Diamond blinked, her face a picture of confusion as she absorbed the information he had just imparted.
With his attention honed in on Diamond’s face, Hugo missed the shadow hurtling in from his left. Something solid slammed into him, catapulting them sideways. Agony ripped through Hugo’s side as his wing cleaved from his back. He screamed, losing all sense of direction. Over and over he tumbled, his vision darkening at the edges. Desperate not to lose her, Hugo grabbed tighter to his Nexus, pouring everything he had into the vise-like grip he had around her chest.
Sulphurious scooped them out of the air with curled talons. Roaring, the great beast hurled his prize sideways.
A petrified scream escaped Diamond. Hugo could feel her trying to grip onto him. Her fingernails gouged his skin through the holes in his torn armour. That scream froze his blood. And in that moment, Hugo knew true terror. Not for himself, but for his soulmate. He had failed. He could not save her.
The world spun past at horrific speed. Hitting a burning tree and sending embers flying, his body jerked viciously. The blazing wood sliced clean through his leather armour, shredding his skin and prying apart his grip on her. Then the most precious thing he had ever known was ripped from the safety of his arms.
“Diamond!” he roared in despair, just before his head slammed into something hard. His limbs turned to water and blackness swamped him.
***
Hugo jerked, consciousness returning. Heat seared his skin and throat, smoke stung his eyes.
A triumphant roar drowned out the noise of the raging flames, and his heart constricted painfully.
“No!” he cried, his voice breaking.
Hugo pushed himself up, crying out as his broken wing fell uselessly down his back. Ignoring the surge of white-hot pain, he pounded toward the dragon. Heat scorched every inch of his body. Totally focused on finding Diamond, his mind refused to register the pain. For Hugo, the flaming forest floor and falling branches did not exist. He had to reach her.
Breaking through the blazing trees, Hugo beheld Sulphurious. Smoke and fire distorted the dragon’s huge body into a grotesque shadow. His red-horned head swung wildly; thousands of palm-sized scales across his back reflected the flames like dark mirrors.
And there, clenched tightly between the sharpest, blackest teeth was Diamond.
Grief exploded through Hugo’s chest and, without thinking, he tugged wildly on their bond. Pain and fear swamped him.
“Hugo!” Diamond screamed, her wide eyes finding his.
Anguish rendered his limbs useless, and he collapsed to his knees, his heart breaking.
Sulphurious turned his big head and seemed to contemplate the warrior who knelt before him, then bared his teeth, malevolence pouring from him.
“No... don’t...” Hugo pleaded, but the dragon only rolled his red eyes and shook his prey—hard enough to make her scream again.
Red-hot rage erupted through Hugo. Suddenly he couldn’t breathe.
Mine! Mine to protect.
Heat from the burning forest fanned Hugo’s body, and he did not fight the instincts that took over. Instead, he absorbed that heat, welcomed it and consumed it, like he hadn’t feasted in years, sucking in more and more. The beast inside him roared as Hugo unleashed it.
Without warning, sharp agonising pain saturated his body; his every cell fragmented, his bones stretched, breaking and reforming. Blackness swamped his vision, waves of dizziness coursed through his skull. With sheer will he stayed conscious, all his focus on Diamond as his wings snapped back into place, healing instantly.
Hugo’s body expanded until he could feel himself pushing down the flaming trees, crushing those nearest to him with the great bulk of his changing body. Sapphire blue scales burst through his skin, clattering until he was covered entirely in rock-hard armour. Metal-scaled wings stretched wide, talons curving from the barbed tips. Whorls of molten silver tattooed his back and long neck, blazing brightly in the darkness. Sharp teeth thrust through his gums, the pain of his fae teeth a shadow in comparison.
In an instant, agony was replaced by ecstasy. Power more ancient than the earth and the heat from which it was forged tore through his blood. Hugo dug his talons into the burning earth and threw his head around, roaring loudly, needing to release his newfound strength and power.
There was no time to wonder about what was happening to him, only that it felt right. In harmony with the spirit of the guardian he had become, Hugo immediately launched himself upwards right as Sulphurious threw Diamond high in the air. Her arms and legs dangled haplessly as she fell towards the dragon’s open maw.
