Page 38 of Dragon's Golden Mate
With a sudden burst of strength, Zoe clapped her hands together and sent a wall of energy down the church aisle.
Just as quickly, Iris put her hands up. She stood stiff and straight, her fingers spread. The blast of magic from Zoe slammed against her, but she didn’t move.
“A shield,” Lucille said, gripping Maeve’s arm. “This is incredible. That blast of magic took up most of this room, but it didn’t touch any of us. How did she teach them that?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Maeve took a step to the rightso that she was back within line of sight of Cassandra. “I won’t fight my family.”
“Even after that? You’re a tenacious old biddy, aren’t you?”
“You weren’t listening.” Here in the church, and with Kendrick next to her, Maeve felt her power flowing back through her body. It felt good, and she wanted to use it. She’d been worrying and fussing for long enough, and it was time for action. “I said I wouldn’t fight my family, but I’ll damn sure fightforthem.” She sent an orb of brilliant gold light flying through the air.
The battle had begun.
The dragons shifted, one after another, creating a reptilian ring around the huge hole in the floor. Kendrick, in his mossy green, was flanked by Beck, in his brighter emerald, and Griffin, with his bronze scales. Lilith, shining in gold, and Ewan, in blue, brought up the rear. Kendrick roared, a sound that shook the building and brought the remaining gargoyles into formation near him. The hawk and the dog hovered in the air, while the cat was between his front legs.
“You want a fight? You’ve got it!” Cassandra thrust her chest forward and sent another piercingscream into the air. It was enough to disable anyone in the church who wasn’t under her power.
Amanda had just shifted into her bear. She planted her front paws firmly on the floor and bent her head. Waves of energy vibrated through the air, starting slow and building faster, pushing out until Cassandra stumbled backward.
Gavin tipped his chin back. As he ran his hands through his ringlets, they turned into the smooth, sleek fur of a mountain lion. He roared, a scream that sounded like someone being murdered. The one with the heavy chain dropped to the floor, landing on the thick paws of a bear. Leather Jacket shook out his shoulders and transformed into a lean coyote. The three of them charged forward at once, all heading for Amanda as she recharged her energy.
Beck and Griffin moved in front of her. Beck’s mouth closed around the coyote’s head, and he flung him aside like a rag doll. Griffin went for the bear, plowing his head straight into the other beast’s side and shoving him out of the way.
Gavin leaped in to defend his bandmates, hissing and spitting as he put out his claws and slashed at Beck’s face. Griffin spread his scaly hand and shoved it against the mountain lion’s throat, pushing back until the big cat gagged.
Maeve noticed that Griffin’s claws only sank far enough into Gavin’s fur to get his point across. The dragons and the coven understood what was happening. They had to defend themselves. They had to fight until they found a way to defeat Cassandra, but they didn’t want to hurt their attackers.
Colette was using her sling again. It sprang forward and slammed into Kristy before flying back into her hand.
Kristy had changed into her panther, her dark fur glistening in the dim light. The orb hit her hip and shoved her backward. She hissed and roared in pain, her claws digging into the wood as the force of the blow nearly knocked her into the gaping hole behind her.
Tina, still in her human shape, summoned a staticky purple ball between both of her hands and lobbed it. It bounced across the floor and then exploded, knocking Colette on her butt. The younger witch responded with an angry glare.
Maeve found herself thinking too hard as she aimed her magic. She’d never had to fight an opponent like this, when she genuinely didn’t even want to put a scratch on them. It hurt her even to send them stumbling backward, so she focused on Cassandra instead. Maeve fired at her throat and herfeet, pushing every bit of energy she had into their true enemy.
Cassandra, however, was using all the power she’d pulled from the portal to the best of her ability. She had Iris in front of her, darting out just long enough to send powerful, directed screams.
Iris looked completely inert, her eyes somewhere in a distant place as she moved her arm or flicked her fingers, extending her magical shield one direction or another.
“We’ve got to get around that,” Lilith decided. The golden dragon took to the air. She was a smaller creature than her clanmates, and there was enough room for her to get between the columns that held up the roof. The winged dog and the hawk were on either side of her, ready to fight with her. She soared upward and then barreled down on top of Cassandra.
Iris brought her hands up sharply without even looking.
Lilith bounced off the shield and landed hard in the pews, her long back twisting and her limbs folding awkwardly. She let out a fiery huff of frustrated breath, which was the only way Maeve knew she was still okay.
The shield had deflected the dragon, but thegargoyles had managed to slip through. The hawk pierced Cassandra’s shoulder with its beak, beating her face with its great stone wings. The dog had clamped onto one of her arms, shaking it ferociously.
Hope rose in Maeve’s chest, but then Zoe stepped in. She drew on the ley line power that crossed beneath the church once again. Instead of clapping her hands together, she slapped her hand against the dog. It went spinning off into the air. The hawk was next, but it saw her coming. It let go just before Zoe could get to it, leaving a gaping hole in Cassandra’s shoulder as it soared back up toward the ceiling.
Nia’s attack followed it. She grunted as she sent out her high-speed orbs, angry that she couldn’t quite catch the bird. The balls of energy barely missed the hawk’s tail, and the scent of hot stone filled the room.
Maeve’s drive to fight was beginning to wane. This wasn’t looking good. The young witches and shifters who’d fallen under Cassandra’s power were far stronger than she ever could’ve imagined. Their skills were astonishing, and they had no sense of remorse or morality. If they had any clue that they were fighting those they loved, they didn’t show it.Cassandra operated them like puppets, her screams and wails sending some sort of message that made the witches and shifters behave the way she wanted.
Maeve felt her heart sink. Everything she’d worked so hard for was about to come to an end. All that time she’d spent worrying about what to do in regard to Kendrick or how to be a good High Priestess and mother was for nothing. They could fight, but they weren’t winning.
What else could she do?
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