Where it Hurts

LOCH

~My sister.~

The slimy criminals hurt my fucking sister.

It was one thing to trespass on my property. One thing to sabotage the opening of my casino.

But this…

This was unprecedented.

Those animals had weaseled their way into my event. Even after I had seriously upped the security detail.

Maddie warned me. She hadn’t underestimated the slayers.

Well, that little mouse knew the way they thought…since she was once a dragon slayer too.

My vision was red at the edges, my body twitching to shift to my dragon. Smoke was already pouring from my nose and ears.

As I took in the chaos, I saw Maddie running for Adara. Summer, the healer, was close behind.

~Adara will be cared for.~

Now to destroy my enemies.

“Dragons!” Nautica shouted, raising his fist as he stood atop a craps table. I zeroed in on him with a look of pure fire.

The other slayers in the room raised their fists in solidarity with their leader.

“The dragon slayers just claimed one of your own. But we won’t stop…until every one of you is dead. And Xander is ~avenged~!”

With that, he and his followers threw down their fists, and the room went up in smoke.

~Smoke bombs.~

Those motherfuckers were about to get away.

Loch

Everyone to the street. Follow the stench of those filthy slayers.

Hael

I’m one step ahead of you.

Hael

I’m outside and there’s no trace of them.

Aneurin

We’ll chase ’em.

???

They can’t run forever…

An unfamiliar, scratchy voice boomed in my mind as I jumped over cowering partygoers.

I forced my way through the smoke-filled revolving door and finally stood in the open night air, my hands balled into fists…ready for a fight.

My brother was already there, and Silver, Dane, and Aneurin were at his side.

“Where’s Storm?” I asked.

A figure exited the building in a puff of smoke. I expected to see the old, powerful dragon. But instead, it was Maddie’s ~investor~.

Ash Onyx.

“I’ll fight beside you,” he said with a solemn nod.

I smirked and nodded in reply. I ~knew~ something was off about that guy…

Loch

Storm, where are you?

Storm

I’ll stay behind.

Storm

In case I can be of help to Summer as she saves your sister.

Hael

Thank you, comrade.

Loch

To the rest of you, let’s move!

I was glad Storm was staying back. He could watch out for Maddie.

Without wasting another moment, I shifted. My wings filled with wind, and I began to climb high into the sky.

My brother’s green dragon was just below me, and a russet red dragon rose to my altitude.

Onyx nodded. He knew, as I did, that I was the leader of this search.

I didn’t know where the dragon slayers had escaped to…

But I did know how to find them.

I flew higher.

From my vantage point, I gazed at the broken-down expanse of Requiem City beneath me.

I was a hawk, and those criminals were mice.

~My prey.~

I scanned the ground. I could sense the movement and heat of humans below…

But I couldn’t locate the sickly scents of the slayers…

STORM

With a long, steady exhale, I cleared the smoke that obstructed the lobby.

Summer had a difficult job before her, and I wanted to help in any way that I could.

I sent the smoke swirling up toward the ceiling, but it still cast a fog over the grim scene before me.

Adara whimpered in a pool of her own blood, fading in and out of consciousness.

The stab wound in her side was deep and wide…and I worried that one of her organs had been pierced.

Summer kneeled beside her, speaking softly and gripping her wrist to measure her pulse.

I admired the healer’s steady hands and calm demeanor… If anyone could save Adara, it was Summer.

Maddie appeared from the fog and dropped to her knees.

“How can I help you?” she demanded.

Summer just shook her head, and Maddie stood by attentively.

Darren, Adara’s mate, was beside himself with grief and anxiety.

His energy was opposite to Summer’s, and I worried his wailing could negatively affect the healer—or worse, Adara.

I touched his shoulder and angled the young man away from the two women, leading him toward the exit.

“Have faith,” I said softly. “Summer is a practiced healer.”

Darren violently wiped at his tears. He couldn’t look away from his love, lying lifeless on the marble floor.

