Page 99 of Dark Embers

I flapped my wings, a clumsy and disoriented flail. I moved my head from left to right, hypnotized by the waves of fire encasing my body. But it was the smoke trailing from me that calmed me enough to steady my new wings.

I didn't have time to waste savoring this incredible revelation.

Another batch of vampires circled Tobias and Niko, whose fierce glares didn’t flinch at being outnumbered. The dragons fought back-to-back, annihilating one vampire after another. Relief washed through me at seeing they could handle themselves.

I just had to get Arya back.

Two vampires raced toward me, large weapons strapped to their backs. I’d seen something similar on a pamphlet in my dad’s office. I didn't know what they did, but they stood out because they looked like miniature cannons or bazookas. It didn’t make sense why a vampire would need such a weapon.

One of the vampires disengaged the weapon from the strap on her back, and her partner stopped to assist.

I glanced at where Arya had just disappeared. I needed to get to her! But I wasn’t used to this form, wasn’t sure how to use my wings to fly. I had to get it together.

The first vampire pulled back on a piece on top of her armament, firing it directly at me. Like a dance, I gracefully avoided the pellets it spewed.Heh, not so bad.

The vampires were getting more and more frustrated with every bullet that zipped by.

Fuck this shit.

I opened my sharp, shiny beak to let out a shriek, and with it came a scorching wave of fire.

I flapped my wings with as much strength as I had, propelling myself up into the darkened sky. With my magnified vision, I looked down and scanned the scene. The two vampires and their weapon had been incinerated.

My keen attention shot to the vampire that had Arya. They’d only made it one roof over.

I tucked my wings behind my back and dove. I let out another one of my shrieks, but this time there was no fire with it. The vampire carrying Arya looked back, his eyebrows pushed together in shock and confusion.

Seeing Arya so close bolstered my confidence. I could get her back. I’d had plenty of defense training—though that was in my human form. Hopefully it would still prove to be effective in my phoenix form.

With another strong and heavy beat of my wings, I ducked and prepared to crash.

A grunt came from the vampire—and Arya—as I made contact. I’d hit my target. The three of us rolled in different directions like billiard balls. I was back in the air in seconds, and the vampire stumbled as he tried to catch his balance.

I inhaled deeply, focusing on the fear that had coursed through me when he’d taken Arya, and when I exhaled, a stream of flames spewed from my open beak.

The vampire let out a brief, sharp wail as he melted before my eyes.

“A—A—Ashlyn?” Arya said, her brows pinched, the glow of flaming phoenix reflecting in her eyes.

I gave her a nod, then swept down, gently hooking my talons—the only part of me not on fire—around Arya's shoulders, then took off.

Now that I had Arya back, I had the chance to savor my phoenix form. Everything I’d heard from the other students about shifting was right. Itwasfreeing and magical, and incredibly satisfying. I reveled in the way the whirling wind felt beneath both feather and flame of my wings.

A loud roar snapped me back to the danger still at hand.

Again, I dropped my head and swooped toward the ground. But I wasn't familiar enough with my phoenix form, and holding Arya didn’t help.

We crashed into a pile of garbage bags just a few feet from Niko and Tobias. My head slammed against the nearby dumpster. It pulsed with pain, and my vision blurred. Arya groaned next to me, laying awkwardly tangled with the garbage bags.

Instinctively, I reached up to rub my head—and immediately realized I’d shifted back. I looked down and was relieved to see I wasn’t naked.

So glad I put on my smart clothes.

When I pulled my hand away from my face, crimson blood puddled in my palm. I tried not to panic—there were bigger things at stake.

“Arya!” I scrambled to her.

There was a large gash on the back of Arya's neck, and blood dripped out of the open wound, filling the air with its thick,metallic odor. If I could smell it, the vampires certainly would, too. This was all my fault. If I’d just stuck the landing, neither of us would be injured.

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