Grayson shivered at my side. “I hate those zombie-looking things.”
I shook my head. “I don’t even want to know. Do I?”
They all shook their heads at the same time. Gray leaned into me. “Listen, Zin, we’ve got to have a bit of a chat later, alright?”
“I think anything you have to say to her you can say in front of me.” Tucker crossed his arms over his bare chest.
Before I could answer either one of them, a rush of footsteps sounded down the hallway. The walls vibrated, and a loud roar cracked the windows at the top of the gym. I looked up to the ceiling. “What was that?”
Tucker rushed toward the double doors leading to the hall. He reached his arm out and wrapped his hand in the shirt of the first boy he saw. He pulled him through the doors and back into the gym. “Start talking now.”
The boy had to be all of fifteen years old. His face was dusted with big round freckles, and his eyes were so wide I saw more whites then I did the brown. “D-d-d-dragon.”
Tucker dropped his hold on his shirt. “A dragon is attacking the school?”
The boy nodded. “Alataris.”
I didn’t hesitate. I ran headlong toward the dragon and Alataris.
Chapter 9
Zinnia
I pumped my arms, running toward the courtyard. My heart raced in my chest, and a sheen of cold sweat broke out over my body. I didn’t know what I was going to do once I got there. All I knew was I had to stop him from hurting my school. It was a strange thing being terrified and yet still sprinting toward exactly what you were afraid of. Behind me, heavy footsteps thundered along. Without looking over my shoulder, I knew the others were following me. It was our duty to protect Evermore from Alataris, and right now, he was crossing a line. Evermore Academy was ruled by the Fallen. Every supernatural knew it. So Alataris was either completely crazy or was here for a specific reason.
Once I hit the courtyard, I skidded to a stop. The fountain in the center of the Academy was frozen solid. The ice looked like it formed within seconds. Spurts of frozen water drifted out from the top tier in jagged spikes. In the second-tier, streams of ice waterfalls connected to the bottom tier of the fountain, giving it the effect of a miniature ice-skating rink. Six inches of snow covered the ground. Flakes clung to my hair, clothes and eyelashes. Cool air seeped through my sweatshirt and leggings. A chill ran up my spine, sending goosebumps skittering all over my body.
Students huddled under the archways, while others ran for cover. I marched out into the middle of it all and gazed up into the sky. At first, all I saw were thick puffy gray clouds, the same I would see on any winter day. Yet it was late September. A freak blizzard was completely out of place in New York City.
Outside, the noise from the City was muted by the falling snow. I tilted my head from side to side, waiting for Alataris to walk out to face me in the courtyard with his fire-breathing dragon. I expected it to be something out of a movie, where the dragon spoke of riches and wanted to be king under a mountain.
What I got was something entirely different. Through the thick clouds came the deafening roar. I hunched over and covered my ears until it stopped. Then it slid out from between the clouds. Wings the size of houses flapped quickly, propelling the dragon high above the school, circling around. It was huge, with bright white scales, which were the shape of sea shells. Each scale had a blue rim around it. The wings were smooth like a bat’s and were also white with blue mixed in. The movies had it wrong.
A black harness was fastened around its back. The belts strapped around it pinched into its scales. Before I had to wonder where Alataris was, the dragon banked to the side and there stood Alataris, riding on its back. A bridle just like the one used for horses trailed back from its mouth. With one hand, Alataris held the bridle, and with the other, he snapped a whip at the back of the dragon. Each time the barbed end of the leather whip smacked into its back, the dragon roared louder.
I lifted my hand with my blade still tightly clutched in it. I screamed, “Alataris!”
His head snapped to the side. His dark soulless eyes met mine, and he actually smiled. On the back of the dragon, he looked like a long stick figure. His arms and legs were gangly and spider-like. His thick black hair peeked out from under a bright red snow hat. The rest of him was covered in a one-piece brown snow suit, like he’d stolen it from a construction worker. He inclined his head, giving me a small bow, then yanked back on the reigns of the dragon. Its head thrashed from side to side as streams of snow and ice poured from its mouth. Like an avalanche, it dropped from the sky straight toward me.
