Ash struggled to correct, to fight the wind, but it was too powerful. He hurtled toward the cruel stone.
Something grabbed him.
Powerful forearms encircled his shoulders, thighs wrapped around his own. And with a crack, huge wings beat the air, desperately trying to lift them upward.
A Dragon. His pursuer was another Dragon. Scales gleamed green and blue in the moonlight.
Not just a Dragon. It washisDragon.
The big frame shuddered with the strain, fighting the wind. The power of it—Ash had never felt such raw strength. For a moment, he didn’t think it was going to be enough. One wingtip bounced off the cliff face, knocking a shower of stones free, and then he was being lifted away. Carried, like he weighed almost nothing.
The powerful limbs restrained him, yet he did not feel caged. The talons that tipped the long fingers cradled him without piercing the skin. It took him a moment to define his feelings; they were that unfamiliar. Safe. He felt—safe. How was that possible?
For a creature that foresaw every future permutation, surprise was a shock. He hadn’t foreseen the Dragon in his dream. But then, his own future had always been the most difficult thing to follow.
He’d always assumed it was because he had none. That Rindek would succeed in killing him...
The Dragon carried Ash to the cliffs emerging from the ocean. Hovering above the rock, fighting the swirling winds, he rumbled.
“If I let you go, will you fling yourself off them? Or stay put?”
“I thought—I thought you were chasing me,” Ash protested.
“I was,” the voice reasoned. “I didn’t realize you were running from me.” Apologetic, now. “But I still need your word that you’ll stay put. Or I’m not letting go.”
To be truthful, Ash didn’t want the Dragon to let him go. The casual strength in the limbs, the warmth of his body against his own—this was the closest thing to an embrace that he’d ever experienced.
But nothing lasted forever, even in dreams.
“I’ll stay put,” he promised.
The Dragon lowered him to the cold stone, and let him go. Slowly, as though he was as reluctant to remove his grip as Ash was to have it removed. The big form didn’t go far—it backwinged, and then landed only feet away.
His rescuer was huge. This was the closest Ash had ever been to one of his own kind, but he thoughthisDragon was larger than many. Much taller and heavier than his dream self. His scales and eyes gleamed turquoise in the moonlight as he folded his wings. Muscles rippled beneath the scales. Everything about the big Dragon spoke to confidence, power, and capability.
A warrior to the core. But his perfection was flawed by a scar across one temple. What could scar a Dragon?
“Who are you?” Ash asked.
The Dragon opened its jaws, but no sound emerged. Ash blinked. He could see the cliff’s outlines through the enormous body—
He leaped forward, but the Dragon vanished like mist. Ash stood alone on the cold rock.
The disconnect hurt, and it blended with the pain rising within him. It grabbed hold of his soul and ripped the dream to shreds.
As always, Rindek had the final say.
16
Tyrez sat up on the couch and rubbed his neck. Damned couch. Squishy cushions did not make up for lack of length.
Images raced through his mind. He’d dreamed of a Dragon. A golden Dragon with long, sleek lines. Beautiful. And male.
The Oracle.
He’d seen him through the clouds and was immediately drawn to him. Tracked him from above.
When the other Dragon dove away, Tyrez followed him. At first, he thought the other might be playing with him—he often had such dreams—but to his horror, the beautiful shifter ducked and dove through narrow passages between pillars of stone. As if daring death to come for him.
