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Instead, the two of them were standing in the center of a circle of people. All of them wore black robes and the pearly-white masks. All of them held the same black dagger.

“Where is Luka?” Tessa whispered.

“He’ll be here,” Theon said, slipping an arm around her and tucking her into his side.

“Butwhereis he? We can’t— I can’t do anything to help you fight them,” she said, his darkness coating her skin the same way it was coating his own.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, the clouds already filling the sky that had been clear only moments ago. She shouldn’t be able to do any of that right now.

“I know who you are,” Theon said, addressing the masked group around them. “I know what you seek to protect. She is not the enemy.”

“But she is,” spoke a figure to his right, a female. “Allowing her to remain your Source will upset the balance. It will upset everything. This realm will fall.”

“One female will not be the downfall of an entire realm,” Theon snapped.

The masked face tilted to the side. “No, but the two of you together will be.”

“You’re wrong,” Theon gritted out, his arm tightening around Tessa. Another roar sounded, closer than before, and Theon smirked. “You’re also dead.”

Because that wasn’t a cloud blotting out the moon now.

It was wings and scales and claws.

That was Luka in his full dragon form.

It was black flames raining from his mouth as he roared into the night again, diving swiftly for them.

The masked figures scattered, racing for cover, but Luka’s fire didn’t miss. His black flames chased them down, incinerating all those in their path, leaving not even ashes behind.

The ground shook as he landed, his large body curling around them and a growl rumbling from deep in his chest.

“He’s a dragon,” Tessa whispered in awe. She reached out a hand and ran her fingers along scales so dark they appeared black in the night, but the moonlight glinting off them gave away shades of blue darker than his glowing sapphire eyes.

“We told you this,” Theon answered, easing his arm from around her.

“It’s different seeing it,” she replied, wonder in her voice despite the danger Luka was currently protecting them from.

Theon moved, trying to see around Luka’s massive form to see how many of the cloaked figures they had to deal with yet, but a large snout was there, shoving him in the chest and smoke furling from nostrils directly into Theon’s face.

“Fuck off,” Theon snarled, shoving at the dragon’s face. “I’ll be fine.”

Another rumbled growl had Tessa asking, “You can’t understand that, can you?”

“No,” Theon answered. “We’ve just known each other long enough that I know what he’s doing.” Looking into a sapphire eye, he added, “And it’s unnecessary. Are there any left?”

The dragon’s long neck twisted, a diamond-shaped head taking in their surroundings. Another huff told Theon the threat had passed, but Luka wouldn’t shift back. Not yet. He was too lost to the Guardian bond, and the need to protect would keep him in this form a little longer.

Especially when a howl sounded.

Then Luka was herding him back to Tessa, curling around them again.

“He’s very…protective,” Tessa muttered, studying a wing that was folded against Luka’s side.

“It’s the Guardian Bond,” Theon answered. “He’ll settle down in a minute. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“Tessa, you can’t be fine. You got to truly feel the full effects of your power for the first time. Then you were attacked minutes later.”