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I nodded once and his grip tightened on me just like before. We stepped forward and then were quickly sucked through.
My eyes began to burn instantly, and I sucked in a breath. The air was thick with a dry heat and something else. I didn’t know what, but whatever it was made every inhale feel like pins and needles were filling my lungs.
“What is that?” I asked, rubbing over my chest.
His brow creased. “What?”
“The air. It’s tainted with something.”
Cillian’s chest expanded, and his frown deepened. “I don’t sense anything.”
Wolf?
It’s wolfsbane, she replied.Try not to breathe it in. You won’t die, but too much will weaken us and potentially prevent us from shifting.
Why the fuck didn’t I know about this?
Because it’s not supposed to exist any longer, she answered.The last I knew, the plant had been eradicated.
Clearly, not from Drago.
“The air is tainted with wolfsbane,” I explained to Cillian. “I don’t know if it affects dragons the same, but it will weaken me if I’m exposed to it for too long.”
He snarled, then stepped away. “I’ll shift and you can jump on. We’ll be at the cave in no time.”
I nodded, hoping the air hadn’t been tainted that far out.
Cillian’s dragon appeared in all his earthy colored goodness. Though, it was the splashes of blue that were my favorite. I jumped to his wing, then climbed onto his back, not nearly as unsure about riding up here as I’d been that first time.
He pushed from the ground and was racing through the sky within seconds.
I leaned forward, resting my body against his back while my heels dug into his sides and my hands gripped the bumps on his spine. My cheek pressed against his smooth scales, and I closed my eyes, soaking up his presence.
I searched deep inside myself, hoping for any sign of our bond, but still, there was nothing resembling the tether we’d had before. Nothing connecting us.
My heart cracked a little more, but before I could lose myself to grieving our bond, Cillian landed near the cave entrance.
Before he’d come to a full stop, I was jumping off him and taking a deep inhale. There was a slight sour taste to the air, but nothing like how it had been back near the portal we’d come through.
Just as Cillian shifted back to his human form, Lykem came sauntering out of the cave. His cheeks were still pale, but the spark was back in his eyes.
“About damn time the two of you got back,” he joked. “We were going to start the party without you.”
“What party?” I asked.
Lykem glanced at Cillian, then me. “We’re ready to leave when you two are. The group came together this morning and decided there’s no point in waiting to see what that fucker decides to do next. We’re attacking today.”
That was good, because I was already going to suggest that after what I’d heard. “He wants everyone dead. I broke the bond to him.”
Lykem whistled. “Good to know.”
“You’re not fighting,” Cillian said gruffly to his friend.
The dragon tossed his head back and laughed. “I’m a grown-ass man. You can’t keep me out of this.”
Cillian stood straighter and narrowed his eyes, heat rolling off him. “That’s what you think now.”
Lykem sobered and stepped closer. “I get that this is more personal for you, but that fucker nearly killed me. You’re not going to ask me to stand down.”
