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We all stayed silent while we made our way down the stairs.
Not even Nikolai said a thing, which surprised me, seeing as he was the first one to say something at inappropriate times.
I’d nearly made it to the last step when pain at which I’d never felt before tore through me.
I gasped and fell to my knees, hands clutching my head at the sudden explosion of pain.
“Keifer!” Nikolai and Farrow cried at the same time.
The next thing to follow the pain was Declan’s roar of outrage, followed by the very building shaking around us.
Glass broke. Stone crunched. Wood groaned.
All because of Declan’s fury.
It was all contained in one roar.
One single moment of time had everyone within a square mile screaming in pain at the sheer power in that roar.
That’s when I found my feet and started running.
With my brothers stumbling at my back, I ran outside to find the whole world in utter chaos.
The skies were filled with dragons that weren’t supposed to be seen.
All of them fighting for their lives.
“What the hell,” Farrow breathed. “What the hell?”
I concurred.
I didn’t know what the hell either.
But I’d sure as fuck find out.
As soon as I found my mate.
The moment I rounded the corner into the alley, I saw my worst nightmare.
Blythe was on the dirty, dank ground of the alleyway on her side, bleeding from a gash along the top of her head.
Declan was standing over her protectively, ropes and chains around his neck and wings, keeping him from going anywhere.
Purists in the very truck I’d seen in the photograph were shooting crossbows at Declan, focusing on him instead of the other dragons.
Not that they had a need to.
There were other trucks, too.
Tons of them.
All of the same caliber as the truck in front of me.
And in the center of it all was an armored vehicle, and at the helm was none other than Joseph himself.
And I could feel an ungodly amount of power and energy emanating from that truck.
“You feel that?” Nikolai asked as we both started sprinting down the alleyway.
“Yeah,” I panted, gathering as much energy as I could around me. “Take care of it.”
Nikolai leapt up and disappeared from my view.
He was fine, though.
I knew it like I knew I was about to cut the throats of every single one of the men threatening my woman.
Nikolai passed down in front of me sharply and cut every single one of the ropes and chains holding Declan down with a sword he’d produced from a scabbard on Perdita’s back.
And Declan went wild.
With nothing hindering him from protecting Blythe, he turned in the direction of those trying to kill him, took two running steps on huge, taloned feet and took to the air, knowing I was there now to protect Blythe.
Fire engulfed the area and men started to scream as the fire consumed them, burning them until there was nothing left but bone and ash.
Smoke started to fill the alleyway, and I made it to Blythe’s side in time for Farrow to land at my side, mounted on his newly bonded dragon’s back.
“Let me take her home,” he called to me.
I was torn.
But it was Farrow’s honest words that swayed my mind.
“I know I have no right being here. I haven’t trained nor fought in a battle like this, but you have. Your people need you,” he said, holding his hands out for Blythe’s limp form.
I looked down at Blythe’s dirt streaked face and the gash that was healing on her head, and knew he was right.
“I want updates every three minutes, no exceptions, even when you get home. Do you understand?” I commanded.
Farrow nodded, and I handed him the most precious gift he would ever hold.
“Take her,” I rasped.
He did, curling her into his arms, nodding once, and taking off into thin air.
Just like I’d taught him.
At least the boy retained something, I thought.
You taught him well enough, boy. Come on up, it’s time for some fun.
Declan landed on wet concrete at my side, and I mounted him as I took one more long, good look at the blood staining the alley Blythe had very recently occupied.
And I roared.
“Dragon riders! Unite!”
Time seemed to stand still as those three words ripped through each of my blood bonded brothers.
Rage, pain, disappointment, hope, sacrifice, love, and encouragement filled me from each one of them, and I gave it back in kind, sharing my energy with them just as they’d done with me.
With all that on my mind, Declan surged off the ground and raced to where the only unoccupied truck hauling a cage sat, trying to shoot dragons out of the sky.
My brothers.
My friends.
Declan, go low and take out the tire, turn it on its side so he won’t be able to use that large hook launcher anymore.
Declan’s body tensed and suddenly we were plunging down towards the earth at an incredible rate of speed.
