Page 129 of Ashborne: Defiance

‘Will you catch me if I fall, Koa?’

‘Yes. I am here. You are safe.’

I smiled and thanked her. Then leaned forward to grasp the rope and brace while I turned my lower-body around so my legs dangled down the strap.

“No, that’s not—Stop!” Ronen barked.

I gasped, instinctively lifting my hands, remembering too late that I wasn’t supposed to hold onto anything except the strap itself—but my body was already halfway off the net, and as the weight of my legs was caught in the wind, I pivoted around the rope at my belly.

I grabbed for the net again—too late. My fingers scraped along the harsh twine, hooked on the rope edge, but I didn’t have a strong enough grip. When my body weight hit the extension of my arm, my fingers opened and I spiraled into the air, screaming.

‘Grace—NO!’

45. Reckless

~ VOSKI ~

When Grace dropped, my heart plummeted with her. There was a split-second glimpse of her face—eyes round as saucers, mouth wide open, and hands clawing at the air—until she turned in the air, and her terrified scream lifted the hair on my nape.

It was the scream of a man in battle who saw his death coming.

It was reflex to dive after her, and it was only Kham’s quick instincts that saved me from throwing myself off. He screamed and banked suddenly into my dive, catching my weight and pushing me upright again—but that increased tension on the net and yanked at Ekko, Ronen’s dragon.

“Grace! NO!” I screamed, leaning as far over his shoulder as I could, while Ronen cursed and Ekko tried desperately to correct so the net wouldn’t be lost.

‘Breathe, Voski—Koa will catch her,’ Kham insisted in my head. But even his tone was tight.

As we’d been trained, the squad peeled off one by one, to descend.

“She can’t—she’s not—”

Bent in half over his shoulder, hand clamped on his neck strap, I watched, pleading with God to save her, as Koa folded her wings and dove, allowing her greater bodyweight to plummet her past Grace, then angled her body and snapped her wings wide, to rise from underneath her.

I grunted in sympathy when Grace slammed to her dragon’s back—bent in half over her neck, her legs dangling one side, her arms the other.

Her head snapped and I was certain she’d smacked her face on her dragon’s side. But even with the shriek, she had the presence of mind to grab for purchase, and Koa wisely tilted to descend again, wheeling into Grace’s bodyweight until she’d stopped sliding and could control her position.

We all watched, Bren and my brothers descending to her, calling encouragement and instructions on how to reach the safety strap and clip in.

It could only have been seconds, but it felt like hours, before Grace was able to straddle her dragon and attach the clip to her belt.

I slumped on Kham’s neck, my face in my hands, swallowing back nausea.

‘It’s safe. She’s safe. Breathe, Voski. She’s safe. My mate is powerful and strong. She will not let yours fall.’

I trembled. So scared, and so relieved, I didn’t have the energy to argue with him about referring to Grace as my mate.

I would have vomited if any of my squad fell in flight, let alone an unclipped Flameborne.

But when I opened my eyes, she was still on Koa’s back, and the female now flapped faster, slowly rising.

Ronen and I caught eyes, and he made the gesture for us to wheel, which we did. With the net strung between us, neither dragon could make a move independent of the other. They were the slowest, most frustrating minutes of my life, waiting until we could wheel together to join the others who’d clustered around Koa and flew as close as they dared, all checking with Grace and offering encouragement—and cheers once they were certain she was safe.

As we finally came into position just above them and I could see Grace, hunched over Koa’s neck below me, my heart spasmed. There was blood on her arm, and more on Koa’s neck.

She was hurt.

‘Kham—’