by Celia Kyle
He yanked her forward. “Silence.”
But his attention was on the pregnant woman.
“Ballakin, she needs—“
This time, he snarled, baring both lengthening fangs. “A mate with status. I will remove the barrier that prevents me from becoming defense master and then I shall claim the female.”
The female. Not his or mine, but the.
“Remove…”
He curled his lips into a wide smile, a crazed joy filling his eyes. “You.” Another wrenching pull. “Tell me, can all humans swim?”
Her heart dropped, the overwhelming dread nearly making her knees buckle and she almost crumpled into a panic-laden heap. “No…”
Ballakin shrugged. “You should learn. Quickly.”
15
Rendan watched the small female’s fingers race across the console, tips sliding across the smooth surface with a rapid grace that rivaled a Preor’s flight.
“Immunity, right?” Her—Liquid Knot—spoke but her attention did not waver from the display.
He had asked the meaning of her odd name. It was not one he recognized as a traditional Earth designation, but the female simply rolled her eyes and walked away from him.
Perhaps it had something to do with her occupation? It was his understanding that she hak-d data systems. It was possible the name was a title.
“Yo, wing-boy. Immunity?”
He did not care for the nickname, but he pushed down his irritation. If this small female could locate the male who’d harmed his Carla…
“Yes.” He nodded even though she did not look at him. “Human peace keepers will not restrain you. You are a friend of the Preor.”
And the Preor would not allow their friends to suffer for assistance.
Liquid grunted and continued to stare at the ever-changing images on the display. Her eyes scanned each new view quicker than Rendan could fathom, but she appeared to understand what was revealed.
“Got you,” she sing-songed and smiled widely, joy filling her features. “There’s your guy.”
She reached forward, hands pressed against the display and then pulled them wide. The image on the display increased in size until they saw a single male land atop Preor Tower. He crept forward, not stopping until he stood behind Carla. And then he pushed.
“Ballakin.” His voice was flat. Hard. He turned to face the others in the room—meeting Taulan and Kozav’s stares. “I want him found. I want him dead.” He would not tolerate any less. “Now.”
Taulan jerked his head in a short nod. “It will be done.” Taulan turned toward the door, and Rendan knew the war master sought to gather other warriors. They would all search for the male who dared injure a female. Who—
The doors whooshed open before Taulan reached the threshold, Zadri racing into the room and speaking before anyone else could say a word. “Ballakin has her.”
Rendan’s breath froze in his lungs, body immobile. Zadri spoke to him alone and there was no doubt the identity of her. “Where?”
“The gulf.” The gulf. The massive expanse of water that was as beautiful as it was deadly. “He wears his full wings.”
His full wings? Rendan hissed and mentally cursed. The male was large and traveling fast—with Carla in his claws.
Rendan strode toward Zadri, the other male jumping out of his path, and he shouted two words over his shoulder. “We fly.”
He ran down the hallway, racing toward the end and the skies beyond. A large plate of glass stood between Rendan and the air, the clear material meant to shield them from the stinging whip of the sea winds.
At the moment, it stood between him and Carla.
Unacceptable.
He increased his pace, wings tight against his back and tucked close while he ran at the solid panel. It was thick and strong, able to withstand the strength of Florida’s hurricanes.
It would not withstand Rendan. He would not allow it.
He gathered his dragon’s fire, pulling it from the beast lurking inside him, and spat the flame at his destination. He released it in a steady stream of red, blue, and white, heating the surface as he approached. The clear barrier glowed red and slowly cracked, first one and then another until…
Rendan dove through the heated material, launching himself into Tampa’s whipping breeze. The moment he drew in a single breath of briny air, he let the dragon free. It overwhelmed him in a rush of pink, the transition ending as quickly as it’d begun until he was now massive.
And strong.
And fast.
Hopefully fast enough to save his mate.
