But it didn’t matter, really. Their scale clothing prevented my claws from penetrating, whereas their swinging tailspikes could skewer me in an instant.
When they failed to do so in the first few moments, it became apparent that they didn’t want me dead. No doubt they wished to know why I was here, and not Sebastian. Or perhaps reporting empty-handed to Xumi was a bad idea.
Anna, go.
No, dammit.
I grabbed the shoulders of the Dragon attacking Jacques and managed to distract him onto me.
Nothing to truly crow about, if I was being honest.If you don’t go, I can’t either. Get Jacques to boost you up there, and you can pull him up after you.
Anna glanced at Jacques.
They’ll kill him, Anna. They want me alive. Get him out of here. I’ll follow, but go.
“Dammit,” she cursed through gritted teeth, and grabbed the Satyr by the arm, hauling him toward the overflow.
One Dragon tried to block her. She cartwheeled through the air, Talakai’s sword whistling around with enough force that it penetrated where his arm joined his body. He flinched away, and she ducked past him to follow Jacques to where he stood beneath the overflow.
The lower edge sat about seven feet up along the wall. She jumped and hooked her hands over the edge. Jacques bent to boost her.
I launched myself at the closest Dragon. Not wanting to kill me was seriously cramping their style, but they also didn’t want Anna to get away via that overflow. They all moved to intercept, and I called upon every fight move I knew, becoming a whirling dervish of claws and teeth between her and them.
But there was a sense of desperation in my movements that I strove to hide from Anna. Because I was almost out of steam, my movements slowing as I ducked and dodged.
Then the blasted Dragon threw the tailspike. It flashed through the air, and I was too far away to stop it.
It skewered Jacques to the tunnel wall, straight through the shoulder to wedge between the stones.
He uttered a single, high shriek, and then I was vaulting onto the walkway. I yanked the sword free, and in one fluid movement, got my own shoulder beneath him.
I looked up into Anna’s stricken face as she reached down, and then I boosted Jacques up to her. Her hands fastened beneath the Satyr’s arms.
Then another sword slashed toward me, and I ducked beneath it, bringing my borrowed tailspike to block while my claws came up hard against his jaw. They skittered over the scales protecting it, but one scoured deep across his cheek.
The effort slowed me down for a crucial second, and with a roar, the Dragon in beast form wrapped its talons around me, and yanked me into the air. The tailspike went flying...
Matt!Anna’s scream rang through my brain, but then the Dragon slammed me into the wall, and everything went black.
37
Anna
Matt!
My scream echoed through our fledgling link as the Dragon wrapped its talons around him, and then slammed him into the wall.
I felt the impact. The darkness rising to claim him.
NO!I lunged back toward the overflow entrance, just as two big hands came over the edge, and a head appeared in the opening.
I couldn’t swing my sword in the confined space, but I lunged with it. It skittered across the scales, but the tip sank into the elbow of a forearm as big around as my thigh.
The Dragon shifter snarled at me, and I yanked the sword free and backed away.
Jacques leaned against the wall. The tunnel was only about four feet in diameter—I had to move crouched over, but I slung his good arm over my shoulders. When he pushed off the stone, it glistened with blood.
We stumbled along the tunnel. Sounds from behind indicated that we were pursued, but those big shifters wouldn’t have an easy time of it. We passed around a curve, and could now only hear them.
