“Einar, head into the mountain range!” I shrieked over the roar of the wind. “The griffin riders can’t follow us there!”
Summoning the last of my strength, I flung another ice stake straight at the heart of the griffin on our left. My aim was true, and the griffin’s wings snapped wide as the stake plunged into his chest. It spun toward the earth, taking its rider with him, and the other rider fell back. I saw him loose another arrow, heard a roar of pain from Einar, but blackness crept into the edges of my vision, and the sound was faint, as distant as the echo of an old memory.
Please make it,was the last thought that flitted through my mind. I thought we might have plummeted, the wind screeching a warning before we crashed into the mountainside. But the darkness closed around me before I could feel the impact, and I knew no more.
17
Einar
Boom.
The mountainside rumbled as I crashed into it, wings tucked, spine bowed, Adara tucked safely against my chest to shield her from the brunt of the impact. Pain radiated through my side as my left wing crunched into a boulder, but my scream of agony was drowned out as sheets of snow dislodged from the surrounding mountains, building into a deafening roar.
An avalanche,I thought dimly, my mind fogging from the pain. Glancing around, I spotted a cave twenty yards from us, illuminated by a shaft of moonlight that had slipped beneath the heavy cloud cover. My stomach tightened as I gauged the size of the cave entrance—it wasn’t wide enough to accommodate my dragon form. I was going to have to shift to make it in there, and judging by the speed at which the snow up ahead was racing down the mountainside, there wasn’t time.
You’re going to have to ride it out.
Shutting my eyes against the oncoming avalanche, I dugmy claws through the snow and into the rough mountain soil below to brace myself against the onslaught. The wave of snow hit us with the force of a hurricane, battering every part of my body and making my injured wing scream in agony. I tucked myself in tighter against the barrage, shielding Adara from the worst of it and praying to the stars for it to be over.
Eventually, the rumbling ceased, and the terrible vibrations melted away. Opening my eyes, I found myself buried in snow nearly up to my eyeballs. The drifts had piled up all around us, blocking the entrance to the cave completely.
Good thing I was a dragon, or we’d be well and truly fucked.
Summoning my remaining strength, I opened my mouth and gently released a stream of fire. The snow encasing my front limbs melted, and I pulled myself to my feet, ignoring the sharp stabs of pain coming from my left wing. Keeping Adara clutched to my chest, I dragged us to the mouth of the cave, clearing a path with my fire as I went, then melting the snow drifts blocking the entrance.
By the time I finished, I was panting with exhaustion, my vision foggy with pain. I wanted to stay in my dragon form, especially since I didn’t know what dangers might lurk in the cave. But I needed to heal my wing, and I needed to get us both inside and out of the cold before a storm hit or a predator found us.
Opening my snout as wide as I could, I blasted the inside of the cave with fire, hoping that would kill anything sinister lurking inside. Then I gently put Adara down, just inside the entrance, and shifted.
Sharp, jagged waves of pain ripped through my wing and down my spine as I shrank into my bipedal form, melting away my protective scales, sheathing my claws and fangs and spikes. My entire body shook from the effort, and goosebumps raced across my flesh as cold from the elements scraped against my now-fragile skin.
And to top it all off, my stomach rumbled in hunger.
“Perfect,” I muttered to myself, stalking inside the smoking cave. Someone had left kindling behind—there was a small pile of sticks near the back of the cave that had caught fire. A few animal bones, no doubt leftover from someone’s kill, were scattered around the cave, and I kicked them away, then picked up Adara’s limp body and carried her over to the sorry excuse for a fire.
“Mmpphhh,” she mumbled as I set her down. I tried to let her go, but she clutched at my arm in her sleep, holding fast. Bemused, I looked down at the pale fingers curled around my bicep, a stark, yet somehow fitting contrast against my tanned skin. Tenderness welled up inside me, eating away at the sharp edges of my anger. I tried to fight against it, tried to hold on to my enmity for her—what she’d done, confronting Lady Mossi on her own, had been incredibly dangerous and stupid. She should have come to me, should have—
And how exactly was she supposed to come to you for help, when you were busy flying away and pretending to be free?
I shook my head, exasperated with myself. I was constantly torn where Adara was concerned, caught between my desire to protect her and my need to distance my emotions. I didn’t want to be mated to a fae, dammit. I didn’t want anything to do with this world at all. My loyalty was to my people, and for their sake, I should stay out of this altogether.
And yet, as I stared down at her, watching the way the dim firelight played against Adara’s alabaster skin, I realized I was too tired to fight right now. All I wanted was to hold Adara in my arms, and judging by the way she gripped me, she wanted that too, at least subconsciously.
So I ignored every shout and warning my mind threw at me, and laid down with her by the fire.
The moment I pulled her against my chest, everything inside me seemed to settle. Her scent—sweet, salt, and a hint of smoke—wrapped around me like a comforting blanket, and her curves pressed against me, fitting the planes and hollows of my body like they were made for me.
I braced myself for the usual wave of lust to scorch me, for the overwhelming desire to claim her that I felt whenever she touched me.
But instead I felt a sense of…peace. Of belonging. Like I’d come home.
Adara burrowed into my chest, and exhaustion tugged at my mind, pulling me under. I held her close as I drifted off to sleep, hoping nothing would be foolish enough to attack us in the middle of the night.
Because regardless of my conflicted feelings, I would gladly destroy anything that tried to put her in harm’s way.
18
Adara
