My heart constricted. “No! I think he forced me because it was the only way he could leave. And I can Jump directly to him,” I said. “He’s destined to be one of mymates. That connects us on a deep level. Wherever he goes, I can find him.”
Lucas stared at me. “That’s a hell of a risk.” His eyes flashed wildly.
“Nikolai agrees, doesn’t he?” I pressed.
His mouth straightened. “Both my mates think the Dragon developing inside you will protect you from the dust. But it might not.”
I went for the kill shot. “Rafael isn’t going to yield to Isobel. He’d rather die than go back. I’m right, I know it. If he doesn’t take Isobel with him—she’ll come after us. And we won’t outrun her.”
He rubbed a trembling hand over his face.
“I can do this,” I assured him.
He straightened, reached into the pocket of his cloak, and pulled out a packet of crystal dust.
37
Marcus
Until I folded my wings and dove at Brock, I had no idea that I was going to do so.
Kiko uttered a long, thin wail and yanked my neck feathers out by the handful. She’d been a remarkably fierce warrior until that point, hurling insults as effectively as her blasts of fire.
But apparently, jumping onto the back of a Dragon twice my size broke the Satyr’s rules of conduct.
Until then, only Iskar’s agility had enabled us to evade our pursuers. But the sight of the big bronze Dragon directly below us had snapped something within me. Like the coward he was, he was floating around out here, letting his pinions take the hits. Just as his mother had done when she’d arranged for the murder of my family.
I didn’t stand a chance in a direct confrontation in the air. So my eyes focused on the huge beating wings, and I decided to even up the odds.
I seized control, and we dropped from the sky.
Faced with certain death or going along with my plan, Iskar wisely chose the latter. He corrected my uncontrolled plunge, and we landed dead center on Brock’s scaly back.
I had no idea how to shred a Dragon’s wings, but Iskar apparently did. Brock shrieked as the membranes tore away beneath my claws.
And then we were falling.
Well, he was. Wings beating hard, he managed to keep from a direct plummet, but only barely. I directed one more hit to the big flight muscles on the way down, but when Brock’s jaws missed my neck by inches, Iskar took us the hell out of there.
The bronze Dragon crashed through the trees and vanished. Iskar landed a short distance away with nary a branch bent, let alone broken.
Kiko didn’t waste any time scrambling off me. “I take it that big bad dude is Brock.”
“Yes.” I replied.
“I’ve got your back.” She held up fingers that danced with fire.
What now?Iskar asked.He’s down, but far from out. Even without his wings, he can still outfight us.
He can outfight a Gryphon. But that’s not all I have inside me.
Iskar’s alarm pulsed through me.That’s not a good idea.
Every minute we waste here, Isobel gets closer to Riley,I said.
Then leave Brock. He can’t fly after us, anyway.
But the ancient rage rose—the hatred for the underlords who’d killed my family. I’d shelved it for so long that its release scorched through me.
