Page 61 of The Barbaric Fae's Soul

“How pissed is Ana?” Summer asked, her tired voice playful.

Rosalie snorted. “Not thrilled. But she’s falling for that obnoxious basilisk mate of hers too, however slowly and reluctantly.”

The rest of us laughed.

“Alright, we need to go,” Oren said, striding up behind Blue. When he placed a possessive hand on her hip, my curiosity grew, though her expression didn’t change.

“Let’s do it,” Rosalie agreed. “The fifth klynna is free game. Winner gets a twenty-minute nap.”

Chuckles rolled through the group.

Presley, Devv, Oren, and Kiin shifted forms, and the rest of us slid onto their backs. When they launched into the sky, I braced myself for the adrenaline that was coming.

Sixteen

The wind whooshedaround us as I leaned against the back of Presley’s flaming neck. The klynnas flew in a massiveMshape together, with two on top and three on the bottom. The obsidian one and the new green one were on the top, and the other three took the bottom.

Ours, the red, was the furthest from us, so we had to move quickly. It was the same one that almost killed me after I ran from North and Priel’s cave, so it had a special place in my heart—and not in a fantastic way.

All five klynnas roared in staggered succession, creating huge gusts of wind that Presley navigated smoothly.

I heard smaller roars and cries from the other dragons and phoenixes who joined us in the sky, catching up to us as we approached the klynna. They had basilisks on their backs, ready in case we needed them to try to knock out the monsters.

The blue klynna breathed fire at us, and since no one was too close to it, Aev didn’t bother freezing it before it loosed the flames. We had to dodge a little, but not enough that it felt like a close call.

Blue and Oren spiraled toward that klynna as its fire died, and Blue yelled a command. They were the fastest of us, good at getting in and out quickly.

Their klynna’s throat filled with ice as they dove out of the way, and Presley went over the top of it before spiraling down beneath its belly and soaring under it.

Rosalie’s klynna roared behind us, but I couldn’t see what was happening over there, so I didn’t let myself think too much about that—I had to keep my mind on our monster.

Its mouth flooded with ice as we flew over the top of it again, and its head jerked toward us.

I felt the connection as its conscience met mine.

Our eyes were locked, but the bond felt… weaker, somehow.

I called the command anyway. “Please, turn around and leave us!”

I felt the words slide over the creature, as if they were too slippery to set in. The klynna roared, and didn’t do as I’d asked.

My eyes widened as I felt the connection grow thinner.

Presley flew another loop around it, since it hadn’t turned back or even slowed down. Two of the other klynnas had already broken away from the group, but ours hadn’t moved.

We dodged its thrashing legs successfully, flying over the top of it again.

Its eyes collided with mine once more.

This time, when I felt its will connect with mine, I called out, “Please, go!”

The klynna blew fire at us, burning through the ice in its throat in a heartbeat. Presley dove around its belly again, and one of its legs shot out toward us.

Its claws closed around us.

A cracking noise that must’ve been Presley’s ribs made my stomach turn, and she let out a blood-curdling scream.

Shock overpowered my fear as she shifted and slipped through its claws, free-falling toward the trees below us. I watched as Blue and Oren dove toward her, but without the phoenix below me, I was facing the klynna’s fury alone.

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