Shade stood at the opposite corner, tossing spells with the same frequency, each cracking over the dragon’s protective hide. Sparks danced over his scales like lightning. Even though protected by scales, his flesh jumped and spasmed.
Kincade and Atlas were bolder in their attack, while Ryder darted back and forth in his wolf form, providing a distraction. The dragon swatted at the phoenix, sending the flames flickering as he tried to pin the bird to the spot, snapping at the flames as if he could put out the flames by eating them. The dragon arched back and inhaled deeply.
“Run!”
Everyone scattered as fire engulfed the room, Kincade pausing long enough to scoop Loki up in his arms before leaping over a pile of rubble in a single bound.
Ascher twisted, covering her with his body, hunching over to protect her face. Heat engulfed the room, the stones around them wilting as they melted, and she waited to feel flames lick along her flesh.
She opened her eyes to see the fire dance around them. Steam rose from their clothes and darkened. Intense heat kissed her skin…but she didn’t burn. She and Ascher gazed at each other in awe for a few seconds, then she nodded at him. As the flames began to flicker and die down, they rose to their feet and strode toward the dragon.
Ascher walked into the blaze without a hint of fear, his clothes bursting into flames immediately. As they burned away in tatters, his eyes began to glow, his bones snapping, his body stretching until he stood in his hellhound form. Hints of red, like molten lava, flowed in rivulets through cracks of his hide, shimmering along his neck, deep into his chest, down his spine, and over his legs, as if he could no longer contain the flames of hell.
Morgan dodged the dragon’s lashing tail, searching for an opening where she wouldn’t be swatted like a pesky bug, when Ryder darted into the fray, sinking his claws into the tail, refusing to release his hold as the beast dragged and whipped the wolf around like a toy. Infuriated when he couldn’t dislodge the dog like some annoying burr, the dragon whirled and banged his tail repeatedly against a pillar, when one particular nasty hit caught Ryder in a crushing blow.
The wolf yipped as he lost his hold, his limp body spinning across the floor.
Her heart leapt in her throat, and Morgan was unable tear her gaze away from the still form until Ryder finally shook his head and staggered to his feet.
He was alive.
When the dragon’s focus latched onto her, Ascher darted forward with a snarl, his claws slashing at the beast’s hindquarter, scoring deep scratches in the scales and leaving behind a trail of oozing blood.
The dragon roared and snapped at Ascher with lethal teeth, and the paralysis holding Morgan shattered. Determination to end the fight and protect her men was the only thing that mattered. She grabbed a piece of twisted rebar from the freshly broken concrete and rammed the makeshift spear through the roof of the dragon’s mouth. Sharp teeth pierced her arm, scoring deep lines down her arm when he reared back.
Blood poured down her arm as the dragon reared back and shook his head, trying to jam his full foot in his mouth to remove the stake. The phoenix swooped forward, darting right into the beast’s mouth just before the dragon snapped his jaw shut.
As if he had swallowed pure light, the dragon’s throat began to glow a vibrant orange before it sank to his stomach. The radiance spread over every inch of his skin, and the dragon staggered to remain upright. Tiny embers floated in the air and ash began to swirl in the room. Soon, so many sparks were churning in the air it looked like someone had stirred a large pit of coals.
The dragon stumbled as it lurched away from them. Ascher, once again in his human form and wearing only a pair of pants, pulled her into his arms and the others joined them. Shade appeared dazed, his mouth slightly parted as he stared at the dragon. When he glanced at her team and met her eyes, he looked spooked.
By her.
Kincade lifted his blade, hacking off the bottom of his shirt, then gently lifted her arm and quickly wrapped the makeshift field bandage over the shredded flesh. But Morgan couldn’t take her gaze away from the dragon, watching as the beast dragged his tail behind him, as if it was too heavy to lift.
Then the great creature collapsed to the floor and exploded into a ball of angry flames.
When the sparks landed and burned out, ash gently floated and danced through the air, coating everything.
A small flame was all that remained.
Her heart felt heavy, saddened at the destruction of such a majestic creature, even if it had been trying to kill her.
Morgan edged forward as the last of the sparks dimmed and grew cold.
“Morgan…”
She peered at Ascher distractedly over her shoulder and lifted her hand. “Just give me a second.”
An outline of the dragon lay scorched in the concrete floor. Kincade and the others joined her, watching as she placed one knee on the floor next to what remained of the flame. The sight of Kincade cradling Loki in his arms softened her heart as he absently brushed his fingers between the mutt’s ears, the little guy eagerly lifting his head for each stroke.
She turned away from the sight, staring blankly at the floor and the dying flame.
“That stupid little phoenix.” Her whole chest ached over the loss of the bird. Even her back felt cold without the little nuisance. “He gave his life to save ours.”
“The phoenix must have known the dragon’s weakness.” Shade came to stand next to her guys, his eyes a little wider than normal. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
She reached out, seeking the comforting heat as the last bit of fire struggled to remain lit. As soon as her hand touched the flame, the tip licked weakly at her skin in goodbye and winked out.
Morgan grunted and fell forward onto her hands as pain seared along her back, the heat following a single line like a fuse to a piece of dynamite.
“Morgan!” Atlas dropped next to her, tucking her hair away from her face to lift her chin. “Where?”
“Back.”
Draven grabbed her shoulders when her arms began to shake, while Ascher’s warm grip went to her hips as they eased her to the ground, careful not to jostle her back. Ryder in his wolf form plopped down in front of her, determinedly nudging his head under her hand.
Morgan felt her shirt and tank top being rolled up, then there was silence.
That couldn’t be good.
“Spill it.”
The pain leveled off, her breathing returning to normal, and she finally glanced at the others to see them all staring down at her back.
Even Loki didn’t blink.
“Kincade.” The sharp tone of her voice had his head snapping up, and she raised a brow at him.
Atlas, who remained at her side, ran a finger gently over her back, as if tracing something, his light touch making her shiver. “The phoenix is a bit faded, but he survived.”
Morgan twisted to see, but to no avail. “You sure?”
For some ridiculous reason, despite the dangers, Morgan was relieved, the tightness in her chest easing. She went through a lot of trouble to save the phoenix, and he deserved more than to die trying to rescue her.
“Yes, the colors have faded, turned almost ghostly in spots, but there is a clear outline. He spent most of his energy saving us, but he’s alive. Without you as a host, I suspect he would’ve died.”
“Only the very old, the very strong, can rise from the ashes.” Shade tore his gaze from her back to look at her. “You could’ve let him burn out.”
No, she couldn’t.
“He saved our lives.” To her, nothing more needed to be said. Then Morgan bit her lip uneasily, wondering if her rash actions just put her team in more danger. “How long do I have before he tries to rip free and kills me?”
Shade shook his head. “I think you’ve just earned yourself one of the deadliest familiars known to paranormals.”