The rapid whistle of wings slicing through air told Rendan that another followed and he looked back, meeting Zadri’s gaze. He jerked his head toward the open sea, silently asking the male to take the lead. He was the only one who knew Ballakin’s direction.
Rendan would not put pride before his mate. He would accept whatever assistance was offered.
Zadri shot past him, the peach dragon a blur in Tampa’s setting sun. He blended in with the lights that filled the skies, his body hidden by the changing hues. But Rendan would not lose the male. Not when he could lead him to Carla.
Others followed, bellowing roars and snarls in the distance behind them, but he would not wait for others to catch up. Not when Zadri’s pace increased with every beat of his wings.
Time was of the essence. They had to hurry. They had to save his mate.
Ballakin had tried to kill her once. He was trying once more and this time, Rendan was not close enough to catch her.
Movement in the distance, a muted green smudge against the glittering colors of sunset, had both of them altering course. The rise and fall of wings, the undulating body as the dragon flew across the seas, identified the Preor. His movements were unhurried, a slow flight over the churning waters below.
The crystal blue looked so appealing, so beautiful. There was no hint that it could be so deadly.
The male—not warrior, never again a warrior—did not look behind him. He did not check to see if he was followed. If kidnapping a female was not enough to prove his dishonor, his lack of care was enough to brand him barely worthy of a place within the fleet.
Rendan sought Carla, gaze scanning the male’s large body. She did not cling to Ballakin’s back nor neck. She did not grip his wing joint and she was not wrapped around one of the long spines that protruded just behind the dragon’s head.
His stare traveled farther, watching the twist and turn of Ballakin’s body until…
Until he saw his mate held tightly within one of Ballakin’s claws. Her limp body slouched boneless in the other male’s grip. The black talons were the only thing keeping her from falling into the waters below.
He carried her like dragon’s prey. Like a helpless creature he snatched from the earth and now carried to his aerie for a meal. Only Ballakin would not feast on Carla. He would simply kill her.
Rendan would not allow such a thing to happen.
Rendan turned his attention to Zadri, meeting the first warrior’s gaze. There was much exchanged in that single look. A slight twitch of their eyes, changes in the curves of their mouths and flash of fangs. They spoke and yet didn’t, coming to an accord and then they both moved.
Zadri went low until he skimmed the dangerous sea, ready to catch Carla the moment Ballakin released her.
And he would. Rendan would see to it.
Rendan went high, rising above his opponent yet remaining far enough back so his shape did not cast a shadow over the male. He could not alert his prey too early. Not until they were both in position and prepared.
Ballakin’s perverted—dragonish—laugh split the gentle breeze, the crazed joy in the sound unmistakable. The male was excited over what was to come.
He did not realize it yet, but he was excited over his own death.
The sounds were too much for Rendan, the last push that his furious mind could not tolerate. He bolted forward, using gravity to dive, his wings making his body streamli
ned. He spread his wings just above Ballakin, the quick expansion halting his fall enough for Rendan to land atop the male. He dug his claws into Ballakin’s hind legs and shoulders, sinking them deep while he tipped his body and rolled them right.
The male’s enraged, pain-tinged roar echoed across the wide sky and Rendan mentally grinned. He was proud of the pain he caused. He wanted it to never end.
When they spun, he sought his opponent’s own claws, searching for evidence of Carla’s release.
Yet Ballakin still clutched his mate. The surprise attack did not frighten Ballakin enough for him to let Carla go. She remained an unconscious body within his clutches and he cursed the skies for his failure.
First failure, only. Rendan would not stop until he attained success.
Another yank brought them around, Ballakin’s belly pointed toward the waters once more.
Zadri rose from his position below, releasing a stream of white-hot flame at Ballakin’s belly. Carla’s status as a Preor mate saved her body from injury from the fire—her genetic code allowing her to withstand any flame from a Preor. Her clothes burned away but left her unharmed while the thick stream blinded Ballakin for a moment.
