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Drayce rolled out of his hiding place to find that Adrian had left his and was currently trapped in a fistfight with one attacker while two more were rushing him. Guns were gone and knives were now clenched in their fists. This was why extra ammo should always be brought to a fight. Drayce fired bullets into one attacker, dropping him easily, but his gun clicked empty when he tried to fire at the remaining attacker.
Shit. He needed to follow his own advice.
Tossing aside his gun, Drayce palmed his own knife and dove into a fight with the other attacker. He dodged one slash through the air and delivered a hard punch to the bastard’s stomach. The air erupted from his lungs, but he still managed to block Drayce’s attempt to slice across his throat.
They went back and forth, trading small cuts until Drayce finally got the opening he needed to slam his blade home in the man’s heart. A harsh, stuttering breath left him, and he collapsed. Drayce quickly turned to see Adrian’s attacker falling to the floor. Blood and sweat covered his friend, but he looked like he was still in one piece.
Drayce hurried past broken and overturned tables to reach where Adrian was leaning heavily against the bar. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay,” Adrian panted. “You?”
Drayce grabbed both of Adrian’s shoulders, checking to see if the man needed help standing upright on his own. “I’m good, but we need to get out of here. Report to the others. They might be in danger—”
“Look out!” Adrian shouted. His friend pushed him hard to his left, nearly throwing him across the room. Drayce stumbled and landed hard on his hip. He lifted his head in time to see a stranger shove a long knife into Adrian’s stomach.
“No!” Drayce screamed. He clawed his way to his hands and knees, ready to rip the fucker apart when the world exploded around him. Pain ripped through the back of his head. There was a bright flash of white, but pitch-black darkness soon closed in.
Another scream rose up his throat, but he didn’t think it managed to get past his lips. He was sinking faster and faster into nothing. No matter how he fought and clawed, he couldn’t stop himself.
No.
Adrian.
Cael.
He couldn’t leave them. Not like this.
SEVENTEEN
Caelan Talos
Caelan paced.
It was the only thing that was keeping him holding all the pain, rage, and fear inside of his chest. As long as he kept moving, he wouldn’t fall apart.
Drayce needed him to remain calm and pulled together.
So did Rayne, Eno, Adrian, and all the people of Thia.
He wasn’t allowed to fall apart. He was the King of Erya, the Guardian of the Godstones. He was the chosen champion of the gods.
As he turned back, he paused and let his eyes skim over his companions in the hospital waiting room. Davi, Eno, and Rayne were all seated together on uncomfortable beige chairs as they waited for the nurse to return to take them to Adrian. A doctor had popped out an hour ago to tell them that Adrian had come out of surgery with no complications and was in recovery as they brought him out of anesthesia.
Relief had threatened to knock Caelan’s knees out when he was given that news. Not that he was willing to let anything happen to Adrian. He had been more than prepared to march into the surgery and save the man’s life, but he’d stopped when he was swiftly reassured that Adrian’s condition wasn’t critical.
By the time they got word of the attack from the Gray Fox’s people, an ambulance had already whisked Adrian away and Drayce was missing.
Where the fuck was his Drayce?
The only thing keeping Caelan from ripping Brightspire apart was the knowledge that Drayce was a damn dragon. No one was going to kill Drayce.
But Caelan wasn’t going to relax until Drayce was safely in his arms again.
Rayne suddenly jolted upright and grabbed his phone. He didn’t even look at the screen as he answered the call and marched out of the waiting room so he could talk without anyone else overhearing him. Eno and Davi also jumped to their feet, watching him stride away.
“Eno, follow him. Watch his back,” Caelan ordered. He didn’t think these people would attack them in the hospital, but Caelan wasn’t taking any chances. Rayne’s entire focus was on the call, likely with Vitor. He wasn’t paying attention to the other people. It would be too easy to lose him in this crowded place.
Eno darted away with barely a nod. He fell into step behind Rayne while maintaining a few feet between them to give him some privacy on his call.