Wind and smoke and flame rushed by. Hugo twisted, catching her limp body in one of his large back claws. Roaring his defiance at the bigger dragon, he snatched his Nexus away. Stronger and more powerful than ever, Hugo pulled Diamond close to his silver underbelly and snapped his wings open, thrashing through the air towards the wall.
CHAPTER 49
Air rushed by Diamond’s lacerated body. She was thrown unceremoniously onto the silver ridges of an animal’s neck. Pain lanced through her. Diamond didn’t care; she was alive. Forcing her fingers to work, she grabbed onto the nearest bony spikes. Gusty wind tugged at her. Fighting it, she swung her leg over the beast’s neck. Underneath her thighs, beautiful midnight blue scales gleamed.
A dragon! I’m sitting on a guardian.
Wide-eyed, she let her gaze travel over the dragon’s entire body. A spiny ridge of solid silver merged from the base of three protruding silver horns, travelling down to the silver barb at the tip of its tail. Her grip tightened. Huge, majestic wings thrashed through the night sky, and she realised the stunning creature was taking her back toward the shield. The dragon’s beautiful body gleamed with every ripple of his muscles. Shimmering whorls of silver flame, bright and blinding in the darkness. The patterns ran from the base of his neck, right down his back and shoulders and out across those glorious wings. But it was the dragon’s sapphire energy shot through with silver serpents that made her gasp in disbelief.
“Hugo!” she breathed.
Silver orbs flickered back at the sound of her voice. Curling his scaly lips back, Hugo issued a familiar, challenging snarl.
Relief, awe and numbness vied for supremacy in her mind. Fighting the wind that threatened to pluck her off his back, Diamond had no choice but to lean onto Hugo’s heat-soaked scales and tighten her hold on the ridges of his neck. She clung to him, trying to ignore the pain throbbing through her ravaged body.
The sapphire dragon soared upward into the clouds. Soon they left the sight of the army on the wall. He burst through the dark, smoke-laden clouds and into the never-ending plethora of stars above. Beautiful and serene, their light warmed Diamond’s heart, but she did not have time to marvel at the sight. With a warning roar, Hugo flipped head-down. It was a move designed to unseat her.
Weightlessness had her stomach turning before he caught her to him and kept her in a vice-like grip as he dived.
Terror stole Diamond’s voice. Hugo built up speed, then folded his wings flat into his back. Like an arrow, they travelled at phenomenal speed towards the shield.
The shield! He’s going to kill us!
The dragon disappeared before they hit the dome of energy, and she was clasped in strong arms with Hugo’s familiar scent surrounding her. Together they fell through the shield, the ground rushing up towards them.
Diamond released a petrified scream.
Bellowing loudly, Hugo tried to slow their descent, but the desperate thud of his wings and iron contraction of his muscles weren’t enough. Squeezing her to his chest, he rolled seconds before they slammed into the shimmering dark lake together.
***
The impact knocked Diamond senseless. It was like slamming into a brick wall. The only thing that saved her bones from shattering was the cocoon of Hugo’s body. Water swamped her mouth and nose. For one long moment her stunned brain froze, then panic set in. Thrashing wildly, she fought Hugo’
s grip. She needed to breathe! He did not let go but dragged her upwards at incredible speed until they exploded through the surface, coughing and spluttering. A shove in her back had her flailing toward the bank. Fighting her faintness, she kicked out, pawing across the surface and trying to swim. It was useless, her muscles wouldn’t respond. Inky black water closed in over her head, and lower into the murky underwater world she sank. The desire to inhale nearly overwhelmed her. Diamond fought that instinct with all her might. She didn’t want to die.
A sapphire and silver glow mesmerised her, commanding her attention. Rough hands grabbed her armour, yanking upwards until her head and shoulders broke the surface.
Hugo dragged her limp body through the water at incredible speed, then hoisted her into his arms. Cradled against the protection of his body, she floated through the air, feeling warm and cared for—until he placed her on the cold, hard ground.
“Diamond! Diamond! Come on! Wake up! Now!” Hugo yelled.