Rendan took advantage of the male’s handicap, rushing in for another strike at the male. He tore into Ballakin’s hind legs, digging in until he struck bone. He bit the male’s left wing, fangs piercing the thin tissues with ease.
Still Carla remained captive. Still Zadri fought on Rendan’s behalf.
The two battled Ballakin, Rendan’s mate caught in the betrayer’s claws and tossed around like a child’s toy. Rendan pushed his worry for Carla from his mind. He must first rescue her and then he could panic over her condition. As long as she did not enter the seas from such a height…
There was a chance she would survive the battle.
Rendan released his grip on Ballakin and whirled through the air to stop before the male. He blasted Ballakin with a stream of fire, adding his to Zadri’s in an attempt to overwhelm and blind the male. At least momentarily.
Zadri dipped away, claws mauling Ballakin’s wings, teeth digging into flesh.
Ballakin’s bellow came with its own ball of flames and Rendan ducked the flow, flying beneath the male and out of sight. The two worked in tandem, movements countering as if they performed a deadly dance above the crystal blue waters.
The waters were now stained with Ballakin’s red blood. It rained into the sea below, sharks circling in the liquid just beneath them.
Rendan wanted nothing more than to see those sharks feed on Ballakin’s corpse.
With the blessing of the skies, he would.
Ballakin sank his fangs into Rendan’s shoulder, teeth scraping his wing base. The bones did not shatter or splinter beneath Ballakin’s strength and Rendan whipped his head around, snapping at the betrayer’s neck. As quickly as he’d struck, Ballakin released Rendan, flapping his wings and getting away with a few rapid beats.
Rendan would not be pushed away.
He attacked once more, mouth filling with the coppery, slick blood that flowed from Ballakin’s injuries. It held a sick, sour taste that had him calling on fire to help banish the flavors.
Side by side, Zadri and Rendan hovered near Ballakin, exchanging balls of fire and fury with the male until…
Until Zadri met his gaze—conveying a silent message once more—and Rendan did not hesitate to put the warrior’s plans into motion. It was as if they shared one mind, battle plans flowing between them without words.
They both dove, Rendan spinning during his descent as if he’d lost control of his wings. He distracted the heavily injured Ballakin, drawing the male’s gaze while Zadri got into position.
Billowing smoke poured from Ballakin’s nose, the cocky male chuckling at Rendan’s fall. Soon it would be Rendan who laughed.
He let his descent continue, massive body picking up speed with every foot he traveled until the wind whistled past him. The closer he drew to the water, the harsher the stinging of his scales became. It felt like the salty air was a million blades, digging beneath his scales and piercing his flesh.
Carla was worth any amount of pain. Any.
Zadri disappeared within the sun’s rays, light and scales making him nearly invisible.
Ballakin stared down at him, eyes filled with evil and rage, the hate searing Rendan’s scales. A flicker just past his opponent, the twitch of Zadri’s tail, and Rendan knew it was time to act. One flap of his wings turned into two and then more as he burst straight up through the air. He traveled vertically, using every muscle within his dragon’s form to push himself harder and harder with every flex.
Ballakin reacted as expected, his cocky attitude keeping him immobile, merely watching Rendan’s approach. He didn’t attempt to move out of his path and remained steadily in position.
Which allowed Zadri to come at him from above. Like a peach blur, he dove at Ballakin as Rendan continued to rise, catching the evil male in between them.
As Rendan had imagined, Zadri reached Ballakin first, his giant maw spread wide, and he snapped his jaws around Ballakin’s neck. The betrayer roared with rage and pain, the very air vibrating with his beast’s objection.
And they were not done. While Zadri kept the male occupied, Rendan attacked. He dug his teeth into Ballakin’s foreleg, sinking in until his fangs met bone and then crunching harder until it splintered beneath the pressure and…
And the male’s claws unfurled, releasing his Carla. Her lax body fell from those deadly talons and tumbled through the air, flying toward the deadly sea below. Rendan did not spare a thought for Ballakin. Zadri would eliminate the male quickly now that he’d been so badly damaged. He would not remain in the skies for long.
