The Warrior King (Inferno Rising #3) - Abigail Owen Page 0,63
the thought to Rune.
“I know. Hold.”
Samael knew his duty. They were the first line of defense against an attack from the outside. “Any communications?”
“Radio silence. I trust my men.”
Except Meira was in there. A phoenix. Unmated, technically. His mate. Good men had made bad decisions with less enticement, and Rune’s men were all rogues. He had to suck in a roar of challenge to any creature who dared, like stoppering a bottle.
A sudden blast sent shock waves through the air.
Samael wasn’t waiting anymore. That explosion came from inside the mountain. Pulling his wings in close, he dived at the ground below, aiming for that back entrance he’d come out of, already turning over what he’d do once he was inside. That fucking tunnel would take forever to navigate down, especially once he was forced to shift and walk through the collapsed parts. The large hangar would’ve been closed off by the heavy dragon-steel door Rune assured him was there the second the alarms sounded.
He had no other way in.
Another boom and green flames erupted from the hidden gateway, a bright flash of light in the darkness. Green. One of Rune’s men? Or a different dragon shifter?
The explosion blasted out from the back side of the mountain, throwing dirt, boulders, and grasses now aflame outward a kilometer, the debris field taking out a swath of land. The ominous rumbling of collapsing rock sounded a few moments later, and another blast, this one of dust and dirt, shot from the maw of the tunnel entrance.
The tunnel must’ve collapsed fully.
Fuck.
Desperation had him diving at such a rate, he’d probably have trouble pulling out of it, but no way was he slowing up. Not with Meira in there. He’d damn well dig her out.
The image of her body, crushed and bloody, only drove him harder, panic poison in his blood and in his mind.
Suddenly, a black dragon dropped from above, aligning with him in the dive. Rune. “That was my man, Jiǎ, closing the tunnel. Follow me.”
Except Rune tilted his wings away from the mountain.
Samael didn’t follow. “I’m not going anywhere without Meira.”
“You have to. Jiǎ will have also closed the main entrance. He’s taking everyone out the secret way we’ve been digging since holing up in there.”
Meeting them there would only lead whoever Rune’s people were protecting them from right to them. Still, nothing pinged on Samael’s own personal radar around the outside of the mountain itself. Not a sign of another single paranormal creature, let alone dragon shifters.
With reluctance, Samael followed Rune as he flew off in another direction. Deliberately, Rune gained height. As silent as they flew, at altitude and on a moonless night, they were invisible.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Samael flared his wings, slamming his body to a stop. “The hell you say.”
“Meira’s taking them somewhere.”
Every cell in Samael’s body wanted to tackle his old mentor and beat him until he revealed every detail of what was happening. He couldn’t. He couldn’t even ignite his fire in warning. The glow would give away their own position to anyone tracking them. “Tell me there’s a fucking plan.”
“Yeah. Get my people out safely. That’s the fucking plan.”
Samael bit back a growl of frustration. After this was over, and Meira was safe, he and Rune were going to have a reckoning.
Rune turned and continued the journey, and Samael had no choice but to follow since no one else was communicating with him. Every instinct told him to find his mate. He had to cut the thought off or he’d turn and go back to the mountain and take it apart rock by rock until he got to her.
Except she might not be there.
That’s when he heard it. The hushed whoosh of dragon wings. At least five. A thousand feet below them. “Rune.”
“I know.”
Without another thought, they both held their wings steady, gliding silently on the currents of air. Remaining as still as possible, Samael slowly lowered his head to scan below them, tuning in to the sound of the dragons below.
“I make five,” Rune said.
“Six. A dark-green fucker is bringing up the tail.” Like a black dragon, at night that color was harder to spot. “Not ours?” Samael asked.
“I’ll give you one guess.”
“They’re searching for us.” Otherwise, they’d be at the mountain.
“Agreed.”
A flash of dark gold, nearer to bronze in color, caught his eye, and Samael stared harder at the dragon in the lead.