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CHAPTER 65
• Alessia •
WHEN THE SIRENS start, I am awake instantly.
The sound screams through the ship, and the floor lurches beneath me so hard that I grab the edge of the bed with both hands.
Kylian is already at the door.
“Stay here,” he orders.
But I am already moving.
“Kylian.”
“No,” he snaps, turning back with his coat half-fastened and his eyes already burning red. “Not this time.”
The ship shudders again, men shout, and something heavy crashes across the deck.
He looks at me for one furious heartbeat, then reaches for my hand because there is no time left to fight.
We run. The stairs buck beneath our feet as we climb, each step vibrating with the impact of something massive hitting the ship from above. Splinters rain down from the ceiling, dusting my hair and shoulders. I can smell it already—burning wood, hot metal, the sharp tang of fear and sweat from the crew.
My heart hammers against my ribs, a frantic rhythm that says run, run, run even though there’s nowhere to go but up. When we burst onto the deck, the chaos makes me stop breathing.
Smoke, fire, shouting, and the harsh snap of sails being cut loose in the wind. Guards race across the slick planks and crewmen drag open cannon ports with bare hands.
Above us, a dragon swoops through the dark night. The sound comes first—a leathery whisper of wings cutting air. Then the shadow falls over us, blocking out the moon, and the temperature drops as if the beast steals warmth just by existing.
Its wings are spread wide against the moon, each one large enough to blanket a cottage, the membrane between bones catching the light like stained glass made of shadow. The dragon’s body is huge and black, scales glistening with each movement. The smell clogs my throat, a reptile stench mixed with sulfur and smoke.
As it dives, its golden eyes find us before the fire gathers in its throat, glowing like a forge given life.
Kylian shoves me behind him.
Three vampires near the rail launch out of the way, but not quickly enough. With a horrified gasp, I throw my hands in their direction just as Kylian yells not to.
The dragon fire hits my shield with enough power that the flames are forced upward, and the whole barrier ripples under the impact. Sweat beads on my skin as I try to hold it. Thankfully, the dragon loses its breath, and the flames evaporate, leaving the guards panting as they get to their feet with grateful expressions.
Kylian grabs my shoulder. “Are you fucking nuts? You’ve just revealed yourself,” he scolds as Eagan rushes over.
“Fucking Draven ambushed us,” Eagan shouts from near the mast, his hair loose, his coat torn, his sword already drawn. “They were waiting along the coves.”
I follow where he’s pointing and see the ships.
Two dragon vessels cut through the dark water on either side of us, one close enough that I can see men moving along its rail, the other circling wide to trap us between ships. A dragon still circles above with two more launching into the air.
Kylian’s voice changes when he gives the order.
“Return fire,” he roars. “Port side first, aim low, split the hull, and keep that dragon away from my ship.”
A few seconds later, cannons answer.
The sound rolls through the deck and up into my bones. Fire tears across the water, striking the closest dragon ship in a burst of splintered wood, flame, and smoke. Men on the enemy deck scatter. One falls into the sea.
The dragon above screeches, a sound so deep and furious that several crewmen flinch. Another blast hits our ship. This one lands lower beneath our feet.
The deck tilts, and we are sprayed with water.
