Page 117 of Wild Flame

Amir, I realized. Amir was holding me to his chest with his sword at my throat.

Terror and anger sparked in Malik’s eyes. “Amir—” he began, his voice like granite.

“Uh, uh, uh, brother, it’s my turn to speak now.” Amir chuckled near my ear. “Here’s how this is going to go—you are going to let me leave here with Virath . . . or she dies.”

I knew Malik was trying to think of a way to get me out of this unscathed without letting the man behind me go free.

He must have taken too long, though, because Amir pressed the knife more firmly against my throat and I hissed. A trickle of blood dripped down my neck.

Malik tensed but finally nodded.

Amir relaxed slightly behind me as Azrun allowed Virath forward and the dragon crouched low. Amir slowly backed towards his dragon, still dragging me along. But when we reached him, Amir didn’t let me go. Instead, he pulled me up onto the dragon with him, nearly slicing my throat open on the sword as he did.

“What are you doing?” Malik yelled. “Let her go!” Azrun growled his displeasure from Virath’s other side.

“I’m no fool!” Amir snarled. “If I give her to you now, you won’t let me go! No, I think I’ll keep her with me until I’m sure you haven’t followed me.”

“If you harm her, I will kill you,” Malik threatened, and I knew he meant every word.

Amir laughed behind me, and it sounded more than slightly unhinged. “Then it appears we are at an impasse, brother mine,” he taunted.

“Give her to me, and I will let you go,” Malik promised.

I knew Malik loved me and didn’t want to see me in his brother’s clutches, but I also knew his honor would not allow him to let Amir go free, not after all he’d done.

Amir knew it, too. He didn’t respond and didn’t even bother to strap us both in before Virath beat his mighty wings and took off. I cried out and gripped onto the saddle.

“Leida!” Malik roared as we rose higher and higher into the air.

I didn’t take my eyes off him, that handsome anguished face, until Virath wheeled around and flew towards the gaping hole in The Sphere. I cringed, bracing for impact as we barreled straight through it.

Chapter Forty-Two

Icouldn’t help the scream that left my lips as we burst out into the night air. Luckily, no shards of glass fell on us, but fiery pain lanced through my side with every beat of Virath’s wings.

Malik’s shout mixed with Azrun’s bellowed roar followed after us, and I knew they would pursue. I knew Malik. And he couldn’tnotcome after me. I also knew that Azrun couldn’t attack Virath without risking hurting me. Amir was no longer holding a dagger to my throat, but how Malik intended to rescue me from off a dragon’s back while said dragon was still in flight was beyond me.

Glancing down, I suddenly noticed how close we were flying over the city. The lights below illuminating the night around us.

“Pull up!” I gasped. “We’re flying too low.”

“Shut up!” Amir snarled. But the response was halfhearted. He was frantically glancing around, checking the sky behind us. Virath was doing the same. “Where are they?” he muttered.

Belatedly, I realized he meant Malik and Azrun. He knew his brother wouldn’t give up so easily, either. But no dragon flewin the sky around us. The night was still and quiet, save for the sound of the wind and Virath’s beating wings.

When I finally glanced forward, it was just in time to see we were headed directly towards a tall stone tower. “Look out!” I screamed.

Amir cursed. Virath screeched, and it was only by the dragon’s quick reflexes that we were able to avoid colliding with it.

Virath veered so sharply to the side, I nearly slid right off his back. The only thing that saved me was Amir’s arm pinning me to him, where I sat before him in the saddle. The sharp movement made my side throb, and fresh blood soaked my clothes. Feeling lightheaded and drained of strength, I slumped forward, and my forehead fell against the smooth texture of dragon scales. My stomach roiled, and I fought to keep myself from hurling up whatever was in my stomach.

Once Virath leveled out again, he finally flew higher to avoid another near-death experience.

Ignoring the pain in my side, I craned my neck to the side, and it was only by sheer luck that I happened to glance up. I saw what looked like the outline of a wing against the backdrop of the stars, just as a dark shape leapt from that wing and plummeted towards us.

“Wing Walker,” I murmured with a smile.

“What?” Amir snapped, just as the shape materialized from the darkness and Malik collided with him with such force that he ripped him from the saddle. Somehow, I managed to stay seated as both riders went tumbling backwards over Virath’s wide back. It was only by some miracle of the gods that neither of them were impaled on one of the large spikes along his spine.

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