Rikard tossed a brief glance over his shoulder at Everly and the Pike restraining her twisted and slammed her head into the concrete wall without warning. I gritted my teeth when she plummeted to the ground, blood gushing from her abraded scalp. I tugged at my chains, making a loud, metallic clank that echoed through the room as the Pike began to undo his pants.
Everly, disoriented, pressed a palm to her bleeding head and groaned. Every muscle in my body grew rigid with fury as the Pike knelt behind her, lifting what was left of her torn dress off her legs. I recalled how I felt when I saw her shirt ripped open at the Falcon camp. The searing need to kill those responsible. Right now, I was feeling that ten-fold. Everly’s thoughts had silenced. She wasn’t telling me what to do anymore. She couldn’t. I could feel her head swimming like it was my own. To focus, I had to block it out. There was no way I was going to let this happen.
On the other side of the room was the man with the pendant and standing in front of me now, hands in the pockets of his brown, leather jacket, was Rikard, waiting patiently for me to lose it. Unfortunately for him, I was about to.
With four of the shards removed, only two were weakening me now, but in truth, I could have overcome those hindrances the moment the bullets were fired into me. It would take a strength I hadn’t used in ages. A part of me I had been keeping on ice for centuries. Now, things were starting to spin in a whirlwind of chaos and would soon suck both Draak and humanity into the storm if I didn’t act. The answers were there, in that metal pendant nearby. I thought about Valerio. He didn’t die for nothing. I wouldn’t let that be his end.
While I watched a filthy Pike prepare to defile my Ashling, all the strength of that forgotten life started pouring into me. I felt the flame spark to life with excitement and wrath. I closed my eyes, clenching my fists with bone-breaking force, and breathed in the energy from that chamber. From outside it. From the flames I could feel burning in oil-filled basins outside. From Lukan. Valentyne. From my brother, whose energy lingered even after his death. I recalled old Draak I knew ages before. Draak who’d followed me. I gathered all of it and ignited a tempest of fire, heat, and exhilaration deep in my soul.
Opening my eyes, everything in that chamber was alive with colors no human could fathom. Life forces glowed like little beacons. Blood trickled through veins. I could see hearts beating and sending multicolored ripples through the air. I could smell the breath floating from the mouths of everyone present. All over my body, the flame brightened my flesh. My veins. The energy sent heat waves rising off my skin as I flexed, pulling against the chains that bound me.
Rikard removed his hands from his pockets and stepped back, his fear turning his blood a magnificent shade of metallic black. I gave the chains an effortless tug and they broke free from the walls, bringing concrete debris with them. As I stood, the metal began to melt from my white-hot wrists. Like liquid wax, the iron slid away and fell to the ground in smoking red heaps of metal.
Suddenly, the Pike was scurrying for the door, the brutish creature now a whimpering coward with his pants halfway down his legs. As he stumbled out of the room, he swung the heavy door closed and threw the latch down on the other side, leaving everyone else trapped inside with me. Rikard and the other guard rushed the door, shouting wildly.
“You fuck!” Rikard roared.
I marched toward him. While his partner recoiled into a corner, I threw my hand out and wrapped my fingers tight around Rikard’s neck. Pinning him to the wall, I slid him up off the floor, flashing my teeth in a snarl. Smoke seeped from my mouth, coiling around my fangs as it floating toward Rikard. I let out a low growl on another exhale.
“You were wrong about everything,” I rumbled. I cocked my head like an animal, watching as that black fear poisoned Rikard’s entire body like a disease. “Twins, Rikard. We came from the same womb.” A fire began to ignite around my feet, spreading across the floor of the room as if it was coated in gasoline. “While my brother might have been willing to allow his death for a cause, I’m far from willing to allow mine.” My eyes flashed toward Everly for a brief second, still on the floor. “Threatening an Ashling is a foolish thing to do. Threatening my Ashling is far worse.”
“You’re...an Archon…” Rikard choked out as his flesh began to sizzle and burn beneath my grip.