She felt herself dragged up off the ground. Frantically he whispered her name, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly.
“Stay awake. Please. Come on. You have to stay awake,” he told her, but his voice sounded broken, almost as though he were sobbing.
He was right. She should get up. They were needed back on the wall. But she was so tired. Wonderful, solid arms enveloped her. A cocoon of safety and protection as Hugo rocked back and forth. Her body felt fluid and light. Diamond smiled, all she wanted was to float away wrapped in Hugo’s beautiful warmth. He would take care of her.
Cold, hard ground under her back jolted her awake. Swift and deft, Hugo unfastened the buckles and laces of her armour and ripped her shirt open. A sharp intake of breath and a steady stream of curses had her wondering what was so wrong. She was just tired. Smiling weakly she tried to lift her hand to his face, but it flopped uselessly by her side.
“Diamond, you have to heal yourself. Use your magic or you’ll bleed to death!” he yelled, his eyes flashing with silver fury. He pulled her up and made her look at herself, supporting her head with one big hand.
Long ribbons of flesh hung from her body. Her belly, chest and hips were shredded and oozed a steady stream of blood that ran over her pale skin and onto the wet ground. Surprisingly, there was no pain.
Diamond blinked as he placed her hand over the torn skin of her abdomen.
“Don’t you dare give up on me,” he implored, staring into her eyes. “You’ve never given in before! Gods damn it! Heal yourself! Please, or you’ll die.”
“I. Can’t,” she whispered, her eyes rolling backwards in her skull. Her head was too heavy to keep upright and flopped backwards onto his hand, her wet hair tumbling to the ground.
Hugo’s face turned rigid with fear. “No, this isn’t happening,” he choked out in an anguished voice. He cursed and cursed. Her. The Goddess. The Queen. Everyone. “You can’t just give up! You can’t leave me, not now. I won’t let you.”
She watched with fascinated detachment as he opened his mouth and she saw that second set of sharp, pointed teeth. Blood dripped from his wrist as he bit himself.
Diamond tried to move away, but Hugo entwined his fingers in her hair, holding her in place. He clenched and unclenched his fist above her mouth, making his blood flow faster. Warm and thick, it dripped steadily into her mouth. Unable to move, Diamond was forced to swallow it.
“It’s all right, my love. No! Don’t fight me. My blood will make you stronger. Just swallow. Please. Trust me,” he crooned. Warm lips kissed her forehead, whispering soothingly against her skin.
“Stop,” she uttered, gasping for air after he had forced her to swallow mouthful after mouthful.
Hugo freed his hand from her hair.
Diamond used her palms and heels to scramble away across the blood-soaked mud. Wiping the back of her hand over her mouth, she stared at him wide-eyed. The coppery taste of his blood filled her senses. Bewilderingly, she now had enough strength to talk and move. Her eyes fluttered closed as strength and magic invaded her limbs. An otherworldly heat rushed through her blood, burning from her toes right up to her scalp. It was as if he had ignited a storm of fire and magic in her blood, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else.
“You are my Nexus, and my blood is boiling with the magic of the guardian that lives inside me. It will make you stronger. You already are, aren’t you? Now you can heal yourself. Please. Please do it,” he pleaded, pulling himself on his knees towards her, his fingers digging anxiously into the soft mud. “Look. You’re still bleeding. That evil bastard has ripped you to shreds. Look! At! Yourself!” he bellowed, gesturing violently toward her stomach when she just stared at him.
Diamond swallowed, unable to take her eyes off his face. All the while, heat continued pulsing around her blood stream.
Hugo shuffled even closer, grabbing her hands and kissing them over and over.
“Look,” he urged again.
Diamond regarded her ripped flesh with disinterest, obsessed with the taste of him. It took her a moment to notice—to really see—the long open gashes that marred both sides of her body. Bright blood leaked a steady stream.
The heat from Hugo’s magic-laced blood settled and awareness of her body returned. Every nerve, every piece of torn, ravaged flesh ignited. A torrent of agony erupted, and she cried out.