My body was knocked sideways, and I found myself ass deep in a pile of snow with Tucker pinned on top of me. “What the hell, Tuck?”
He hesitated with his body hovering just over mine. His face was so close our noses nearly touched. “I’d prefer if you weren’t buried alive.”
Just as the words left his mouth, a mound of snow dropped down in the place I’d just stood. When I gazed up into his honey eyes, I sucked in a breath. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“Um, Tuck?” I looked around at the others staring at the two of us.
“Yeah?”
“You want to let me up?”
He scrambled back on to his knees and cursed under his breath. “Sorry.” As he stood, he pulled me up next to him.
“You were right. I’d rather not be buried alive.” I brushed the snow from the back of my pants.
I gazed up at Alataris and gritted my teeth. “Missed me!”
“Bad ass.” Tucker chuckled.
Alataris didn’t think so. He pulled the reigns tighter, and again the dragon thrashed at the hold and blew more ice and snow. The snow behind me crunched with heavy foot falls.
When I turned to look over my shoulder, I stumbled back. “Matteaus.”
Matteaus was rumored to be the oldest living supernatural in Evermore. He and the other Fallen ruled us all with an iron fist. His hulking black wings seemed even darker among the white landscape. I was used to Tucker’s six-foot four-inch stature, but when Matteaus strolled out next to him, he made Tucker look small. Matteaus’ arms were the size of my head, and when he wore only a black tank top and baggy jeans, the seer mass of him was on full display. There were locks of his hair falling into is eyes in a display of browns, blonds and some light reds.
He pushed his hair out of his face and then came to stand next to me. “Why am I not surprised to see the two of you out here?”
Tucker gave him a sideways glance. “We didn’t plan to drop a foot of snow on the school.”
“Indeed, you didn’t.” Matteaus cupped his hands around his mouth and titled his head back, yelling out to Alataris. “Albee! Don’t make me come up there!”
He scolded Alataris as though he were a small child rather than an evil king trying to take over all of Evermore. When Alataris didn’t turn to move on, Matteaus slowly extended his wings out to his sides. Old power crackled in the air around me. I could feel it weighing down in the courtyard. Alataris’ eyes widened, and before I knew it, he turned the dragon away from the school.
I stepped forward. “You’re just going to let him get away?”
Matteaus shrugged. “Can’t interfere.”
“Why not?” I wanted him to go after Alataris and take him down here and now, to end this.
“For reasons I don’t have to explain to you. You want to deal with him, go after him now.” Matteaus turned on his heels and strolled away.
Ugh! A little help wouldn’t hurt! Anger burned through my body. I didn’t know what to do or how to even use my powers fully. But my instincts roared at me not to let him get away. I turned away from Matteaus and shoved Tucker in the chest. “Phoenix, now!”
He raised his eyebrows for only a second before leaping up into the air. His body twisted and turned in a ball of burning fire. Yellow and orange light burst from him, lighting up the white snow like a summer day. Two huge wings flared out from the ball of fire, a
nd suddenly, there was a phoenix half the size of Alataris’ dragon flying around the courtyard. He spun around my body, then shot up into the air. When he tilted is head to the side, his message was clear as day to me. You coming? He swooped downward, gliding over the ground like a pelican over water.
I tossed my blades down into the snow, then ran at him as fast as I could and leapt forward, landing square on his back. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 10
Zinnia
I straddled Tucker’s back as he flapped his wings harder, trying to catch up to Alataris and his dragon. I pressed my body lower to him and wrapped my hand around the base of his wings. Soft crimson feathers tickled my skin, and I squeezed him with my thighs, the way I did whenever I rode on a horse. “Faster, Tuck.”
Flames burst from his tail, and we shot forward like a rocket. Freezing wind whipped across my face, biting at my cheeks. Up ahead, I spotted the dragon’s long tail with large white spikes at the end of it. It was like flying through a tube. All around us were large puffy gray clouds that blocked everything else from sight. Alataris stood on the beast’s back, whipping it into a frenzy. I pointed at him. “Up ahead.”
