Page 97 of The Forsaken Heir
Instead of the dragon prince, Freddy rose from the pile, shoving the wolf aside, his hair mussed and blood oozing from his bottom lip.
“Run, Elle!” he yelled before shifting and leaping toward the half-formed shifter. The two of them fell into a tumble of claws, fur, and teeth.
Terror and fear for my brother licked at my soul like a finger of flame, but fear for my own safety won out. Inwardly, I cursed myself for cowardice, but Aurelius had ordered me to get away. Besides, no member of the Laurent household would actuallyharm Freddy.
Leaving my brother to finish the wolf, I bolted for the stairwell. When I got to the exit, I took a moment to catch my breath. The stench of blood, fire, and magic was less strong at the top of the stairs than in the center of the conservatory. I watched in horror as I glanced back to see Aurelius thrash his winged arm at two wolves just as more Laurent men rushed in to join the battle.
A silver arrow tore a ragged hole through one of Octavian’s wings, and he screeched in pain. Rasp and Aurelius moved to guard him from the others.
God, please let them be okay,I prayed, then turned to head down the stairs.
I’d gone less than three steps when something heavy slammed into my back. I stretched my hands out to catch myself, but I wasn’t fast enough. My temple smashed into the edge of one of the steps. White flashes of light burst across my vision. The world spun, and sharp pain shot through my skull. I would have passed out, if not for the incessant tugging on my booted foot. When I twisted around, I discovered a wolf had its teeth clamped into the leather of my boot and was yanking me back to the conservatory.
“No!” I cried. The room tilted slightly as my vision blurred. I tried to kick at the beast, but I missed.
Its haunches bunched and flexed as it hauled me up another step and pulled my leg back into the room. My body was too weak. There was no adrenaline left to pump into my system. I was drained and unable to fight back like I wanted. All I could do was reach up and take hold of the handrail.
“Stop,” I hissed and kicked at it again with my free foot.
I didn’t make contact, but the wolf let go anyway, opening its mouth and widening its eyes in a comic expression of wolfish surprise. An instant later, Vincent’s dragon reared up, holding the wolf by its back leg. The wolf thrashed and clawed at him, but it was no use. The dragon shifter had him dead to rights.
With a remarkably graceful movement, Vince flicked his head up and released the wolf. As the beast turned in mid-air, Vincent snapped his jaws forward, and bit the wolf’s head clean off.
“Holy shit,” I yelped, watching as the wolf’s headless body slammed into the ground.
Vincent turned his head toward me and scooped me up.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he pulled me close.
He looked down at me, and partially shifted his face to speak. “Saving you.It’s not fun here anymore.”
“No. I can get out on my own. You have to help Aurelius.”
Vincent shook his head. “He sent me to take you home.”
Without another word, Vincent thrashed his tail at the wall. Shards of glass rained down to the ground, opening an exit into the night. He jumped through the jagged opening and flapped his wings, taking flight.
“Aurelius!”I screamed, looking back at the glowing battlefield the conservatory had become.
Vincent flew fast in the direction of the Decimus territory. In the darkness behind us, I thought I could make out a few dragons crawling free of the mansion and taking flight. Aurelius had to be with them. They were getting out. He’d be okay. He had to be.
The sweltering heat of the dragon skin and the dissipating adrenaline sent me into a stupor. My sluggish body and mind stayed conscious for a few minutes, stuttering like a car that had been driving with the pedal slammed to the floor for hours, the engine ready to explode. Eventually, despite me fighting against it, my eyes slipped closed, and I fell into a dark and fitful sleep.
I awoke with a start as Vincent landed on the parapet of the dragon castle. My eyes snapped open, and I glanced around, my breath hissing out in puffs in the cold night air.
“Where’s Aurelius?”
Vincent shifted, but he ignored me as he rushed to the door. I heard him screaming, calling for help, but my busy mind drowned out his words. I turned and stared off into the distance. Far away, silhouetted by the light of the moon, I could see some figures approaching. Dragons. A shuddering sigh shook me at the sight of them. Aurelius would be with them. We’d gotten out. Thank God.
Seconds later, men of the Decimus household rushed out onto the roof, the king at their heels. Cassius’s eyes were wide and alert, as if he’d been waiting for word all night.
“What is it? What’s happened?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a sob, and Vincent hurried over to put an arm around me.
“They betrayed us,” Vincent said.
“Betrayed?” Cassius’s brow furrowed, then his face fell, his mouth going slack then like a light bulb turning off, his face fell, his cheeks and mouth going slack. “Where’s my son? Where is Aurelius?”