He clawed at my wrist, but my skin now was something hardened and near impenetrable. I pulled him from the wall, bringing him slowly closer to me so I could smell that bitter terror permeating off his skin. His feet twitched, his toes searching for the floor that was just inches out of reach.
“I am the only Archon,” I hissed. I thrust an onslaught of heat and flame from my body and into Rikard’s. “Killing my brother was the worst mistake you could have made.”
As if he’d been filled with molten lava, his body began to burn from the inside, deteriorating his organs. Boiling his bones. Blood splashed from his mouth and melted down his chin, sizzling when it hit my hand. He screamed, but only for a moment before his body burst into flames, his meat shrinking into the fire as I finally dropped his corpse to the flame-covered floor. A shower of bullets rained toward me and, looking to the man in the corner, I saw him firing wildly in my direction before the fire took him. His wails filled the room on a shrill, deafening note and from his charred hand, I ripped Valerio’s pendant away.
Spinning around, I saw Everly in the blaze, untouched by the flames, but bleeding. While the bullets from the rifle had left me unscathed, she’d caught at least two of them and stood bloody against the far wall. She slumped down it, leaving red trails along the concrete. Rage filled me again. It was a terrifying rage, even to me. Like a beast I hadn’t tamed, it rose up with little control. Destruction was something that came easily to me, but what came easier now was the thought of protecting Everly.
In the midst of what I could only describe as a temporary madness, I felt a familiar presence nearby. A calmer one, though one that was just as determined. Lukan. There was another with him as well. I felt their heartbeats vibrate in my ears as they came into range. Knowing others were close, I began to let the flame claim me.
Stepping over Everly, I pressed my palms against the wall above her head, shielding her from the destruction I was about to cause. With the strength of an entire race flowing in my blood, I dissolved the remaining shards still deep inside my body, devouring their existence until the poison had subsided completely, burned away like oil off a red-hot surface. The dragon awakened in its wake and I felt its warm, solid embrace cocoon me in strength and adrenaline. So much of it, I felt untouchable. Drunk, even, with that familiar power I had once abused.
My massive shape tore through the walls of the chamber, crumbling the concrete to dust and pieces. Any that would have fallen on Everly crashed over my changing form and rolled to the ground, leaving her untouched. The fiery energy burst into the open, destroying half the building that stood around us. I could feel the heartbeat of the dragon now like a heavy, pounding drum in the hollow of my chest. A shockwave of energy pulsed outward, shaking the earth, as the entire rebel compound came into view outside. Hundreds of them. There was a courtyard with military vehicles in rows and armed with gatling guns, harpoons, and other weaponry. Warehouses stood all around holding an inventory of supplies and war instruments. I wanted it all to burn.
Turning my body toward the courtyard, I mapped out a path to leave. In the sky above, two dragon forms dropped down below the ocean of grey cloud cover. They were both large and silvery in hue and, without the slightest hesitation, they dove, blue flames shooting out from behind their sharp teeth as they rained destruction down on a line of unmanned vehicles.
As much as I desired to join my brothers in the attack, Everly was still bleeding nearby. I turned to see her standing weakly against the wall, her breath shallow. Eyes fixed cautiously on me. She looked tiny now. Small enough for me to crush with one nudge. Getting her out of there was all I could think about, but as I moved in, a high-pitched ringing flooded my
thoughts, jumbling my consciousness. I shook it off, but when I heard the aggravated roars of my brothers from the sky, I knew something was coming and they, too, could sense it. Something none of us could fight.
Get out of here! I shouted up at the others, stretching my thoughts until I knew they’d been received.
Both dragons banked just as an onslaught of gunfire started shooting up into the sky from one of the many gatling guns. I moved toward Everly, lowering myself to the ground as flat as my body could crouch. She didn’t hesitate to climb the length of one wing and struggle to my back. I could smell the metallic scent of her blood as she slumped herself down between my spines. Once she was on, I reared, wings outstretched, reaching hundreds of feet across the compound. Launching myself upward, I was airborne.
