As the dragon focused back into the darkened labyrinth, the shadow was no longer just a shadow. It was a massive sunset-colored dragon, at least twice the size of me, the stuff of horror and legend. The breadth of its black wings, tipped in red points, were well over twenty-five feet, Larky’s four heavily-muscled legs tucked-up beneath. He had managed to change his own trajectory and was now hovering about a hundred yards from us.
My dragon had mixed emotions about this magnificent creature. She seemed both in awe and annoyed. I understood this. Larky was pretty magnetic, and his beast was damn impressive. From this angle his dragon looked even larger than Braxton’s and that was saying something. Still, neither of us particularly liked that he kept chasing us and trying to lock us up like a friggin’ circus sideshow.
Jacob slid himself off to the side, hanging close to my head. “I’ll distract him, Jessa babe, you get out of here. Get to the boys so they can help you fight. You and I can’t take him right now. He’s too powerful and we cannot let him get a hold of you. Whatever plans he has, they’re not happening.” The fey practically hung mid-air on my right flank, his air element assisting him to stay aloft.
A growl rumbled my chest. He was as crazy as donkey balls if he thought I was going to leave him here to the mercy of Larky. I knew for a fact I wasn’t going to die today. King dickhead needed me for something, but Jacob did not have any protection against his treachery. And if he died, my world would cease to exist.
I lunged out to snap at his shirt. Once he was in my teeth I’d be hauling him back onto my back, but he had already let go of me. He fell thirty feet to the ground, in a rapid but controlled drop.
Bastard. Jacob didn’t have to worry about Larky, I was going to beat his ass when I got to him. Ignoring his orders from before, I followed his path, the flash of blond hair easy enough to track in the darkness. He was heading straight for the other dragon.
“Jessa babe, go the other fucking way,” I heard him yell, but he didn’t stop, and I wasn’t stopping either. Larky was still hovering, his orange-tinted eyes observing us as we both barreled toward him.
“Braxton is waiting for you, Jess.”
Jacob was playing hardball now. My chest actually clenched, even in dragon form. Both of us loved Braxton. But I also loved Jacob and I would never be able to face the rest of my boys if I left one of them behind in here with the dragon king. I would never be able to face myself again.
I covered the distance in seconds, the darkness again closing in as I left the light and freedom which had been so close. I had no hesitation to attack, but I decided not to hit the dragon king head on. In the last possible second I ducked myself beneath the massive form of the sunset dragon, avoiding his claws and coming up behind him. I snaked out and bit down onto his tail, which hung low and heavy, avoiding the three-foot spikes which littered the spine of his body and tail, and crunched into scale and flesh. As my jaws locked on, I ceased flapping, dropping straight down. Larky gave a roar as I took him down with me, but, unfortunately, just as the ground closed in, he flapped those powerful wings and halted our descent.
I will not let you be hurt. You must stop fighting me.
Oh hell to the no! For the love of all the fey gods, someone tell me Larky is not able to talk in my head! That was supposed to be something I experienced the first time with Braxton, the way dragons could communicate with each other.
I projected my thoughts back as loudly as I could.
Go. Fuck. Yourself.
A low, rich and kind of creepy laugh echoed in my mind. I would much rather you did that for me.
Well, shit. I kind of walked right into that one.
Larky continued to hold both of our weights with no effort, the air around us whooshing as his wings beat rhythmically. I had no idea how to stop him or escape. I couldn’t see Jacob any longer, and I really hoped he was somewhere safe now.
In a desperate move, I opened my jaws and let myself drop very close to the ground. The hedges were narrow in this section. As fast as I could move, Larky would not be able to follow me. I was determined to lead him away from Jacob.
I zoomed along with the currents, enjoying the whip of icy wind on my snout. The large dragon shadow fell in behind me, which sucked, but at least he was following me, which is what I wanted. Except the closer we got to the end of this maze, the easier it would be for him to spread those massive wings and catch me. I hadn’t forgotten Rose’s words though. Larky was not welcome on the isle of the shining ones. The gods hated him too, so if I could just make it through to there, I’d be safe.
And if Jacob wasn’t on the other side when I got there, I was gonna be pissed. I flapped harder, an ache developing in the joints of my wing. I wasn’t used to using these muscles. My poor dragon had spent too much of her life trapped inside of me.
There I went again, acting like she was a separate entity from me. I’d never heard Braxton express this sort of feeling for his beast. I’d just never expected her to be so independent, unique, and strong of personality. I was actually sad that she was not free, that she was under my control. Why didn’t it feel like that with my wolf?
The light was bright again. I’d made good distance, but now would be the true part of the race. I heard a roar, and felt flames licking at my tail. Larky was gaining on me, but I had sheer desperation on my side. I flapped harder, the pain in my wings and back fading out to almost nothing as my adrenalin skyrocketed.
The shadow was closer now, so close I could smell the wild magic of his dragon. With my own bellowing roar I pushed myself further, praying for strength to make it to the end. I was losing momentum, the adrenalin only able to sustain me for so long. I wasn’t going to make it.