shock and something like awe.
Bryce stood on the walkway, arms still raised, his whole little body shaking. He looked at us, then at Vivienne’s frozen form. His chest heaved. He staggered, then started to fall.
Zaden moved faster than I could. He caught Bryce just as his legs gave out, scooping him into his arms. I was there an instant later, cupping Bryce’s face. His skin burned hot, veins glowing. Sweat and tears streaked his cheeks.
"You did good, kiddo. You did so good." Every word was a struggle. I searched his body for wounds, finding none, but he sagged against us, limp except for the tremble of his fists.
Bryce tried to focus. "She was hurting you," he whispered. "I made her stop."
I hugged him tight, burying my face in his hair. Zaden’s arms wrapped around us both, the mate bond a scorching net pulling us close. I wanted to weep, but there was no time.
Vivienne didn’t move. Even her eyelashes were frozen in crystal.
Zaden stood, Bryce pressed to his chest. He looked at me, and I nodded. Move. Get safe.
We hustled to the truck, Bryce cradled between us. I grabbed every blanket I could get my hands on. A ratty wolf throw, two moving pads from the shed, the picnic quilt from the backseat. Zaden lifted Vivienne like luggage, careful not to crack the shell. She was cold, hard as glass, no give at all in her limbs.
We wrapped her tight, layers on top of layers, then Zaden heaved her into the bed of the truck. The shell glimmered even through the fabric, and the weight of it seemed to chill the air around us.
I checked the house twice. Lights off, doors locked.
Zaden slid into the driver’s seat. I settled Bryce in the center, seatbelt stretched across his chest. He was nearly asleep already, head bobbing. I clicked the belt and then curled myself aroundhim. The mate bond buzzed with urgency, desperate to get us out of here.
Zaden peeled out, tires skidding on gravel. The headlights caught the yard, showing Vivienne’s wrapped form in the bed, still unmoving.
We hit the road, the town flying past in a blur. The world outside the cab was all shadows and thin moon, the woods crowding close.
Bryce shivered. I pulled him closer, cradling his damp head against my chest. Zaden kept one hand on the wheel and the other on Bryce’s shoulder, grounding all three of us.
We didn’t talk for a long time.
Every minute, I checked the blankets in the rearview, making sure the shell hadn’t broken, that Vivienne was still locked up tight. She didn’t move. I wondered if she could even breathe. Part of me didn’t care.
As the truck wound through the mountain, Bryce stirred. His eyelids fluttered. "Is she gone?"
