Into The Dragon's World - Brittany White Page 0,25

“Evan?”

Brady nodded, already pulling her away from the bar. He moved so quickly she had to half-run to keep up with him. Sweat beaded his forehead and he clutched the towel to his chest with his free hand.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

He didn’t answer, grimacing as he opened the steel door that led down to the cellar. He gestured for her to go first, taking another quick look around the club. Then, he ducked in behind her.

“Go, go, go!” he whispered, leading her down the rickety steps. Two flights down, they were in the sub-cellar. Brady dropped Casey’s hand and went to the Arch, flattening his bloody right hand against a stone. The Arch immediately came to life, casting a faint blue light into the darkness of the room.

“What are you doing?” Casey asked, taking a step back.

“We have to go.” Brady took her hand again. He looked into her eyes, as direct and honest as he’d ever been. “Do you trust me?”

Casey hesitated a moment. “Y-yeah. I do.”

“Close your eyes,” Brady said as he led her towards the doorway of the Arch. “Whatever happens, I’m with you.”

Before she knew it, he was stepping into the shimmering space between their worlds.

And she was pulled in after him.

Casey couldn’t help but open her eyes. She was in a swirling vortex of light, weightless. The only tactile sense she had was Brady’s hand in hers. The music she had heard before was louder now, light and peaceful, at odds with the frenzy of lights. She looked at Brady and saw that he was watching her reaction. He looked as if he were underwater, his features trembling from the forces all around them.

And then…

Her next step was into a well-kept garden. Brady had fallen to his knees, clutching at his wounded chest. Casey struggled to help him stand, putting one of his arms around her shoulders as she tried to lever him to his feet.

“We’re here,” he whispered. “Home.”

His eyes fluttered and closed, his body going limp against her. She staggered under his full weight but kept her balance.

“Is anybody here?” she yelled. “We need help! Please!”

Casey looked around. Another arch stood behind them, and they seemed to be in the center of a courtyard surrounded by high stone walls. It’s his castle, Casey realized. I’m in his world now.

Brady groaned in pain and Casey limped along the crushed stone path that led into the cavernous castle. “Help!” Her shout was almost a scream. “Please!”

There was movement in the doorway leading inside the castle. A spider monkey ventured out first, followed by a lion. Casey stared in wonder as animals of all species gathered. Great apes. Bears. Panthers. Eagles. An ear-splitting screech echoed from above. Casey looked up to see a black-scaled dragon gliding to earth on ebony wings.

Who are you?

The voice boomed in her head, deep and commanding. The dragon gracefully landed, tucking in its wings as it rose to its full height above Casey. It was at least fifteen feet tall, its scales as polished as obsidian. It lowered its head for a better look at Casey, and she saw something familiar in its amber eyes.

“Brady is hurt,” Casey managed to say, somehow controlling her fear. “Please. He needs help now. I think he’s bleeding to death.”

The dragon looked away, tilting its head in the direction of the crowd. Immediately, a pair of lions stepped forward. one male and one female, shifting into human form as they reached Casey and Brady. Without a word, they took Brady from her and carried him into the castle. Casey sobbed with relief, covering her mouth as hot tears filled her eyes.

You are with Braydon?

Casey wiped her eyes with her sleeve and looked up at the dragon again, nodding. “I am.”

She felt the dragon’s eyes bore into her, silently judging. Despite her fear, she straightened her back and tilted up her chin, meeting the dragon’s gaze directly.

You are human?

“Yes.”

A buzz of voices erupted inside her mind, a cacophony of whispers and murmurs. She held her head, wincing from the sudden blast of pain. All around her, the shifters were looking at each other, then at her. She realized that they were talking about her telepathically and that she could hear their thoughts as clearly as she could hear the dragon’s.

“I’m sorry if I’m trespassing,” Casey said aloud. “I don’t mean any harm.”

The dragon huffed and the hot breath blasted Casey. It stretched its wings out to their full extension, nearly twenty feet across, and