Now that I’d killed Steven, Ardan was playing it safe. It also meant he was afraid of my power, bringing a dozen sorcerers with him to protect him. Just when I thought he’d maybe gone home, Ardan popped into existence in front of me, yanked Nadine into his arms, and poppedout.
My whole body went weak as my magic flitted to nothing, cutting off from my staff. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. It had all happened way too fast. Gear cawed somewhere in theskies.
Ardan tookNadine.
Keegan roared, spinning in frantic circles, looking for her. Suddenly, within the dome, Ardan popped into reality with Nadine by his side, a large smile plastered across his douchyface.
“Let her go!” I roared, yanking my arm free from Logan and running at the dome. Maybe if I just slammed into it I could getthrough.
“Sloane, no!” Eva yelled, throwing her hand out in desperation as I leapt into the air, staff-first and attempted to breach thedome.
The moment that yellow stuff hit my skin it was like I’d been slapped. I was pushed backward with force, and fell hard on my ass, my neck whipping back enough to hurt. Logan was right there picking me up and dragging me backward against mywill.
Ardan held tightly to Nadine, her harpoon gun in his one hand, aimed up at her throat. She didn’t look scared—this was Nadine we were talking about—but I knew shewas.
“Here’s the deal,” Ardan began. “If you come with me, Sloane, I’ll leave all of your friends alive. I’ll let her go and everything will beokay.”
The sound of five bullets rapidly hitting the dome caused the druid to flinch and glare at mymate.
“Not a chance,” Logan shouted after emptying one of his clips into the yellowwall.
Nadine turned her head to look directly at Ardan and spat on the side of his face in response to hisdemand.
Ohshit.
Ardan’s hand with the harpoon gun came up so fast that when he cracked down on the side of Nadine’s temple, I barely saw it. She crumpled against him and he dropped the harpoon, grabbing her tightly to hisshoulders.
“Alright, we’ll do this the hard way. I’m taking her and cutting one finger off each day that you don’t show up to retrieve her. On the tenth day, I’m cutting off herhead.”
“No!” I shouted, stepping forward. “Okay, I’ll come,” I said desperately, as I looked at her head sagging against hisneck.
Logan yanked me back so hard I stumbled into a sitting position. “Forgive me,” he breathed as green magic poured from hispalms.
“Logan, NO!” I shouted, but it was too late. He’d caged me. The motherfucker had pinned me to theground.
Ardan looked displeased. “My army is in route to finish you all off. I will have Sloane’s power, even if I have to take her friends one by one and kill them until she comes tome.”
Then he and Nadine were gone.Gone.
I sat there for a second in shock, wondering if maybe he would pop back in with her and announce he was kidding. It didn’t happen. They had both disappeared. He’d taken my best friend and he was going to hurt her. Rage uncoiled with me; I felt my dragon rush to the surface. Scales unfurled on my skin and purple flames rushed from my hands, breaking Logan’s caging spell like it was made ofpaper.
“Sloane!” Logan yelled, but I didn’t care anymore. Screw the rules. My muscles plumped out to my full dragon form and I took flight as Logan started shedding his clothes, calling afterme.
‘What are you doing?’he asked,mystified.
The rage inside of me had not eased, only intensified.‘I’m going to kill all of these sorcerers and then I’m flying to Ireland to get Nadineback.’
I felt the shock ripple through ourbond.
‘You can’t fly to Ireland! Have you lost yourmind?’
‘Yes. I have,’I replied, opening my mouth and unleashing a torrent of flames upon the dome before me. It crackled as my magical flames seared the edges of the dome. The sorcerers inside were freaking out, shedding clothes in an effort to stay cool and throwing more and more yellow magic at theprotections.
With a mighty scream, Eva threw the largest ball of yellow magic I’d ever seen. It was the size of a chair. It hurled through the air and crashed into the protective field, finally shattering it. The moment the yellow dome disappeared, the sorcerers scattered, running every which way. I had two in my sight, running for the tree line. These people had helped Ardan kidnap Nadine. They were here to hurt Lily. I let my fury unleash in a torrent of purple fire, engulfing them, bringing them to their knees screaming. Spinning around, I saw Logan flapping above another sorcerer who was making a run for Lily’scabin.
Oh hellno.
I veered that way, flapping my wings as hard as I could, and came up behind Logan just as he doused the sorcerer with fire. Scanning the area, I saw that Isaac had his staff wedged into some druid’s groin and was blasting him with orange magic while Dominic finished him off with his gun. Dee’s crew had dropped from the trees, and taken care of the rest of the sorcerers with the help of our newest skyborn fighters, Isabella andMarco.
