Page 48 of Magic Betrayed

A fierce wind blasted me as his wings beat the air, and I opened my eyes in spite of myself, just as a jet of flame exploded into the night with savage brilliance.

I caught a single glimpse, an image that might be seared into my memory forever—that gargantuan bulk of scales and claws, hovering on nightmare wings, wickedly fanged mouth agape as dragon fire scattered the darkness.

He could have crushed them in an instant. Could have incinerated them without thought. But instead, his fire shot over the mercenaries’ heads like a warning.

Run, or else.

And run they did. Or maybe floundered. Swam. Back towards the river. Anywhere that might get them away from the winged terror they’d awakened.

Relief swamped me, and as it seeped into my bones, I released my grip on the water, bit by bit, letting it ease back into its former channels and pools. The tension drained from my body, leaving me limp and aching. Unable to rise. Barely able to keep my eyes open. Callum had been right—the process of healing earlier in the day had taken too much of my strength, and now I was nearing the edge of collapse.

The dragon watched our enemies flee, and when the sounds of splashing finally died away, he seemed satisfied and settled back to the ground. Turned towards me…

And that’s when a final blast of elemental flame came hurtling out of the night. Not towards me, not towards Callum, but towards our only lead—the one piece of evidence that might help us find Kes.

As if the fire elemental had thrown everything he had into that single shot, it impacted with a whoosh and blazed up—brighter than the dragon fire, fierce as a tiny sun.

I screamed—a desperate, heart-rending sound that echoed in my own ears like the cry of a stranger—and tried to grasp enough water to put it out, but I had nothing left. And the dragon…

He whirled towards me, planted his feet on either side of my body and crouched close, shielding me with those leathery wings as an explosion rocked the night—the van’s fuel tank venting its fury to the sky.

And all I could do was lie there. Feeling utterly safe… and utterly devastated.

Our only link to Kes was gone.

ELEVEN

I don’t knowhow long we huddled there with the dragon shielding me from the heat, but as the fire seemed to burn itself lower and lower, I once again felt that echo in my mind—not truly audible, but still clear.

Callum was begging me not to fall asleep. He was going to shift back.

My eyes were already closed, so there was no chance of me seeing anything, but I could feel when the bulk of the dragon vanished. Heard the sound of breathing—harsh and labored. The small whispers and rustles as he pulled on his hastily discarded clothing.

Then his voice. I was so happy to hear his voice.

“We need to move. In case they come back.”

He sounded exhausted, and I recalled what he’d told me earlier—that only the strongest shifters could shift twice in one day, and afterwards… they collapsed.

I couldn’t afford to just lie here. We were alone and exposed, and if we were ambushed, neither of us would have the strength to do anything about it.

So I opened my eyes and pushed up on trembling arms. Today, we were all each other had, so we were going to have to keep each other safe. Somehow.

The shapeshifter king dropped to one knee beside me, and I scanned him quickly for injuries. His pullover was on backwards, and his stubbled jaw was clenched in fury and stubbornness, but there was no sign of blood or pain. Only the reflection of my own loss echoing back at me from his amber eyes, alongside a swell of relief mingled with determination. He wasn’t going to collapse until we were safe.

“Raine.”

And then his hand was cupping my face—warm and somehow steady—as his gaze seemed to pierce straight through me.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“No.” I couldn’t seem to come up with more words. Not when he was touching me. Not when he was looking at me with that bright, peculiar expression that said…

No. I refused to let my hopes run away with me. “I’m okay.”

A sense of deep satisfaction welled up from somewhere outside myself.

“Five of them, Raine.” His eyes glowed faintly. “You took on five of them and won.”

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