“She can’t die.” His voice was hollow.

I nodded understandingly. There was no worse pain for a dragon than the loss of their mate. I did not envy Darren, but I had to help him help himself.

“Remain calm. Be Adara’s rock,” I advised.

Darren met my eye, and I saw him closing his anguish up inside.

“Good man,” I encouraged.

When we returned to the casino, the scene was even more grisly than I remembered. Summer had her hands poised directly over Adara’s wound.

The healer’s eyes were closed and her head was bent in humble concentration. I could feel the powerful energy radiating off of her.

But Adara was still in bad shape. The wound continued to bleed, and showed no signs of closing up.

We all waited, Maddie, Darren, and I.

When Summer opened her eyes, she looked up at me. For the first time, I saw a crack in her composure. She was nervous too.

“Something is wrong,” she said. “The wound isn’t…normal.”

I felt my heartbeat quicken as I scanned the floor.

I needed to find the weapon.

~Why didn’t I think of this before?~

I exhaled another long breath, clearing the residual smoke. Then I saw something gleaming near the bar.

I reached for the weapon, but immediately thought better of it. If Adara was vulnerable to whatever was on it, then I was too.

The dagger was slicked in blood, but the ancient dragon slayer runes were still visible on its surface.

An acrid scent reached my nostrils.

I crouched beside the weapon so I could make sense of it…

~Dragonsbane.~

The dagger had been soaked in a rare, dangerous strain. One that I hadn’t seen in centuries.

~How did the slayers learn to do that?~

I made my way back through the smoke to Adara and Summer.

They looked up at me expectantly.

“The dagger has been coated in dragonsbane.”

Maddie gasped, but Summer was ready for the challenge.

“We have to leave for the healing pool. ~Now.~”

“Meet me outside,” I instructed.

I lifted Adara’s bleeding body, well aware that moving her would require the utmost care.

~“Slowly!”~ Darren hissed over my shoulder.

I gritted my teeth. The man was well-meaning, but he was in my way.

“Move!” I demanded.

I carried the wounded dragon through the smoke and into the cool night air.

I lowered Adara to the ground and then I shifted into my fearsome dragon.

I crouched, and I felt the others climb onto my scaly back.

Adara was settled, so I leapt into the air so smoothly as to not disturb a hair on her head.

SUMMER

Storm descended with skill and grace into the clearing that I knew so well.

Swooping down into the den always gave me butterflies in my stomach. But never had I been anxious like this.

Never had the task before me been so grave…or so difficult.

Adara had grown completely unresponsive.

The healing pool was my last hope, and though it had never let me down, I had never come with such a demanding task.

I helped Darren lower Adara’s body to the ground.

Whereas before he had been beside himself with anxiety, now he was like a ghost.

We both knew what would happen if Adara died…

We were both mated to dragons.

If she went, he would go too.

But there was no time to think of that now.

Storm shifted back to his human form and soundlessly picked Adara up.

“Let’s go,” I said.

And then I took off through the woods. The journey was short, but with every passing second Adara was being pulled further away.

Finally, I could make out the fluorescent green of the pool. I rushed toward it, soaking up the warmth and strength the mere sight of it afforded me.

I ran to the edge and dove right in, going as deep as I could. I felt the energy surge deep within my chest.

The pool would give me the strength to heal Adara. I had to believe that.

As I resurfaced, Storm was lowering Adara into the pool. I stared up at Maddie, Storm, and Darren, their faces all reflecting the green light of the water.

“You got this,” Maddie encouraged.

I held Adara close to me. Her blood was leaking out into the water, turning it black.

Focusing all of my energy on her wound, her pain, I closed my eyes. I channeled all the warmth around me into her body…

This was Adara’s final chance. This was my last opportunity to help her. Despite the odds, I would do my best.

With that, I dove back down into the deep, bringing Adara with me.

I had my work cut out for me, and I had to do it quick…

~Can I save Adara before it’s too late?~