Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,55
an old man with a cane. He swung the entrance door open and sounded the alarm. From my peripheral vision, I saw Thax’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head at the pandemonium.
“Don’t let any of them leave!” he commanded. “Guards! Guards!”
The three warrior females attacked Hayden and Logan, but from the looks of it, the guys were prepared. Hayden’s angel sword flickered to life in his palm, and Logan was in full out gargoyle mode. I glanced at the spot where Dallas had been, but his body was gone. I scanned the room, and a dark blur sped across the chamber into the middle of the melee. It was about time the vampire showed up.
Where was Talon?
My head whipped back and forth searching the vast room as fear wracked my insides. A shimmery silver mist in the far corner caught my eye. Talon? I blinked, and his enormous dragon filled over half the chamber. Holy dragon bodyguard! Within the confines of the closed space, his dragon appeared even bigger than I remembered. Not to mention scary AF.
Dragon-Talon let out a spine-tingling growl as he swatted his barbed tail at a troupe of narkin guards. The demons fled, like ants scurrying from a spewing volcano. Flames danced along his tongue as he blew his fiery breath at another squad of demon foot soldiers. Shrieks rang out and the stench of burnt carcasses filled the air. He opened his mouth, showcasing rows of razor-sharp teeth as he barreled through the remaining guards and darted for me. I tried not to squirm, despite the immense reptile hurtling toward me.
Talon, you in there?
Nothing. Damned one-way connection.
“Talon!” I shrieked as the dragon barreled at me.
I’m coming for you, Azara. His familiar voice echoed in my mind, and my shoulders sagged in relief.
My eyes fixed on the dragon, those silver orbs staring back at me identical to those of the man I’d fallen for. They widened, great silver pools in the night sky, and terror streaked across the light.
A blinding pain bit into my back, and a scream tore from my clenched teeth. Again, another sharp spasm across my spine, and one more, before my legs gave way.
I smacked the hard floor, knocking the wind right out of me, but it was nothing compared to the pain lancing across my back. I gritted my teeth and forced air into my lungs.
An unearthly screech ripped through the air and I recognized it so clearly I held onto it with my last breath. Talon. He was coming for me. Everything would be okay. I clung onto the errant thoughts as darkness crept into my vision.
Face down on the floor, I could only make out a smattering of boots and other nonspecific shoes dancing around me. Something warm and sticky surrounded me, and there was lots of it. Too much. It took all my energy to bring my wet fingers up to my face to confirm the undeniable. Blood—my blood.
The sounds of battle began to melt away, and an icy chill crept over me, numbing the pain. I breathed a sigh of relief and closed my eyes. At least I’d saved Vander. I grasped onto the thought and imagined the look of happiness on Talon’s face when he returned to Draeko to find his brother. Yup, it was all worth it.
“Azara! Azara, you hold on!” Talon’s voice flitted around me, but it felt far away. Like he was under water or maybe I was. “Open your eyes!”
I tried to. I wanted to see him one last time. But who was I kidding? His face and those eyes would be eternally imprinted in my mind. I love you. I tried to mouth the words, but my lips were frozen, immobile like the rest of my body.
“Hayden! Hayden, get over here now!” Talon’s panicked voice wrenched my insides. I wanted to tell him I was okay, but I couldn’t get my body to comply. “Please, Azara, don’t leave me. Please. I can’t lose you, not now.”
My heart broke in a million pieces as his pain trampled over me. I wanted to hang on for him, to take away his hurt, but I was so tired. His words became more muffled and more distant, and despite my best efforts the darkness consumed me.
Chapter Twenty-One
Warmth filled my body, invading every nook and cranny until the murky void receded. I clawed my way back, that ever-present silky voice in my mind leading me home. My lids fluttered, and a groan escaped my clenched