My vision is turning blurry, but I can see when several large males burst into the clearing, shouting and brandishing assault weapons. No swords for the dragons. They have embraced the modern world completely. I recognize Larsson among them, but I don’t think familiarity is going to help us right now. They seem pretty pissed off, but at least the beast dragon has stopped attacking.
Suddenly, Cheryl drops next to me. “Damn it, Saxon. Why did you charge that dragon?”
“It was going to fry Lucca and Manu. I had no choice.”
Cheryl opens her mouth, but something catches her attention. She unfolds from her crouch, bending her knees and keeping her hands at the ready. I have to twist my body to be able to see who’s approaching. A tall male with brown hair and an expression that’s not one bit friendly is standing in front of her.
“Tell your friend to back off, Jagger,” Cheryl warns.
Okay, then. Cheryl is on a first-name basis with the guy. It seems everyone in the supe community mingles besides we vampires. And when I do decide to dip my toes into a different pool, I end up mated to a witch.
“Jemma has every right to be furious. That vampire killed her son!”
“Oh my God. Manu didn’t kill anyone. She was set up.”
“Set up by whom?” The dragon raises his eyebrows.
“By Jacques Tellier,” I say with difficulty. Clutching my chest, I get to my knees.
“Saxon, don’t try to move. You’re hurt pretty badly.”
“You were a fool for getting in Jemma’s way,” the dragon says.
Cheryl whirls around so fast, she’s in the guy’s business in a split second, holding him by the lapels of his jacket. “If that beast hadn’t burst into the clearing, spitting fire, we would have been able to explain what happened.”
“You say the vampire didn’t kill the kid, but where are the witnesses? Sorry, love, I don’t think your word is going to matter much to Jemma or Larsson.”
Despite his harsh words and Cheryl’s threatening position, the dragon’s angry expression relaxes a fraction. I’m sensing they’re more than simple acquaintances. Oh man. Ronan is going to have a cow when he finds out.
The dragon covers her hands with his and gently pushes Cheryl away. Neither speak for a couple of beats, but they’re still too close to one another.
Ignoring Cheryl’s advice, I get up. I only remain vertical for a couple of seconds, enough to see that the gray dragon has shifted back into her human form. She’s now cradling her son in her arms, crying so desperately that it puts a chink in my heart. My mother cried like that when she saw my sister’s mangled body.
Right before my legs give out from under me, the familiar tingles of the mating bond ripple down my spine. I try to locate Aurora in the gloom, but my vision is slowly fading to black, and the last thing I see is the ground getting near as I fall forward, boneless.
31
Aurora
I let the bond guide me to Saxon, driving like a maniac without regard for speed limits or safety. The closer I get to him, the stronger it becomes, but also the sense that something is terribly wrong with him. He’s hurt. That much I know.
The invisible link leads me to a forest on the outskirts of town. There’s no road going through it, which means I have to ditch the car. Running the rest of the way it is. Pushing my muscles to the max, I run into the woods, not caring one bit that it’s pitch black and my human sight can’t adjust to the darkness fast enough. But nature doesn’t care about urgency. I trip over an exposed tree root and fall on my knees and hands, scraping both. The pain of the impact is jarring. The cuts on my skin burn. But I shake it off. The agony swirling in my chest is stronger, and it eclipses everything else. Saxon needs me.
My breathing is coming out in bursts when, after running for about two minutes, I reach a clearing. My pulse drumming in my ears prevented me from registering the sounds of turmoil until I come upon the scene. I halt for a moment to take it all in. It’s a fighting ground, but the players are a surprise. This isn’t a war between vampire clans. This is a war between species. Vampires and dragons, to be exact.