then flipping to hotter than Hades then back to cold over and over again, Ranger held tight to the bond he shared with Ellie. It was his anchor. She was the tether that would always keep him grounded. Icy rage filled every cell of his being, contracted and contorted his very physique, transformed the Dragon King within his soul into the compact, indestructible form of his Warrior Dragon.
The Magic of the Ancients beat against Ranger’s body, forcing the large, elongated muscles he would usually use for flying into his chest, biceps, and quads. The Earth beneath his feet shuddered as he dug the long claws jutting from the tips of his toes into the rock of the cave just to remain standing.
An inferno, like flaming shards of silver forged in the fires of Hell, sliced through the flesh and bone of his back. The tips of his wings curled downward, turning inward towards his shoulder blades, pushing through the thick layer of scales, tearing into his body as if he were made of no more than wet paper.
Bone shattered, and muscles tore until he no longer possessed wings at all, but instead had what looked like huge blades of an oversized battle-ax jutting from his back with long, venomous finger-claws extending from their razor-sharp edges. Moving them up and down and forward and back, an evil grin curled the corner of his shortened snout. The visions of slashing Ellie’s aunt and all the Chimera to ribbons while injecting them with his acidic poison, for which there was no antidote, would be the only just end for those who’d inflicted so much pain and anguish to so many.
The talons at the ends of his fingers doubled in size and girth, their hooked tips tingling with the need to rip through rock and human flesh. Eyes flying to Ellie's, he launched himself into the air. Catching his Mate in midair as she floated downward, he placed her on his back.
Never had anything felt so right. He had his Mate back. She was okay. Hell, better than okay, Ellie was fabulous, and together, they were going to kick ass and not worry in the slightest about taking any names.
Spinning back around with a grace that always renewed his faith in the Universe, Ranger cheered into Ellie’s mind, “Go get ‘em, my love. You command, I follow.”
Chapter Thirteen
Everything happened so quickly. In less than the span of three heartbeats, Ellie was infused with the inherent Magic of all the MacLeish Witches, wearing the scales of her Mate's Dragon, and best of all, she was riding on the back of none other than the embodiment of King Carrodoc's Warrior Dragon.
Talk about dreams coming true. It was a close second to having Ranger in her life. Shame, one of the happiest moments of her life, had to be right alongside one of the worst.
How could her aunt have done all this? Why did Gwen think having magic was more important than the life of her own sister? Had madness driven her to a complete disregard for life? Forced her to kill? Made her the Leader of the Chimera, of all things?
It was all too much to believe, but there it was. Right in front of Ellie. The insanity that was her aunt, Gwendolyn MacLeish. She was almost unrecognizable. The hate, the madness, the inescapable evil of her actions had warped the person Ellie knew and loved into a monster.
Mind-to-mind with Ranger, she shared every thought, every intention. They were indeed one in body, heart, and soul, and nothing had ever felt so right. Looking at Gwen, seeing her beloved auntie, the woman she'd adored for all her years with her own eyes, recognizing the abomination she'd become was heartbreaking. With the enhanced depth and perception of her Dragon King, it got worse. Ellie took note of the broken blood vessels in Gwen's eyes, and the way their usual watery, light blue color had turned a vicious, hateful onyx.
Black inky lines running parallel with her crow's feet and laugh lines were grotesque and deep. The bloody grooves lining her arms, the marks she'd inflicted upon herself by scratching at her own flesh, the instincts of whatever was left of the real Gwendolyn MacLeish trying to rid her body of the tainted magic made Ellie sick.
“The black magic is eating away at her.” Ranger’s deep grumble rumbled through Ellie’s mind. “Not only is she mad, her mind beyond repair, but her physical body will never recover. The best