I didn’t know what I was going to do or how we were going to stop him. All I knew was he had my mother held captive somewhere and he’d terrorized Evermore for long enough. Perhaps we wouldn’t have to have an outright battle. Maybe we could do something else to stop him. “Tuck, what if we knock him off?”
He cawed a loud agreement, but it also drew Alataris’ attention.
He looked over his shoulder, giving me a snarling smile. “Your luck has run out!”
Tuck dove forward and wrapped his thick black talons around the dragon’s tail. When he dove straight down, I felt myself lift off of his back and go completely weightless before I pulled myself back down. The dragon teetered to the side, flipping Alataris over. For a second the beast’s underbelly was exposed. There in the center of its chest where a scale seemed to be missing was an orange glowing molten spot. Could it be that easy? A spot where all you had to do was hit it at the right angle and the dragon would die? Before I could get a closer look, the dragon twisted away and raked its claws at Tuck. We barrel rolled to the side, dodging the swiping claws. I hung on for dear life as my legs dangled away from his phoenix form. I clutched the base of his wings harder. In Tuck’s human form, it’d be where his arms met his shoulders. When he righted us, Tuck screeched a warning, then sucked in a breath. His entire body puffed up, and I could feel it heating beneath me. He parted his beak and spat fire toward the dragon’s neck. It reared back and roared in pain as flames licked at its white scales. A moment later, ice spewed from its mouth in an arch of white puffs. Tiny sharp shards rained down on us. They slashed at my sweatshirt and pants. I squealed and covered my head with one arm while holding on with the other.
Alataris tilted his head back, cackling from his perch. Then he snapped his wrist, and the whip coiled up into a perfect circle, which he then slid into a holster at his hip. A ball of red swirling magic gathered in the palm of his hand, then it began to spark the way a firecracker did right before it explodes. He tossed it at me like a baseball, firing it right at my head. I tilted to the side, forcing Tucker to dive away to avoid the ball. It exploded behind us. A loud boom echoed, and bright fire lit up the sky. The bright colors reflected off the gray clouds like it was the fourth of July. Tuck extended his talons once more and raked them down the dragon’s back thigh. Though he didn’t break the scales, the dragon cried out once more. Its deafening roar pierced my ears. Another ball of magic came at us.
This time I plucked it from the air and held it for my own. “Tuck, you ever play chicken?”
Again, that loud cawing came from his chest, and he flapped his wings faster to get ahead of the Alataris and his killer dragon. When he spun around to face them, Alataris had stopped the dragon. They floated in the air, holding the same position. Its large wings beat up and down.
Alataris’ lip pulled up in a snide snicker. “You can’t win here. Your bird friend is no match for my dragon.”
I tossed the glowing ball up in the air and caught it. “Maybe not.” I shrugged. “But it’s worth a try.”
I was ready to charge them head-on. I was ready to take on Alataris and let Tuck have at the dragon. I was about to tell him about the soft spot I saw on its chest when I gave it one last look. I let my eyes drift over the dragon. Its face was smooth and soft with smaller scales that looked like tiny sea shells in a blue sea. When my gaze locked on its vivid violet eyes ,I swear I could see sadness. It glanced away and back again, almost pleading. A small chuff escaped its lips like a sob. Beneath me, Tuck sucked in a deep breath and his temperature increased once more. The dragon flinched back, as if knowing another ball of fire was coming its way. And that’s when I saw them…Two tears the size of basketballs streaming down its cheeks.
I dug my hand into Tuck’s feathers. “Stop!”
Alataris titled his head back and cackled. “Coming to your senses?”
“Not at all.” I pressed my thighs into Tuck’s sides. “We need to go now.”
He titled his bird head back at me, looking at me with those golden eyes as if I’d lost my mind. Yet when I said nothing more, he tucked his wings into his body and we began to drop down. I looked up at that poor dragon, knowing it was being held against its will like my mother. When its gaze met mine, I saw more tears gathering, as though it was disappointed I didn’t fight to help it. My heart broke in my chest, but I didn’t know what kind of hold Alataris had on the beast, and I didn’t want to hurt it further just to find out. I’ll come back for you.
