wouldn’t be? But he wasn’t pissing in his pants or trying to run and hide.
If he was honest with himself, he wanted to dive into the portal, which didn’t make him insane at all. Because sane people dove into portals leading to dragon realms all the time. All. The. Time. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath as his heart pounded painfully in his chest. The tugging that had been there since they’d arrived became more insistent and, honestly, Aston thought whatever was connected to him was going to pull his spine right through his stomach.
“Jax,” Professor Fernis began to speak just as Jax took a step toward the portal, effectively placing himself in front of everyone else. Elias had told Aston and the others that Jax was very protective of those he cared for, but also about the warriors he was in battle with. He felt responsible for them.
Aston appreciated the fact that Jax wanted to protect them, but what the hell did he think one guy could do against dragons if that’s what came through the portal?
“Jax,” the professor said again. “I think—”
Those were the only words that Fernis got out before the portal opened, and a massive beast exploded through it. Its mouth was gaped wide, showing teeth the size of an adult human. There was no time to react, no time to even yell. One second, Jax was standing there at the ready, willing to protect his team, and the next he was in the mouth of the largest reptile Aston had ever seen.
The huge jaws closed as the beast turned, its massive wings flapping hard, causing the trees to sway and bend. The combination of the growls from the beast and the noise from its wings was deafening.
It soared up, higher and higher, into the dark sky. Its scales, which had been blue and green when it had come through the portal, now appeared black, and before too long, Aston couldn’t see the beast at all.
In a matter of mere seconds, a dragon had appeared, Jax was gone, and all was silent again, though the portal still shimmered dangerously.
“WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?” Ender yelled as he stared at the spot where Jax had just been standing.
“Take cover in the trees,” Fernis snapped. “Now!”
Everyone dashed off, but Aston could see on their faces the shock he felt. Jax was gone. Dead. He’d been eaten by a bloody dragon.
“I’m going to get help,” Fernis told them. “Don’t engage the beast. And try—”
“Not to get eaten?” Colt growled.
Ender’s head snapped around as he glared at the air elementalist.
Colt shrugged. “Too soon?”
Aston hoped that perhaps dark humor was how Colt handled shock and stress. He’d been standing a foot from Jax. Colt could have easily been the one swallowed.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Ender coughed as he turned away from them and lowered his head into some bushes.
“Everyone else okay?” Rush asked as he wrapped an arm around his mate.
The elementalists knelt in the shelter of the trees. The moon wasn’t bright, and that was turning out to be a blessing. Aston had been cold not too long ago, but he no longer shivered. Instead, he burned with the adrenaline running through his blood. They’d all be running on instinct, fear, and whatever else their adrenal gland would gift them with.
It was only a couple minutes more before a portal opened up behind them, deeper in the woods. Fernis came through first, followed by Professor Frost and Zuri, who looked ready to kill and possibly skin a dragon alive.
“What happened?” she yelled, her eyes sweeping over all of them.
More portals opened behind her, and more elementalists Aston recognized, including Elias, Ra, and Liam, stepped through. His three friends were by his side a minute later, with each of their mates holding their hands.
“You okay, mate?” Liam asked him.
Aston met his eyes and was honest. “I don’t know if anything will ever be okay again.”
Gabby wasn’t sure if truer words have ever been said. Suddenly there was a loud bellow, and all of their heads whipped around.
“NOOOOOOOOO.” Zuri knelt on the ground. Her hands dug deep into the soil as she screamed, eyes closed, face tilted up to the night sky.
Gabby trembled at the anguish lining the female warrior’s face. Tears flowed freely down Zuri’s face, and her body shook so hard it looked as if she had electricity running through her.
Nobody moved. Their heads hung low as they stared at the woman who was usually such a