Page 65 of The Black Dragon
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Justin shifted into a dragon.Stay here. I’ll deal withhim.
No.Ariel raced over, sprang onto his back.He’s my father. This is myfight.
The old coot was far cleverer than Justin anticipated. Grudging respect filled him. Leo couldn’t fly like adragon.
But he could rent ahelicopter.
With a mighty flap of his wings, he rose into the air. Using their telepathic mind link, he urged Ariel to hold on. Part of him wanted to keep her grounded, protect her. But this was her father and if he didn’t fly her up to the cave, she’d climb. Or worse, force a transformation into dragon in an attempt to flyherself.
A dragon’s first shift was oftenpainful and more experienced mentors required to aid them. No way in hell would he leave her alone to chanceit.
Thewhap whap whapof the helicopter blades sliced through the air. Pressure squeezed his chest as he angled away from the machine. A man dangled from a ladder above the ledge where the Drogmire still slept. Wind whipped the ladder back and forth. Sunlight glinted on the blackspear the figureheld.
Leo.
Still clutching the spear, Ariel’s father jumped down to the ledge. Justin hovered. Holding a stationary position in the air took tremendous muscle strength, but he’d done itbefore.
Expecting the Skin helicopter to fly away, he was surprised to see another figure leave the machine and descend the ladder. This man jumped down to the ledge as well,no weapon inhand.
The hell with this. He wasn’t about to wait and see if the entire US Army climbed out of that damn thing.Hang on, he urgedAriel.
Justin dove beneath the helicopter and then with a sweep of his tail, gave it a gentle whack. The machine spun madly for a moment and then the pilot regained control and took off, heading for the Bell Rock parkinglot.
Justinangled downward and landed on the ledge behind the two men. Raised voices drifted on the wind. They argued, but he couldn’t quite make out the words. At the cave’s entrance, the Drogmire still slumbered, oblivious to the unfoldingdrama.
Ariel slid off his back. Before she could race forward, he shifted back and grabbed her. “Easy,” he murmured into her ear. “We need to find out what thehell’s going on before rushing intoanything.”
“He’s my father.” Worry etched her expression. “No matter how angry I am with him, he’s still myfather.”
Justin stroked his thumb over her soft cheek. “I know, sweetheart. Follow my lead and stay behindme.”
They turned and he crept toward the cavern door where the two men still argued. Leo raised the spear. Justin’s mouth wentdry as the other man knocked it away. Then the man hit Leo, who collapsed to theground.
The man picked up thespear.
Ariel gasped. Leo’s assailant turned and sawthem.
Not good. So not good. Justin’s heart raced. Power flickered in the air, tremendous power and suddenly he knewwhy.
“You two,” the man said, and laughed again. From a scabbard hanging on his belt, hewithdrew aknife.
That voice…no longer was it quavering with age and soft. It was high-pitched and girlish, same as he remembered the three months he’d beenimprisoned.
“Vern?” Ariel’s voice was low withshock.
“Not Vern,” Justin said slowly. “Dell, your father’s bastard of anassistant.”
Vern waved a hand and suddenly changed from an elderly man with blue eyes andsilver hair into a thirty-something Mage with blond hair.Dell.
Dell snorted. “You were a tough one, dragon. I tried to convince Leo to kill you and drain the last of your magick, but he was too weak. With your magick, we could have powered the community for years to come. I could have livedforever!”
Coldness filled the Mage’s expression. Justin felt sick at the betrayal Ariel mustfeel. She had trusted this elderly Mage. He’d fooled them all. He pretended kindness, and all the while he wanted to flay the skin offJustin.
“Ariel, Ariel.” Dell wagged a finger at her. “Foolish Ariel, coming up here, all for the sake of dragons. You’re as stupid as your mother. It was so easy to convince her clan that she shared with the Mage community the secret of where they storedthe gold. That’s why Chase killed her. Dragons don’t tolerate betrayal overmoney.”
Ariel stared at him, fisting her hands. “The car crash, you were behindit.”
