I struggle to move, only to realize that I don’t need to because he’s pulling me toward him through the air. Pulling Anarchy too, lifting her off her paws.
Then his free arm closes around me and the pressure around me shifts.
The mist implodes toward all four of us, a tornado of white that fills my view.
But it doesn’t block out the storm behind it.
White light, dark light, ribbons of energy explode through the air toward us.
A scream rises into my throat as I brace for impact.
The keeper’s shout roars in my ears as the blast knocks into his back and then everything goes dark.
CHAPTER SIX
Silence.
It blocks my ears and fills me with fear.
I can’t see anything, not even with my good eye. I can’t seem to feel anything except a pressure that encompasses my whole body and forces me into a ball, my knees drawn to my chest, although my broken leg is somehow still cushioned and pain-free.
I can’t smell anything except maybe the scent of…burning…
A light flickers at the edge of my vision. It’s a little flame dancing across a surface that shimmers with… scales?
There’s a creaking sound for which I struggle to find an association. Maybe a little like a leather belt creaking. It groans louder, the darkness around me moves, and then?—
Whoosh.
The darkness parts.
I make out the edges of two enormous wings opening on either side of me. Great, big, shimmery, leathery…massive… black wings.
Dappled sunlight rushes in as they recede. The hushed sounds of leaves rustling in the breeze are like whispers compared to the boom of the explosion.
I catch a glimpse of trees, leaves, and forest, but it’s impossible to pay attention to my surroundings when I realize that I’m nestled in the crook of a dragon’s arm.
A fierce, nightmarish dragon with black horns on top of its head, jagged teeth, fiery eyes, and a jaw that looks powerful enough to treat my head like a little snack.
My voice sticks in my throat. “Uh…?”
Falling to the ground in surprise would be a very bad idea in my current state of health, but I’m tipping back all the same.
Emerald light gleams across the dragon’s nearest claws and wraps around me before I can slip backward. The light is soft around me, supporting my broken limbs as it lowers me gently onto what seems to be mossy earth. I’ve never seen—or felt—moss in real life before, so I can only guess that’s what I’m now lying on.
The dragon growls at me. “My Veda. I’m happy you’re alive.”
I peer up at the beast. “Diavolo?”
I mean… I’ve never seen this dragon version of him before, but…Who else could it be?
He inclines his head, his eyes twinkling at me, beautiful in the way that only a dark creature can be in the moments before it eats you.
I’m suddenly aware that his left wing is still unfolding.
As it opens, I make out Lucian cocooned within it. So too, is Anarchy. She’s nestled against Lucian’s chest, her head in the crook of his neck and her front paws pressed to his shoulders.
She startles, squints into the light, and then leaps away from him. Landing lightly on the ground, she spins and hisses up at the dragon first and Lucian second—even though my brother appears to be unconscious.
