quietly, crouching to rest his hand on my shoulder before I could jump in. “He can use his air magic to send the kid up.”
I nodded and leaned back for Hiram to pass. It wasn't quite the soft, personal touch I'd have gone for, but we might make his injuries worse if we picked him up, anyway.
I melted a little as Hiram dropped gently next to the kid and started muttering soothing, nonsensical words to distract him as Hiram shifted a talon and made quick work of the bindings. The boy watched him intently, his lip quivering, but not letting his fear show otherwise. I recognized that facade, that desperate need not to show weakness. I'd lived it, and I wouldn't wish it on any child.
With incredible precision and control, Hiram's air magic lifted the boy off the ground. He gasped in surprise but held his muscles still as he was raised up to the door, at which point Ezra scooped him into his arms and lowered him onto the ground. The kid grunted in pain despite Ezra’s gentleness, and my heart ached for him.
“What's your name?” I asked, keeping my voice as gentle as I could.
“Deri,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and scratchy.
“Can you sit up, Deri?” Ezra asked, softening his voice as much as he probably could as he pulled a flask from the medic bag and filled it using his water magic.
“I'll help you,” Hiram added, giving Deri his most charming smile. It seemed to help. The kid didn't look as terrified of Hiram as he did of Ezra, who was objectively enormous and far more intimidating. Levi pulled off his shirt and helped Deri into it, and he immediately looked more comfortable being covered up. We were so wrapped up in helping him that I barely registered the Council members moving closer. Deri did, though. He tensed as a circle of male dragon shifters assembled around him, casting us all in shade.
“Do you mind?” I snapped. “Give him some space.”
“Why have you removed his shackles?” Nerio asked, sneering at us.
“He isn't our prisoner, he's the victim,” I protested, appalled they would even consider leaving this frail, abused child in chains.
“He’s dangerous,” Nerio snapped. “He’s a storm fae. He could rain lightning down on all of us.”
“Are you going to attack us?” I asked Deri, softening my tone.
“I couldn’t if I tried,” he said honestly, groaning in pain, barely strong enough to hold his head up. Fae couldn’t lie. That was good enough for me.
“You told us to lead, let us lead,” Ezra growled, glowering at Nerio. “We’ll guard him, go to the nearest town and find a fae healer,” he barked at the Enforcer guarding Logan before wrapping the fae in vines. He didn’t even try to fight them off.
“Thanks,” Deri murmured, a moment before his eyes rolled back into his head and he lost consciousness.
“Child or not, the fae could have been dangerous,” Nerio spluttered. “Having your female here is making you weak.”
“Compassion is a strength. If you can’t see that, you’re the weak one,” I replied haughtily, turning my back on him to soak a strip of cloth with water and wipe away some grime from Deri’s face.
“The house is empty,” Seff announced, rejoining us. “Looks like it was just the old fae in there and she lived in squalor.”
“What would you like to do, Shira?” Ezra asked.
I could be gracious, but I was still a vengeful, angry dragon at heart.
“Burn it to the ground.”
“As you wish,” Ezra replied softly, inclining his head. “Councilors, I suggest you move back,” he called, standing up and handing the medic bag to Corvus.
“Levi take Deri. Shira, Hiram, and Oren — you three take to the air, make sure everyone stays safely out of the way. Seff and I can take it from here,” Ezra announced, rolling his shoulders back in anticipation.
Levi scooped an unconscious Deri into his arms before letting out his wings and shooting into the air. Wordlessly, the other four circled me so I could strip out of my clothes and I rolled my eyes at their jealous streak even as I found it kind of endearing.
My skin rippled as the shift took hold and the guys moved out of the way, stripping and letting their dragons free.
I scooped up my clothes in my teeth and shot into the air, being sure to swerve to the right so I could smash a turret with my tail on my ascent. Hopefully Nerio saw that. Female dragons