Hugo anxiously grabbed her hand. “Try. Please,” he urged, pushing her hand over her stomach. “You can’t leave me—not now. I love you too much to let you go,” he choked.
Those broken words tore at Diamond’s heart. For him she would try. Closing her eyes she strained to reach her magic. Nothing. Only emptiness.
“I can’t, Hugo. I’m too tired,” she whimpered.
Hugo thrust his still-bleeding wrist forward. “Drink.” He gulped and his voice faded to a broken whisper. “We are meant to be together. We are Nexus. And I love you. Will you consent?”
The sun pushed its way over the horizon and the soft light of the new day reflected in the silver shards of his eyes. If she didn’t heal herself, she would die, and that meant never seeing him again. She looked up, devouring every detail of his handsome face, a face now fraught with worry—worry for her. Hugo’s desperation was clear to see, but she knew he would never force her. If she drank his blood a second time, he would be mated to her, bound to her until one of them died. Certainty settled in her soul.
“This is my choice, Hugo; don’t ever think I am doing this only to save myself from Eternity,” she panted, a wave of dizziness overcoming her. “I want to be with you—forever.”
“Then drink. Now,” he commanded, his voice harsh with torment.
It didn’t matter what the Queen had done to them, or what her grand plan was, Diamond trusted Hugo with all her heart. Keeping her eyes on his, she gripped his arm. “I love you,” she said and let that love shine through her eyes as she placed her lips around his wrist.
She drank deeply, barely aware of anything else but the feel of his skin under her lips and the tide of his energy flooding her body right through to the marrow of her bones.
The blood that bound them granted her entry to his mind. Gladly, he gave it. More intimate than even their Nexus, his emotions, his memories, his thoughts were now hers. A rapid hammering resounded inside her. Like a drum, it vibrated through her soul, followed by a deluge of feelings. Desperation, guilt, fury, pain—and something wondrous. It coiled through their entwined magic and settled around her heart, wrapping it in a protective shell. Love.
“Diamond,” Hugo breathed with strangled emotion. “Now we belong to each other,” she heard him whisper, though she knew that wasn’t quite true; Hugo hadn’t taken her blood a second time yet. Twice. He need to take her blood again. Then she would belong to him. Just as he belonged to her.
Hugo did not loosen his embrace as his blood bonded to hers.
Even when she knew she was strong enough to stop, she couldn’t. In turn, it seemed Hugo was unwilling to pull away.
Understanding dawned. He would give all of himself if it meant she would live. Soon he winced at the drawing motion of her lips. Gently trying to pull his arm away did not work; Diamond instinctively clamped down on his skin with her teeth and gripped him to her. Her need to make sure he was hers was insatiable and wild. In her weakened state, Diamond could not control her fae instincts.
Hugo growled a warning and yanked his arm away, simultaneously clamping his other hand around the bleeding wound. He deliberately ignored her snarl of dissatisfaction, not to mention the angry flash of her eyes.
“Enough!” he grated, his eyes molten silver and blue. Blood dripped between his fingers. “Heal yourself! Now!” Hugo snapped.
Not thinking straight, Diamond growled her discontent.
“Now!” he hissed, pointing at her stomach.
Diamond looked down, pain forcing her to remember why she had been drinking his blood. This time when she reached for it, her magic flowered. Even the dampening effect of the shield could not contain it. Carefully, she forced tiny tendrils of magic from her hands. Her damaged flesh burned like hell as she split those tendrils into tiny threads and pierced her ragged flesh. Using those threads like a suture, Diamond drew her skin back together.
Hugo laid his hands over hers, steadying her, but he did not use any magic. She could sense his fear of the power that had enabled him to shift. He was unsure of what might happen so soon after shifting from dragon to fae.
A growling echo rumbled through their blood and magic, and a sense of reassurance seeped into them both. There was no time to wonder about that though, not when pain threatened to pull her into unconsciousness. Diamond’s stomach was healing. Agony ripped through nerves and tissues as they knitted back together. Stars swamped her vision and sweat slid down her forehead, stinging her eyes.
Hugo tenderly brushed her hair back from her face. “Keep going. You can do this,” he encouraged.
A Bond of Blood and Fire Page 30