The dragon titled its head back and cried out as Alataris brought that whip down again across its tail and sped out of sight.
Chapter 11
Tucker
“What do you mean we can’t kill it?” Serrina paced back and forth in front of the book stacks in the back of the library. Her hair was pulled into a high bouncy ponytail that fell down the back of her ripped-up t-shirt. Zinnia’s shirt was ripped from battle, but Serrina’s was a fashion choice. The rest of my crew sat on either side of the long table that stuck out from the wall like a peninsula.
Zinnia stood off to the side, leaning up against a bookshelf. Her ebony hair was windblown and covered in snowflakes. Tiny icicles hung from the ends. She looked like a dark fae princess with her wide sapphire eyes, pale skin and pinkened cheeks. Even the snow in her hair looked like a crown. Small rips marred her shirt and leggings, yet she didn’t pay them any attention, even when glimpses of her pale skin would peek through. “I’m telling you, I saw it in the dragon’s eyes. It did not want to cover the school in ice and snow. Alataris was somehow controlling it, like a slave. We have to free it.”
Brax, our tiger shifter, leaned back in his chair and sighed. Though he was the quietest of all the Knights, he was also the biggest. In the human world, people would think he was a soldier, with his tight-cut blond hair, camo fatigues, and massive body. “You say, you want to do this saving of the dragon, da?”
Zinnia nodded. “Absolutely. It’s innocent in all this.”
“Then I go.” His Russian accent made his words sound so final, as though the decision had been made by all of us. He tilted his head to the side, studying a patch of small holes in the sleeve of his shirt, then shrugged and faced the rest of us.
A wide smile broke out over Zinnia’s face. “Really?”
Brax nodded. “I’m not killing a mythological creature. Not when it can be free.”
“Hold up a second.” Nova stood and moved beside Serrina. “Don’t the rest of us get a say here? I mean, you’re asking us to go on a mission to save an ice-breathing dragon that we aren’t a hundred percent sure is actually innocent at all. Maybe it likes working for Alataris.”
“I’m telling you it wasn’t. I saw it in the dragon’s eyes. This was some kind of torture for it. And when Tuck spit flames at it, it cried.” Zinnia crossed her arms over her chest.
“We have to do something.”
The thought of making anything cry, let alone a hulking dragon, made me shift uncomfortably in my chair. What could we do in this situation? Half the queens wanted to just kill it and be done; the other half wanted to risk their lives to free it, if indeed it wanted to be free. I was torn, but deep down I could feel Zinnia’s emotions seeping into my body. I knew the mark on my wrist matched hers perfectly, and the longer we were together, the more I would feel her emotions and she would feel mine. My only question was, how much more could I draw this out to keep this a secret? She was mine, and I was hers…she just didn’t know it yet.
As I sat there looking at her and feeling what she felt, I knew I had to do something to help the dragon. If I didn’t, she would go on her own. Of that I was sure. As the leader of the entire crew, it was my job to not only protect the queens but also to decide what missions we would undertake. But feeling Zinnia’s emotions made me want to give in to what she wanted. I leaned back in my chair. Follow my heart or my head?
Before I said anything, all eyes were on me. “Well, let’s think about this. If we kill the dragon—”
“No one better touch my dragon. If any of you harm one little scale on its head, you’ll be answering to me.” Taliam, one of the Fallen who worked along with Matteaus, barged through the door in all his rocker glory. His large black wings were tucked in close to his back. Each feather was tipped with dark green. Taliam wasn’t as hulking as Matteaus. He was all long lean muscles and stood only a few inches taller than me. He wore a black tank top like Matteaus’, but rather than black fatigues, he wore loose-fitting leather pants and biker boots with thick silver studs around his ankles. Leather holsters crisscrossed over his chest, and two sword handles peeked out from between his neck and wings. His silver hair was shaved tight to the sides of his head and was longer on the top with strands flopping over. I’d heard long ago Taliam’s hair changed color at will. Seeing it now, I had a feeling that was true.
Wicked Magic (The Royals: Witch Court Book 2) Page 6