Page 53 of Tears of Gold

“A soul-worm, or a jiangshi—” His troubled tone tells me something else is coming.

“Or?” I rise on my elbow. His bright blue eyes are hooded with worry.

He looks away from me and runs a hand through his hair. “The Tizzian Ode to Power states . . . that a kitsune can t-transfer between . . . human hosts to extend . . . its lifespan.”

“A kitsune?” I twitch as cold dread washes through me. “Are you telling me that our girlfriend is the nine-tailed fox, a wild beast that eats men’s livers for breakfast and is so powerful they say that whole armies can’t contain it?” My pulse pounds in my ears.

If the legends are true, the kitsune is the rarest and most powerful creature across the known realms—although there have been no records of it in over five hundred years.

“I’m s-saying she might b-be a potential vessel . . . for one.”

“Fuck!” I glance down at Ava. Her black hair spreads across the pillow, and sweat sheens her angelic face. Her pink lips part slightly as she breathes deeply, exhausted.

Our little butterfly is being hunted by a kitsune, a creature of legend powerful enough to destroy entire worlds?

Bait. That was the word Ava said her captors used. Bait for a creature that could turn the tide of war. Goosebumps rise on my skin. How do we keep her safe from such a fate? I lay back down and pull her into my arms, and Erritt rests his hand on mine. This is my family, and I will fight with every breath I have to keep it.

The dragon soul within me rumbles in agreement.

I squeeze my eyes shut. Defending Ava could cost me everything.

Chapter Nineteen

Skye

My pager vibrates with a message from Erritt: Harper’s making a run for it.

Oh shit! My fingers fly across my pager as I run out the door. Where?

Erritt’s message chimes. Bastard’s halfway to the portals. Vanrey’s gone after him.

Fucking Dragon Stars! In the excitement of reuniting with my lovers, I forgot to check in on Harper. He must be out of his qi-damned mind to attempt to leave while wearing a tracker!

I shed my clothes and shift into dragon form. I won’t be able to get there before Vanrey, but hopefully, I won’t be far behind.

Students scatter, screaming expletives at me as I race across the open square between the academy buildings, but I don’t give a fuck that I’m supposed to stay in human form on the school grounds, not when Harper needs me. He’s already had one run-in with the Elite elemental, and Vanrey doesn’t have much of a sense of humor. Harper’s a proud fellow, if he’s made up his mind to run, he must be serious about it.

A scorching summer sun dries the wisps of water leaking from my scales as I leap onto the boundary wall and claw up the giant stones, shedding sparks as I climb the solid stone. I drop from the top, hitting the ground with a loud thump. Fuck, I really need to figure out how to fly. Being a flightless dragon is pathetic, and life gets more hectic every week. Flight would be pretty damn useful about now, but nothing for it but to run as fast as I can. The ground blurs as I stretch into a gallop.

Dragon Stars! What was the rogue thinking? Determined or not, he’s wearing Erritt’s fucking tracking charm! I get that he’s pissed. And heartbroken. I'm grateful to him for blundering his way to triggering Ava’s memories—but while I was busy enjoying myself, I neglected to see how my favorite rogue was coping. Between that and what Erritt told me about the being chasing Ava, I’ve had a lot of shit on my mind.

I’m almost to the portal at the top of the hill before I find them. I slide to a halt, kicking up a shower of torn grass and earth. Shit, he nearly made it all the way! Vanrey twists Harper in a headlock, but the rogue’s not making it easy for him. Harper wields his foot-long knives, striking Van’s body shield, leaving flares of pink and purple from the impact.

“Cut it out!” I yell, skidding up beside them. Vanrey’s face shutters in a tight mask of concentration.

Harper roars in fury. “Fuck off, dragon!”

“Give me a minute with him, Vanrey,” I plead, scenting their aggression heavy in the air, along with the rage pouring off Harper.

Vanrey might have a few shreds of respect for Harper, given how much he’s done to protect Ava, but as the prince’s aide, he’ll follow his orders to the letter to bring Harper back to the academy. And yesterday, Erritt forbade Harper from leaving.

“Stay out of this!” Harper screams at me. He’s got such a temper! Right now, he reminds me of a baby dragon throwing a tantrum. It’s cute.

"He's wild," Vanrey warns, teleporting back half a dozen yards.

“Harper! Will you listen to me, you bloody idiot?” I rumble, my dragon voice far deeper than my human voice.

He stands panting, holding both his knives defensively in front of him. “Go fuck yourself.” His jaw works with barely contained rage.