While the guards remained hesitant, manyguests turned and fled toward the doors. And the dragons came forthem, but there was something different about the dragons…somethingoff.
They didn’t rush forward as if they wereeager to destroy, or at least the red one didn’t. The blue oneroared as it lumbered toward them while the red one remainedbehind.
Screams filled the air as more immortalsfled. Cole remained kneeling, with one fist on the ground, in themiddle of Malakai’s soupy remains.
The floor beneath her quaked with each of thedragon’s thunderous footfalls. The chandelier overhead clinked asit swayed so much the diamonds in it dinged together.
With a surge of power and strength, the reddragon shot forward too. It half flew, half ran across the floor topursue the blue one.
Now that they were out in the open, Lexicould see their full size. The red one was twice as big as the blueone, and for a crazy second, she thought it might be trying to stopthe blue one.
With the approach of the dragons, the guardsbecame braver. They raised their weapons and charged toward Cole.Even with the shadows on their side, it was too many coming atonce, they were all too well-armed, and those beasts would eat himalive.
“No!” Lexi screamed and ran toward Cole.
CHAPTER 59
Maverick fell in beside her as one of thewindows shattered. She didn’t know if that meant more guards weretrying to get into the room or more dragons. Or perhaps, some ofthe crowd was trying to flee through the windows.
Some immortals remained unmoving as she racedpast them. They were either too stunned to move or too excited formore blood to realize they were in jeopardy.
Cole finally moved as he leaned forward. Hetore something away from Malakai before shoving it in hispocket.
The red dragon had caught up to the blue, andthey were nearly to Cole when he stood. One of the guards reachedCole first and swung his blade at him. It whistled as it slicedthrough the air toward Cole’s neck.
When Cole ducked, the blade crashed into themarble floor.
“Stop them!” the Lord screamed and pointed ather and Maverick.
Some of the guards split away and came towardthem. Their maniacal grins were entirely out of place with all thebloodshed sure to follow.
No!
Lexi couldn’t be separated from Cole. Theshadows might help them destroy many of these guards and possiblyone of the dragons, but a portal was their only hope of survivingthis.
And she couldn’t open it when she wasn’t withCole.
When one of the guards grabbed for her,something inside her broke. A rush of terror, desperation, andlovewashed through her… so much love for her family,herself, and Cole. She couldn’t lose any of them.
The guard grabbed her arm as she flung up herhand, and fire erupted from her palm. When her flames scorched theman’s face, he reeled back, screaming as his hair and clothescaught fire.
So astonished by what she’d done and thesuffering she inflicted, Lexi froze. Maverick cursed under hisbreath but didn’t stop running. The dragons stopped, though.
They skidded to a halt a few feet away fromCole. The blue one recoiled, and the red one hit it with its head,shoving it further back.
Grasping her arm, Maverick spun away from thenext guard rushing toward her as a shadow snapped out from Cole. Itknocked back the other guards charging toward them. Cole’s backremained to her, but the shadows knew where to go and what todo.
The Lord rose from the throne as some shadowsseeped away from Cole and toward him. The blue dragon had recoveredand lunged at Cole.
Its razor-sharp teeth clamped down on air asit only missed Cole by a foot. The only thing that saved Cole frombecoming its meal was a shadow lashing out to bash the dragonacross its snout.
There were so many of them closing in,swarming around them. Guards were everywhere, lunging and trying tobreak through the shadows and Cole and Maverick’s defense.
The dragons looming over them could easilykill them. The twang of bowstrings releasing their arrows filledthe air.
“No!” Lexi screamed as her defensescrumbled.
The moonlight streaming through the windowscaught on her fingers as they stretched for Cole. The tips of themblazed to golden life as the silver, scale-like markings formedacross her skin.
