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The dragon continued to fly Roxy around the yard, while Maggie and Lauren stood next to me.
Ravenal petted Renth, whose head came up almost to her shoulder when he was standing.
Home. This was home. And only one person was missing.
Where was Lily?
Chapter Fourteen
Lily
I heard the hundreds of ravens cawing overhead, giving away our position as they followed us. While several human feet pounded behind me, chasing us on the ground. And then there was the creepy sound of the wings on Hermes' shoes as he flew high in the sky to intercept us.
The capybara barreled through brambles and shrubs, and I followed it blindly, not knowing where we were going. I mean, it could be taking me directly to Apollo or another god for all I knew.
A branch caught on the clothes in my mouth and I accidentally dropped them. Turning around, I made as if to grab them since I would need them when I wanted to shift back to human.
A voice sounded behind me, exasperation coloring her tone. “Leave them! I can find stuff for you to wear, you mangy wolf! Get across this boundary now! I can’t step over this line, but I am hoping you can cross over it to join me.”
I whipped my head around, staring at the woman blending in with the trees.
Xotchi. The red dragon.
Fuck. I didn’t trust her any further than I could throw her. But… Xotchi or Hermes? Ha! That was an easy decision as Hermes projected his anger in front of him as he rushed closer, and Apollo’s rage was a palpable heat in the back of my mind.
Yep, I would choose the ornery woman every time.
I snatched up my clothes and leaped over the boundary line, right after the capybara. The giant rodent disappeared into a hole near the woman's feet as I almost barreled into her. Oops. Sorry, not sorry.
Without a word, she shifted into her dragon form and grabbed me with her claws before leaping into the air. Flapping her wings three times, she gained altitude as the damn godling grew closer.
Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as Hermes approached, his hands outstretched, a fierce grimace on his face.
Then everything went dark.
The silence surrounded me as I lost all of my bodily senses. I couldn't even feel her claws wrapped around my torso.
Where the fuck were we? There was nothing here. Nothing to see. Not even a chirp.
Just… Blankness. As if I didn't even exist anymore.
It reminded me a little of my dream world, except I don’t think I could manipulate wherever I was now. I wondered if this was a dragon gate, and if we were moving through various points in space right now. Or was I dead, thinking I was still alive?
With that thought, there was an explosion of noise and color as the scene around me changed once more. We burst out above a planet, one very different from Delphi with its rocks and mountains. The dragon sped straight at a massive mountain peak, not even slowing down Whatever had happened during that time of nothingness, it hadn't affected her at all.
I wondered if I was alive right now because I was with her, in her capable hands. Shivering, I tracked our progress, now afraid she might be crazy as the rock face grew closer.
She ducked into an enormous cave, her hind legs touching the ground first. We slid across the rocky surface on them as she held me in closer to her body with her front ones to protect me from the shards of rock that were flying in the air with her landing.
When her momentum slowed enough that she wouldn't kill me, she dropped me to the ground. I tumbled, unable to keep my paws under me, while she shifted, changing her forward motion into a slow jog.
“Follow me. Quick now.” She moved towards the back wall, jumping into what appeared more like a hole in the ground than a tunnel.
I struggled to my feet, shifting. I wasn't going another foot further without being able to talk to her. I quickly pulled on my clothing before following the dragon, hoping I hadn't gone from frying pan to the fire.
The passageway was deceptive. While the slope was steep, it wasn’t a vertical drop. Thank goodness for small miracles.
As I rushed forward, I felt a familiar energy tingle over my skin, realizing I had just passed through yet another gate. What was one doing here? And who used it, besides the dragon?