So Rendan dove, following Carla, praying to the skies and even Earth’s god—any of them—for assistance. He could catch her, but he hoped she was not injured beyond healing—that he would not injure her further with his rescue.
The wind tugged at her yellow hair, the strands whipping her face, and he focused on that part of her, willing her eyes to open.
Shaa kouva! His mental shout rivaled any that would have left his mouth.
Sensations reached out for him, hints of unease and worry, blunted by tumbling thoughts and confused memories. She was groggy, her mind muddled, but he recognized the heart of his mate hidden within the fog.
Pain was another scrape on his nerves, her agony clawing at him, and he cursed Ballakin once more. He cursed again when he realized Zadri would get the joy of the kill.
But leaving Ballakin to Zadri meant Rendan got to rescue his mate.
Shaa soma! He would never admit that panic filled his tone. Shaa—
Rennn… dannn… His name was hardly a whisper across his mind, but he heard it just the same. Some of the panic he’d carried eased, lessening minutely for he knew all was not well. Yet.
I come, shaa kouva. I shall catch you.
Always, another gentle breeze inside his head yet the softness did not diminish the steel within the word. She believed he would always be there for her and from that moment forward, he always would. He would not leave her side.
Rendan streamlined his body further, easily falling closer to his mate, and he extended his foreclaws. The sea approached, their descent continuing unchecked, but he had to be careful with his fragile mate. He gently cupped her body, curling his talons around her, and then extended his wings to halt their fall.
His muscles groaned and twinged in protest, the battle with Ballakin taking its toll, but he ignored his body. He was a Preor warrior. He would endure.
An agonized roar came from above and Rendan turned to face the battling males, peach against muted green. The blue sea was stained a steady red with Ballakin’s blood and Rendan believed it would soon hold Ballakin’s body as well.
Zadri darted forward, dancing in and out of reach, flying circles around the heavily injured male. He twisted and dove, spinning out of reach before zipping through the air until
finally…
Until Ballakin made a mistake—fatal and final.
That was when Zadri crowded Ballakin.
That was when Zadri opened his maw wide.
That was when Zadri ripped out Ballakin’s throat.
16
Carla didn’t fight Rendan. Much. Okay, admittedly, she didn’t fight him at all. In fact, when he scooped her into his arms, lifting her from the ryaapir platform, she might have snuggled into his embrace.
Oh, she was still furious with him. They were definitely due for an argument, but after her brush with death, she simply wanted to reconnect with her mate. Fighting could come later. Like, after she’d spent a few hours simply breathing in his smoky scent and experiencing the comfort of his embrace.
The man wasn’t getting off easily. It was more a temporary stay of execution.
She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, resting her head against his chest and she pressed the side of her face to his warm skin. The steady thump of his heart filled her ear, the rhythmic thud reminding her he was alive. And so was she. She didn’t remember her time clutched in Ballakin’s claws or the fierce battle the three dragons had fought high above the ocean.
No, the only recollection she had of that harrowing time was her initial kidnapping by Ballakin. That was when panic and regret had overcome her mind, eventually her body shutting down out of self-preservation.
Rendan held her tightly and turned toward medical’s exit, and she savored the feel of his lips brushing the top of her head. “I will return you to your room shaa…” He cleared his throat. “Carla.”
She ached to hear an endearment fall from his lips, but… they still had a shouting match before she could let him that close again. Instead, she closed her eyes against the bright lights of medical and whispered, “Okay.”
“Offense Master Rendan.” The tentative voice came from their left and Carla forced her eyes open once more. Her body was healed, no pain remaining, but the glow from the ceiling was a little uncomfortable.
Chashan stood nearby, nervous tension vibrating from every inch of his body. But he stood straight, even as shame seemed to radiate from him. “May I speak to Healer Butler?”