Page 25 of Fated to the Dragon King (Alpha Dragons’ Fated #4)

Alaric

I dove.

Hayley’s tiny body dropped toward the sea like a stone. I folded my wings against my back for greater velocity, hurtling downward faster than a peregrine falcon. If only I dropped faster than Hayley did.

If I didn’t –

I shut my jaws against the surge of pain and grief if Hayley died. I could not let her die. If she hit the sea at that terrifying speed, she’d be dead before she felt the pain of every bone in her body shattering. Hitting the sea would be akin to hitting solid concrete.

Extending my talons, I flew ever closer to Hayley. Foot by foot, inch by inch, I gained on her.

She tumbled in free fall, spinning around until I feared she’d die of heart failure, or the lack of oxygen. Below us, beyond Hayley, the shifting sea grew closer until I saw each individual wave. Hayley still dropped beyond my reach.

I can’t do it! I can’t get her in time!

I didn’t know if she saw me. I didn’t suppose it mattered if she did. The sea was less than a thousand feet away, and I gained on Hayley too slowly, too slowly.

Five hundred feet.

Four hundred.

I roared in my terror, flaming the air while Hayley fell straight toward her death. I would survive a dive at this speed into the sea.

I would not want to live if Hayley died.

Three hundred feet.

I closed my front talons around Hayley’s small body and spread my wings.

We shot low over the waves, still hurtling at an insane speed, my belly and tail bumping the sea’s surface.

I breathed deeply and soared high, gaining altitude, my love, my queen, safe in my hands.

Lifting Hayley on a level with my eyes, I took in her white flesh, her open mouth as she fought to breathe. “Hayley?”

“I gotta puke.”

“Do what ya gotta do.”

My joy surging, I flew high, beating my wings hard, I climbed toward the epic battle raging overhead. I half listened to Hayley’s gagging as I watched Willow fighting Fiona. The two danced in midair, slashed at one another, flaming, screaming their rage, their hate.

“That’s Willow!”

“Yeah,” I said grimly, helpless to assist Willow in her fight. “She’s getting the worst of it.”

“Get in there,” Hayley raged. “Kill Fiona, dammit. Kill her!”

“I can’t,” I yelled. “Not while I’m holding you, I can’t.”

I circled around the battle, observing the gaping slashes across Willow’s face and shoulders while Fiona’s body held only a few cuts from Willow’s talons. Willow was clearly weakening as Fiona all but blinded her with a raking slash across her face.

“Fiona will kill her, Alaric! Do something.”

I was forced to agree. Willow, older and less experienced in fighting, might soon grow exhausted. Already, Fiona had sunk her talons into Willow’s silver body and had closed her jaws on Willow’s throat.

“This is your chance,” Hayley yelled. “Her back is to you.”

Hayley was right. With Fiona occupied with shaking Willow like a terrier shakes a rat, her golden back and spread wings were exposed. And I flew not far above her.

“Hang on,” I said, and dove.

Holding Hayley close to my chest, and hopefully out of the way, I clamped my jaws on Fiona’s neck near her skull. I dug my rear talons into Fiona’s back.

In shock and pain, shrieking in rage, Fiona released her hold on Willow.

We both dropped away from Willow, and I lost sight of her. Focused on Fiona, I banked to my right, still diving. I wrenched my neck and head hard sideways to my left.

Fiona’s neck broke.

I heard its sharp crack an instant before she went limp under me.

I let her drop the thousands of feet to the sea.

Banking high again, I held Hayley up as Willow soared toward us, her wings wide.

“Holy shit,” Hayley screamed. “What’s that?”

I looked down.

An enormous, smokey, gray-black cloud formed around Fiona’s corpse even as it dropped toward the sea.

I stared in wonder and horror as it developed massive claws and reached into the body.

The smokey talons retreated – with something captured within them.

The thing struggled mightily in the cloud’s massive grip.

Fiona’s golden dragon body hit the waves and vanished beneath them. The grayish black cloud dissipated, swirling, twisting, and almost appeared to leer upward at us. Then it vanished. The air between us and the surging sea below became innocent once again.

“Holy Lanokota,” Willow gasped, soaring beside me. “Oh, Holy Lady protect us.”

“What was that?” I yelled, scared to my bones. “What the hell?”

“Da’arvass.” Willow stared into my eyes. “He came to claim what was his.”

“That?” Hayley screamed, “that was the demon god? And he took her soul ?”

“Yes.” Willow pointed toward the distant coast. “Let’s get out of here. I need a stiff drink.”

***

Hayley took Willow into the bathroom to assist her in cleaning and patching up her wounds. Willow wasn’t just exhausted from the fight, she seemed frightened to her core. She said little as we flew to my house, even less while I went to the mini bar and fixed us all drinks.

I nursed my second when they finally emerged, Willow walking stiffly and clearly in great pain. I helped her to sit with plush cushions behind her. Willow accepted the drink and downed it immediately.

“Ah.” She sighed. “Better.”

Hayley sipped her own, also preoccupied. I prepared another drink for Willow, then took it to her before sitting down next to Hayley.

“Fiona failed her god,” Willow said slowly. “She will suffer for eternity. I feel terrible for her.”

“So do I.” Hayley murmured. “That – that was awful.”

“She made her choice,” I commented. “She was fully aware of the risk involved in dealing with Da’arvass.”

“Lanokota won’t ever help her?” Hayley asked, lifting her face. “Someday?”

“Lanokota cannot. None of the other gods will interfere. Fiona and Damon belonged to Da’arvass, and he took them.”

“Why didn’t we see the dark god when Damon died?”

Willow’s mouth twisted in grief. “Perhaps because Damon didn’t participate in selling his soul. He was simply – bad.”

“Willow, I’m so sorry.” Hayley sipped her drink. “Now, I can’t help but wonder where Roxanne went after her death. Was she bad? Evil? Or simply misguided.”

“That’s something we’ll never know,” I said, “and it does us no good to continue to dwell on them. We’re all three grieving, and we must move on.”

Hayley finished her drink and stood up to make a fresh one. “I’m glad it’s over. I won’t be kidnapped again.” She suddenly laughed. “And Brad is likely afraid I’ll put his nuts in a vise. I won’t have to worry about him again.”

Before she sat down, I stood and lifted my glass. Willow also stood, slowly and with her inner dragon toughness, then lifted hers. Smiling, Hayley joined Willow and I in clicking our glasses together.

“Here’s to our future,” I said. “To my return home with my fated mate, my wife, my beloved Hayley.”

We drank. Hayley, still smiling, said, “I love you, my dragon.”

Willow bowed low. “To you, my liege. To the Dragon King! Long may he reign.”