32
KELAN
We land on the rooftop of a high-rise across the street, two levels below the illuminated glass tower confining our mate. My claws scrape the concrete before I shift my talons into human feet. I fold my black wings tightly against my body as Darial and Ronyn descend as well.
The city hums beneath us, oblivious to our existence and the plight of our mate. Darial shifts first, his body sliding smoothly into partial human form. Ronyn follows, grim and twitching with restrained fury, talons still extended as he crouches behind a rusting HVAC unit.
I wait a moment longer, heat radiating from my scales before I let them fade. My wings remain, but I retract my tail, as it serves no purpose now, other than to remind me of my power.
“She’s in there,” Ronyn snarls, his eyes fixed on the tower. “We’re wasting time.”
“And there are at least four dragons in there who have her tethered,” Darial says, brushing dirt from his palms. “They’re strong enough to suppress her magic. What do you propose? Blaze through reinforced glass in full form? Hope no one is killed by the falling glass broken by a dragon slamming into a penthouse?”
“She is our mate,” Ronyn hisses.
“We don’t know what we’re up against, Ronyn. We can’t go in blind. We need to scope out our enemy first. This isn’t an ancient battlefield. This is a modern city with concrete buildings and four ancient, powerful dragon enemies.”
Darial sounds exhausted. We all are. From our search and the desperation caused by the capture of our mate.
The wind presses against my chest, weighted with dread. I have never feared battle; I welcomed the test of strength and skill. Yet losing our mate has frayed my temper and dulled my instincts. My decisiveness has faded. I inhale, searching for her scent, but find only dampness and the overwhelming odor of humanity.
My fists clench.
Darial peers over the ledge, careful to stay in shadow. “We need to know what we’re facing.”
Ronyn bristles. “You’re saying we sit on our tails while they prepare her for their ritual?”
“No,” I say. “We get closer. We discover who’s inside. We find her window and mark her location. We watch for who leaves and who arrives and learn who is allied with this plan.”
Ronyn growls. “And then we tear their heads from their necks?”
Darial nods, his attention focused elsewhere. “There are ridges beneath the windows. If I can get across without being detected... I might be able to see through to—”
We all duck low. On the adjacent rooftop, a stairwelldoor swings open. A tall, bare-chested male dragon steps into the open air, his skin gleaming with oil and shimmering runes. He glances over his shoulder toward the penthouse, then lifts his arms and shifts. The transformation is instant. Bronze scales ripple over his form. Wings snap wide, and with one powerful beat, he disappears into the clouds.
My dragon snarls.
“One down,” I whisper. I turn to my friends, chest burning.
“Darial, proceed as you suggested,” I say. “Be careful. If you’re seen, we lose the element of surprise. That building may be full of dragons. We are strong, but if they outnumber us, we risk failure.”
Darial nods, and shifts quickly, rising into the sky. He circles in a wide arc, the wind catching his form as he ascends above the neighboring building. The magic in our scales will shield him from human eyes, but dragons in the tower may still notice if he flies too close. I trust him; he is the most skilled among us at moving undetected.
Ronyn paces behind me, cracking his knuckles. “We should never have let her out of our sight.”
“She made her own choice,” I mutter, eyes locked on the windows glittering across the gap. “She is our mate, not our captive.”
“She doesn’t know what’s best for her,” he snaps, and for a heartbeat, the fire in his chest bleeds into the air. “She doesn’t think before she acts.”
“She’s strong,” I remind him. “And passionate. And independent. Aren’t those the attributes we wanted in a mate?”
I recall our past discussions; Ronyn insisted he wanted a mate who could challenge him.
“Yes.” He stops pacing to look at me.
“The goddess gave us a mate with the qualities we desired. We must protect her without suppressing what makes her unique.”
Darial’s voice hums in our link.There’s movement. North side. Curtains drawn in all but one window. There’s a woman. Silver-haired. It’s Lythian.
