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The lizard lets out a horrible gargling sound, then drops to the ground with a splattering thud. Blood rolls away from its body, and I recoil.

“You’re a vicious little thing,” I say, glancing at my dragonfly as it beats its wings and darts under the archway I came through.

“Hell no!” I spring after it, fear pulsing under my rib cage. “Stop! Come back here!” I chase it through the maze. My monsters are fighting for us, and what if it attacks them? It just butchered a beast in seconds.

Please don’t let it harm them. It won’t, right?

Except it’s not slowing, and I’m hurrying after it, barely catching sight of it as it zips around corners. I run madly after it, my lungs burning up.

I gasp for air and trip over a root, but I catch myself and keep going.

Just then, I watch it pivot into a sharp turn in the distance, dive-bombing at something. Right where the sound of growls and grunts is coming from.

Fear throttles me. “Watch out!” I scream out, skidding around the corner.

I find my three monsters where I left them, thankfully still on their feet, but around them lie two dead lizard creatures and three wolf-beasts, one of them sliced open from shoulder to tail. Bile hits the back of my throat, and I stagger to a stop.

They’re all breathing heavily, covered in blood and staring at the winged intruder hovering over the carnage, reminding me of a vulture.

“Dawn!” Lian calls, twisting around and rushing to me. The other two do the same. Before I know it, I’m in their arms, kisses on my face. “I was worried sick.”

“I-I’m fine,” I gasp, still catching my breath.

Kazak’s there, frowning. “That’s your dragonfly, right?”

I nod. “She’s beyond vicious.”

“We saw,” he says. “The way she sliced into that wolf was impressive and a bit scary.”

“Why aren’t your marks fighting for you as well?” I ask.

Corvin’s at my side. “Because the Ice Fire royal bloodline is the only one with that ability. Ours must be physically attached to us at all times.”

I blink, realizing how unique my ability is, and glance up at the dragonfly, which seems to have stopped circling and is hovering in one spot. Her wings beat in tiny, frantic movements.

“She’s beautiful,” Lian says. “You should be proud.”

“Right. She just massacred beasts without hesitation,” I say a bit too loudly.

“And she’s a representation of you,” Kazak explains, but I’m unsure what that hints at about me. When I faced danger, my fight-or-flight kicked in, and I ran. I doubt I’m anything like my dragonfly.

Then she launches herself toward the gardens.

Dread pools in my gut. “No! She’s going to the garden party.”

We all scramble past the carcasses and run after her.

“Fuck, never a dull moment, that’s for sure,” Lian jokes.

I have no energy to laugh at a situation that seems to keep getting worse. Sure, she killed those beasts, but where is she going now?

“Come back to me!” I command, and nothing. “Shit, I don’t know how to get her to return.” I heave for breath, and my thoughts swirl out of control at how bad things are going to get if we don’t stop her.

Kazak leads the charge, as fast as the others, but Corvin keeps pace with me, and I appreciate not being left behind.

“Connect with it through your thoughts,” he suggests, which is difficult, seeing as my mind is a jumbled mess of anxiety and dread.

We take lots of sharp turns, and I’m running on pure adrenaline when the first scream reaches us. Every inch of me goes ice cold.