I flashed through the dense bush along the banks, shredding branches and leaves alike in my passage.
And then I saw them.
Two sardding Dragon shifters. Their scales gleamed a strange bronze in the moonlight. One be in Dragon form, and it be in the process of landing with Anna’s limp form in its talons. It laid her on the ground. The other be in human form, and he had one hand on his swollen dick, stroking as he grabbed her ankle.
Neither saw me coming. I lowered my head—and put every iota of my momentum into ramming the dick stroker with my horn.
The impact ran it not only straight through his scales but also his torso, to emerge out the center of his chest. The velocity behind my hit drove both of us past Anna’s body, and right into the Dragon. We crashed into the beast, and all three of us tumbled into the river.
Churning water swept over us. My horn be so embedded that I could not free it, and as the dead weight pulled my head under, I embraced the change to human. The horn dropped away from me, and the current took the body with it, sucking it into the depths.
When I broke the surface, the Dragon in beast form bellowed a strange, shrieking cry. I be too preoccupied with swimming, not an easy task when shifting form. By the time I neared the bank, I be fully human.
I hauled myself out and turned to see the Dragon repeatedly diving beneath the surface. He finally emerged with the body of the other shifter. The tip of my horn—protruding from his chest—reflected the moonlight as, with another screech, the Dragon took off, carrying the limp form away.
I didn’t care. I jogged on two legs along the riverbank to Anna.
She lay as she’d fallen. Blood poured from a gash on her head.
A form passed between us and the moon. And then another. Xumi’s Dragons be arrowing toward us.
I scooped Anna up and ran, holding her close as I bolted deeper into the dense forest. I pulled energy from the life essences we passed and poured it into my two-legged speed. Trees, bushes, rocks—all became nothing but a blur.
Then the stone perimeter walls appeared along one side of us. The water be calmer here, and when I sensed the Dragons’ attention be focused over the forest, I forged the river.
Once on the other side, I put on speed, angling toward the main road to the city but not on a direct route. But Anna’s essence grew weaker with every moment. As soon as I be certain we’d slipped through their net, I slowed down, and searched for a spot to hide.
The life energies showed me a place where the trees grew thinner. I followed it to a rock ridge, and a spot where the slabs met at an angle. When I crouched and pushed into the darkness beyond, it opened into a small cave.
Enough, certainly, to shield us from prying Dragon eyes. Crouching and cradling her upper half in my lap, I whispered, “Anna.” I willed her to awaken.
Through our entire flight, she had remained still. Unresponsive. Not even the cold river water had roused her. Her life essence be so low I could barely sense it at all.
From what I’d glimpsed, she’d killed a Dragon with her talent. And then healed Jacques. The twin efforts had drained her until she had nothing left. And now, as I held her, her life flickered, dangerously close to extinguishing altogether.
Cara could help her. Could heal her. But to get to her, I’d have to gate. And unlike my colleague, building a gate where one didn’t currently exist was not in my repertoire. That be why Cara be a Watcher, and I, a warrior.
The city gate be not far for my beast, but I didn’t think Anna had that kind of time. She needed healing, and now.
I be a warrior, not a healer.
I examined her head wound—had she fractured her skull? The blow had clearly knocked her cold. But I thought it be the energy depletion keeping her that way.
“Anna,” I said again. I laid my hand flat along her cheek and sensed something stir within her.
I had no idea how to heal, but had been linked to her when she’d done so. Sensed her push energy to those sedated guards. So I gathered my life essence and tried to copy it.
Her eyelids fluttered, and then opened. She blinked, and some of the fog cleared from her gaze.
“No,” she whispered. “You can’t be here.”
“Too late,” I said. “I be here. Take what I have to offer.” I pressed my hand against her skin.
Her eyes widened. “No. I might kill you.” I could barely hear her, and her life essence flickered again.
“You can’t hurt me, Anna. Take it. You need it.”
The tiniest shake of her head. I had no doubt that if she didn’t take my energy, she be going to die.
