It was too much to ask.
She turned her back on them, feeling more alone than ever in her life. Loki licked her once under the jaw and whimpered, clearly not wanting to leave either. She tugged on the chain of her necklace and brought the mask up to her eyes with shaky fingers, the mask enlarging to fit. She stared at the stone with tears in her eyes, waiting for the sigils to blaze to life, waiting for the stone to flare with power.
And nothing.
“What’s wrong with this stupid thing?” She dropped the mask, unconsciously wiping her hand against her pants, glad not to be touching the metal. The longer she remained, the more her soul ached. She needed to do this now, before she lost her nerve and did whatever the fuck she damned well pleased.
“How did it work last time?” Shade asked.
Morgan avoided looking at her men, sensing them surrounding her, like she was a fucking scared animal that would run.
They weren’t wrong.
“I was focused on reaching Tartarus, determined to save my team.”
“And the realm.” Shade stated baldly.
Morgan shrugged, the pounding from the dragon preying on her last nerve. “They are one and the same.”
“Shit.” He ran a hand over his hair. “Her powers are connected with her emotions. Without the proper training, we’re stuck here until she wants to leave.”
“I’m trying!” Morgan shouted at him, doing her best not to shatter into a thousand pieces. “I’m going against my every instinct to do what everyone else wants.”
Shade blew out a heavy breath. “But not what you want.”
Morgan couldn’t speak, afraid she would start screaming.
Glass shattered and rained down on them, the tinkling sound eerily cheerful as it hit the floor. Shards sliced through her skin and clothes a second before the dragon reached into the opening and grabbed her up in his claws.
Loki tumbled off her shoulder, and she found herself alone with a very angry dragon. To her surprise, the dragon didn’t stink, but smelled more like the dry heat of a wood-burning stove.
“Morgan!” The men shouted, and chaos erupted below her.
When the dragon’s large snout lowered toward her, the numbness around Morgan vanished. The metal from her cuffs and rings turned liquid, quickly solidifying into blades, and she lashed out with all her rage and hurt. The black blades sliced deep into his snout, and the dragon bellowed in pain, flinging her away from him.
She flew through the air and smacked into what was left of the north wall. The concrete cracked, and she slid down the wall, collapsing to the floor. Dust and chunks of stone quickly followed, pelting her as a portion of the wall crumbled on top of her.
The physical pain was manageable compared to the mental anguish of being forced to leave her men. She pushed herself up on her hands and knees, debris shifting around her.
The dragon leapt down from the dome, the floor quivering under the weight as the snarling beast charged toward her. If she didn’t find a way to defeat the dragon, the creature would go after her team.
Athena might want her and Shade alive—but she didn’t need the others.
Blotches of blood dripped from the dragon’s muzzle, the blood black and congealed…or what she imagined blood would look like if it circulated in a living, breathing furnace. The comforting scent of burning wood intensified as he neared, turning into the overwhelming smell of a raging forest fire.
Morgan staggered to her feet, ignoring the way the men pounded against the glass wall. Loki stood at the edge of the jagged opening at the top of the ceiling, chattering angrily. Ryder in his wolf form looked to the little pup, then jumped on the desk and tried to leap through the hole in the ceiling. And failed. With just a little more boost, he would succeed. Shade reluctantly raised his hand to the glass. He had to know opening the wall would be giving Athena exactly what she wanted and endanger them all.
Yet he was going to do it anyway.
Their eyes met, and she slowly shook her head.
This time, his hesitation lasted longer, and she realized it wasn’t indecision, he was fighting against the vow he gave. To help her, he would be putting her team in danger. Pain twisted his features, and she knew her time was limited. She was the only thing standing between him and certain death. He couldn’t risk losing her.
The dragon whipped around his tail, destroying another pillar and Morgan barely had time to dive and roll out of the way of the flying debris. She ran up a pile of rubble, hearing the clack of claws as the beast gave chase. A blow to her back was unexpected, and she shot forward, cracking hard onto the floor. The dragon’s large paw smashed her into the concrete like she was a bug to be squashed. If they didn’t need her alive, she had no doubt she would be a stain on the floor right now. Claws longer than her forearm were on either side of her head, the weight of the foot pinning her arms to the floor.
Loki launched himself at the dragon, latching onto his vulnerable ear, and viciously whipped his head back and forth, tearing out a good chunk of flesh.
The dragon swung his massive head, knocking the little hound out of the air and sending him crashing into the glass, where he collapsed to the floor unmoving, only a few feet away from her. The flame on his chest flickered and dimmed, and her heart thumped hard against her ribs, only beating again when the ember didn’t blink out of existence.
She feared if the flame ever died, so would he.
The phoenix fluttered wildly along her back, and agonizing pain shot down her spine, a searing heat felt like her flesh was being burned off her bones. The dragon gave a mighty roar, and the crushing weight on her back lifted.
Hands grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the fight, the scent of warm earth and hot stone enveloping her. “Kincade.”
He tipped her head back, his eyes tracing her face for injuries.
“I’m fine.” She grabbed his arms, and pulled herself upright, her body protesting being upright. Then she caught sight of what had captured the others’ attention.
An incandescent bird with bright shades of reds, golds and yellows swooped and dove around the dragon, his every touch scorching the scales.
Her phoenix.
His flamed colors flickered as the fire burned through him. Black singe marks pitted the dragon’s scales. The stench of charred wood filled the air. The bird was tiny compared the dragon’s massive size.
But it was a battle the phoenix couldn’t win.
Already, his flames were dimming. Without thought, her blades formed in her hands, and she ducked out of Kincade’s arms.
Cursing erupted behind her as Morgan ducked under the dragon’s tail and slammed the blade deep in the dragon’s spine. A roar of pain shook the room, leaving her ears ringing. The dragon bucked and spun, and despite her hold, she lost her grip and went flying again.
She braced herself, expecting bones to crack as she slammed into a wall. Instead, Ascher threw himself in her path, and both of them hit the ground, skidding across the chipped shards of concrete, peeling off layers of their skin as they went.
Draven had throwing knives tucked everywhere he could wedge a weapon, and began systematically throwing them, aiming for the dragon’s most vulnerable spots, while the rest of the guys dodged from pillar to pillar, using the concrete as shelter as they distracted the dragon. Most of the weapons pinged off the beast, the moving target hard to hit. One blade scratched his eyeball, which only made him more crazed.