“I’ll be fine. It’s not me this beast wants to kill… at least not today. Come on.”
He clasped her good hand and slid it to the side. Carefully, he helped her climb down the dragon’s side and front legs until they touched the ground. The beast studied them before nudging Lexi with its snout.
“It’s okay,” she said as she caressed its nose. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Cole knew that was a lie. It was a deep gash, and blood still seeped from between her closed fingers to splatter across the ground.
Lifting the key from where it had fallen, Cole studied the dragon as he rose, but the creature only had eyes for Lexi. It was strange to realize he had a lot in common with this dragon.
Cautiously, he approached its back legs and undid the chains. He kept the shadows nearby but didn’t believe they were necessary… not even when the dragon stretched its hind legs, its talons scraped the ground, and its tail swished.
He didn’t sense animosity from the beast anymore, not like he had when Orin came into view. Lexi had calmed it once more, but her specialty was taming beasts.
When he returned to the front of the dragon, he unlocked the chains there and pulled them free.
“You can go now,” Lexi said as she ran her hand over the dragon’s snout.
It closed its eyes before opening them and rising. Though it was small, it barely fit in the cave now that it wasn’t bound. The dragon remained hunched beneath the overhead rocks before it raced around the corner and disappeared.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Lexi blinkedagainst the sun as they emerged from the cave. The others stood about fifteen feet away from the entrance; a clear wall of shimmering air encased them. Kaylia lowered the shield when she spotted Lexi and Cole.
Alina remained standing on the other side of the cave, but Tymin was gone. Lexi searched the air for him but didn’t see him there either.
Her attention was drawn from the sky when Cole made a sound that would have petrified a giant. She lurched to grab his arm, but he was already beyond her reach. As Cole stalked toward them, Orin started backing away.
“Cole….” Orin’s hands went up, but he froze when the shadows encircled his wrists.
“I told you to stayoutof there!” Cole roared.
The shadows released Orin’s wrists as Cole seized his brother by the throat. Cole propelled Orin backward and slammed him into the mountain surrounding the cave.
“You could have gotten her killed!” he shouted as he lifted Orin off the ground and thrust his face into his brother’s.
“Cole, stop it!” Lexi cried as she raced toward them.
His fury battered her flesh and darkened the air as the shadows pulsed and swarmed in anticipation of blood. Orin’s face turned red and then blue as he struggled to inhale; his feet kicked the rock, and his fingers clawed at Cole’s hand.
Despite blood spilling from where Cole’s fingers dug into his neck, Orin did nothing to ease Cole’s grip. He swung at Cole, who caught his hand and bashed it against the rocks, before smashing his brother off them a few times.
“Easy, Cole,” Varo said.
His normally soothing voice had little effect as the shadows encompassed Orin’s waist. Brokk edged away but stopped and held up his hands when some of the shadows twisted toward him.
“I’m not coming any closer,” Brokk assured them. “Let him go, Cole.”
“You’re my brother, but I won’t tolerate thisshitfrom you anymore,” Cole snarled. “Do. You. Understand?”
He punctuated each of the last three words with a sharp shake of Orin.
“He can’t answer you!” Lexi cried as she ran through the shadows. They parted to let her pass and hovered beside her as she grasped Cole’s wrist and tried to yank him off Orin. “Let him go!”
Orin fell on his ass when Cole abruptly released him. But with a hand on his throat, he bounded up again.
“Do you understand?” Cole demanded.
Orin kept his hand against his throat as he choked out, “Yes.”
