Page 113 of Daman

She then looked at me. Her milky eyes were unsettling, though no malice showed through them. “Protect him.”

“I will.”

Screeches pierced the air, distant but growing closer.

“Shades.” Daman released my hand and gripped his sword, gaze on the trees in front of us. His eyes then closed, and he breathed deep. “They’ll reach us in about five minutes. Fuck. I sense at least a hundred.”

“And even more behind them,” Bellamy added.

“It’s so dark,” Ivan said. “We won’t be able to see those bastards coming at us.”

“The first wave hits hard, but less so if one can see the shadows in the darkness.” Gusion turned to me. “It’s a view better seen from above, don’t you agree?”

His meaning became clear, and I faced Lev. “I’m going to fly above the trees so I can see them coming. Command is yours until I return.”

“Yes, sir.”

I grabbed Daman and led him to a small clearing. It would be a tight fit but should be big enough for me to fully transform. He watched as I removed my shirt, pants, and shoes, my bare feet sinking into the snow.

“Is this really the best time for you to get naked?” he asked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Remember what I told you? We can freeze our enemies, but that power is limited in our hybrid form. Imagine if I could freeze a hundred. Or at least encase them in a thin layer of ice to make them visible in the dark.”

“It will also put a huge target on your back.” Daman pressed closer. “I don’t like this.”

My heart squeezed as I kissed his hair. “We’re running out of time.”

“I know.” His voice cracked a little. “I’m going with you.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from my sexy dragon rider.”

“Hurry and transform, you dork.” He pushed against my chest and took several steps back, giving me space.

Since I was already in my hybrid form, allowing my inner dragon to fully take over took very little coaxing. My blood shot through me like liquid fire, and my muscles spasmed, my joints popping. The first time I ever shifted into my full dragon form, I’d screamed in pain. It had become easier over the centuries but was still painful. I’d only learned to tolerate it.

My body exploded outward, and I stood so tall that my head almost brushed the treetops. My enhanced vision allowed me to see in the dark. Though, there was only one thing that held my attention right then.

Daman stepped forward, and I lowered my head to gently nudge him. He kissed my snout before gliding his hand across my cheek and over to my neck. I bent forward as he climbed up onto my back. He barely weighed anything, but the light pressure of him comforted me. Worried me too.

If I was a target, he would be too.

The trees bowed and shook as I flapped my wings once, then again, trying to gain momentum to rise into the air. The limited space made it difficult, but I managed to lift off. Dense fog rolled above the treetops, and I burst through the cloud to see a clear night sky, the sea of stars glimmering in a black web.

“War! Look. They’re over there.”

An enormous shadow moved through the forest, darkening the snow. No, not a shadow. Smoke. The burning demons rushed toward our comrades, their snarls and screeches bouncing off the trees. With a heavy flapping of my wings, I steered in that direction and glided on the night air.

“You’ll have to get lower,” Daman said, petting the back of my neck.

Obeying him, I dipped toward the trees. The screeching intensified, as did the smell of rot and charred bodies. Ice built in my chest and rose to the base of my throat, waiting to be released.

“Now!”

I let it go.

My icy exhale froze the first line of shades, and their bodies shattered into pieces as the ones behind them kept running forward, smashing into them. I breathed more ice, trying to avoid the trees as much as possible. The shades that managed to pass me moved slower than before, and the smoke swirling their bodies stood out in the darkness with the outline of white from my ice.

I veered to the side, going at an angle as I changed direction. Daman’s legs squeezed around me, and he grabbed onto the small horns at my nape, holding on.