The Protector (Fire's Edge #4) - Abigail Owen Page 0,74

of that space.

“Okay,” she said as she turned in the air. “Your turn— No!”

The golden dragon—apparently not dead—rose up behind Deep like a demon from hell and lashed out with its taloned claws. It caught Deep right in the side, and he dropped in a heap, trying to drag himself away.

Lyndi acted on instinct. Fury driving her down, she landed with all the force she could muster from the height she’d been at. Right on the fucker’s neck. With a vicious growl, she twisted hard. A grunt was followed by the snap of bones as she broke his neck, and the dragon went limp beneath her.

Lyndi shifted as fast as she could and ran for Deep to find him crawling his way out of the woods, leaving a crimson trail of blood in his wake. She dropped to her knees at his side, turning him over and cradling him in her lap.

“Deep. Oh gods. Should I give you my blood?”

He managed to shake his head. “I’m already healing…”

Not fast, though. Even swallowing appeared to take him a lot of effort. He waved an ineffectual hand in the air, as though he couldn’t quite control the limb, and she took it in hers, squeezing. “Deep,” she whispered.

What did she do? She had to fix this.

“I’ll be fine. I need to rest and heal first. You go.”

She shook her head hard.

“Yes,” he insisted, gripping her hand tightly. “As soon as I’m healed, I’ll go a different direction, lead them away from you. The scent of my blood will cover anything of yours. You find Levi. Keep those boys safe.”

Oh gods, could she leave him?

Deep’s craggy face shifted into a smile. “You are a daughter to me and to Calla. It’s my job to protect you. Not the other way around. The same way it’s your job to protect your boys.”

Tears burned her eyes and she swiped at them impatiently with the back of her hand. “If you die while I’m gone, I’m going to kill you.”

He chuckled, then coughed. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“You know what I mean.”

Deep lifted a hand to cup her face. “Go be a mother to those boys. They need you.”

With a nod, reluctance dragging at every single step she took away from him, she left Deep lying in that clearing, shifted, and flew away.

Chapter Fourteen

Levi glided through the air on near silent wings. He’d started at a high altitude above where they’d camped for the night, the fires they’d lit tiny blinking dots from this far up. Starting in massive circles, growing smaller with each pass, he’d spiraled back down to them, like being washed down a drain. Only this was how he patrolled. Every sense on alert for a sign that they’d been followed in any way.

The good news was they probably didn’t have to worry about other supernatural creatures. Rogue dragons didn’t tend to live long, not only because without the express protection of the clans they were considered fair game by other creatures, but more importantly because they were always alone. No one would miss them and come looking. Easier to pick off, not that dragons were easy to pick off.

Lyndi’s band of orphans was a different story.

Fourteen of them, with the three oldest staying behind, most of the youngers still fully grown in dragon form and solid fighters because they’d had to be, and still marked by their clans. That part was a minor miracle.

Only Marin, small and still frailly human and unable to shift, remained a concern. They took turns giving him a ride, the dragon he rode always positioned at the center of the formation. During the day, they landed and shifted, popping up tents to sleep. Night was safer to travel by. Marin remained in the tent at the center with two or three of his brothers. The best they could do.

“Coming in.” Levi sent the thought ahead of him to William, as well as to the other boys currently on duty with him, already circling the skies or assigned perimeter guard on the ground.

“Understood, pops,” William came back.

“Don’t call me pops,” Levi said. Almost automatically. The kid had started the name day one on the way to Alaska. As if Levi was the wizened, ancient father figure.

Wisely, the kid only did this when Levi couldn’t reach him.

“Anything?” William asked.

“All clear.” For now.

Which only made Levi more nervous. Being followed was still a real possibility, and even though he’d taken precautions, hiding so many dragons was not exactly easy. And