AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“NO!” He cuts me off. “I am staying here with you. I wouldneverabandon you.”
I want to argue, but there isn’t enough time. Not as the first whoosh of fire rushes toward my shield. They’re close enough now that I can use my magic to blast them from the sky, but it’s not enough. I see no good coming out of this. I might be strong, but I’m nowhere near strong enough to fight off an entire horde of dragons.
Wisteria.
I hear Stellan’s voice in my head right before a dragon lands beside me.
Stellan. My posture relaxes slightly, but I keep the shield tightly around Evander and me. I momentarily think about extending it to Stellan.
Absolutely not. I can protect myself.
I figured he would say that.
But as the enemy dragons keep coming, I know my magic alone won’t be enough. Even with Stellan fighting beside me, it’s not enough. Not considering at least half of these dragons are hybrids.
The ground moves beneath my feet and I have to grab onto Evander to keep from toppling over. I wonder what’s going on when I see the strands of magic.
Elemental magic, of course.
I follow the magic back to its source and send a burst of my own magic forth. The hybrid dragon falls from the sky with a loud thump on the ground.
“That’s going to hurt later,” Evander says.
Another dragon swoops down. I start to call forth my magic, but Evander tugs on my arm.
“That’s Dad.”
Backup has arrived. Considering they were at a council meeting, I imagine the council isn’t far behind. Hopefully that means Venali is on his way too, our magic is stronger when we’re together.
But the dragons stop attacking. As soon as King Basilicus lands, they all stay back, like they’re waiting on something. I watch as the rest of the council arrives. I keep looking for Venali, but of course it’ll take him longer to get here—he can’t fly.
“What’s going on?” I ask Evander since he’s the only one in human form.
But he looks just as confused as I am.
One of the dragons swoops down, but not to attack. He lands, shifting instantly as he steps forward. I look into familiar blue-green eyes.
This guy looks shockingly like Stellan. He’s probably about the same age too, but instead of having blond hair, his hair is dark. I can also tell that he’s a hybrid elemental and his magic is strong.
Is this Stellan’s cousin—the one who would’ve been king if his father hadn’t lost it and killed a bunch of people? I study him cautiously as he steps closer to us.Stellan shifts, but everybody else stays in their dragon form, ready to fight.
“This must be your hybrid elf bride.” The guy looks directly at me, a calculating expression on his face. “She is rightfully mine.”
Stellan reaches his arm out and puts me slightly behind him. “Don’t look at my wife.”
The guy smirks as he finally moves his gaze from me to Stellan. “Why not? She’ll be mine after I take the throne. It is rightfully mine and you don’t have the strength to stop me.”
At his threat, Stellan lunges forward. I want to call out for him and tell him to stop. I can take care of the arrogant hybrid. But I know this isn’t my fight. The two meet with a loud clash. Instantly, they shift, taking off toward the sky. I try to watch, but their movements are a blur in the sky. I can’t keep up with what’s happening—elves and fae don’t have the physical strength or speed of a dragon shifter, so my eyes can’t even process. I notice Evander watches, probably seeing it perfectly.
I hear footsteps behind me and I turn around in time to see Venali run my way. He steps up beside me and grabs ahold of my hand. Together, our magic hums stronger. The enemy dragons take notice and they move back, giving us more space.
They’re scared of us, I realize.
Evander glances at me, his shoulders relaxing when he sees Venali and me standing side by side.
I squeeze Venali’s hand. “Thank you for being here.”
“Of course.” He keeps his eyes on the sky, watching the fight. “This is what family does, Wisteria. I will fight to the death with you if that is what it takes.”