As I gained height, I felt that twinge in my head again. A high ringing that shook my focus loose like a screw vibrating out of place. From the agonizing attack came a voice. A woman’s voice…
You can’t run, she said in a language long buried in my past.
36
Draven
. . .
I burst through the doors of the estate, disheveled, bleeding, and still hot with anger. And, for the first time in centuries, I felt afraid. It struck me with the force of a hurricane when I felt Everly go limp in my arms. Her body had lost its warmth. Her skin had become ashy during the flight and her breath was barely noticeable at times, even to me. I dropped to my knees on the marble floor of the foyer, worried that if I walked any further I’d lose her.
I shouted for Keera as I set Everly down gently, watching as her head fell back like a doll’s, colorless and heavy. I looked at her, eyes wide and unblinking and I felt my connection with her withering like a dying plant. As soon as I’d gotten to the estate, I healed what I could of her wounds, but one of the bullets was still inside. Her blood was everywhere. On my bare chest, my hands, and now on the floor. Now she was cold. She wasn’t even shivering anymore.
Keera came running down the stairs, attendants on her heels, while Lukan burst through the door behind me with Valentyne.
Keera dropped to the floor beside Everly, peeling away her dress as quickly as she could while Amear sprinted to get something to clean her up. Beneath Everly’s clothes, the blood painted her skin red. I saw the colors quieting inside her with the Archon’s sight still lingering from my transformation. Her heart barely pulsed. Her blood ran sluggishly through her veins and her energy was growing mute and dim.
“Can you heal her?” Lukan asked.
“I did,” I replied. “But she needs blood.”
“Your blood,” Keera said urgently. “You’re her sire. You can give it to her.”
“In his state?” Valentyne said. “He could kill her. He needs to calm down.”
Lukan touched my shoulder, his serene energy feeding into me like ice on hot metal. “Draven, you need to calm down. Keera can’t even put a needle in your vein like this and even if she could, your blood could kill Everly. It doesn’t matter if she’s an Ashling or not. Calm. Down.”
Realizing I was shaking with wrath and worry, I tried to let it all burn out. I felt Lukan’s presence douse the raging flames and closed my eyes, taking long, deep breaths, all the while feeling Everly’s dead weight in my arms. I needed to let the fire subside.
After a few more long inhales, I opened my eyes, watching as the maddening colors faded and I could see things simply again. Everly’s red blood on the floor. Her pale flesh. Keera’s quick hands sorting through a tray of supplies. She found a large hypodermic needle and prepared it with nimble fingers.
I felt Everly’s breath grow even fainter. Her heartbeat slipped further away from me with each passing second. How long had it been since I last heard it? Five seconds? Ten? Thirty? Keera motioned for my arm and without the patience to be gentle, plunged the needle straight into a faintly glowing vein. Pulling back the plunger, she extracted a large dose of blood, filling the barrel with as much as it would hold before pulling the needle free.
I watched Keera slip the needle into the crease of Everly’s elbow. As my blood filtered into her, a ripple of soft, gold light branched out through her skin. I watched it travel up her arm and scatter like roots across her chest. When it poured over her heart, everyone stopped breathing, waiting to see some sign that either the transfusion was working, or I had just killed her.
It took an agonizing few seconds more before I heard Everly’s heart thump inside her chest. I let out a breath and closed my eyes again, hanging my head with relief.
“She needs more,” Keera said softly, “but that little bit will keep her alive for at least a while.”
“Take more,” I offered.
Keera nodded, looking up at Lukan. “Take her to a room where we can do a transfusion,” she said.
Lukan nodded, bending to scoop Everly’s still limp body from my arms. I didn’t want to let her go, but she would be safer in his arms while I continued to fall from the high I’d been experiencing since I set that torture chamber ablaze. I watched as Lukan carried the doll-like Everly up the stairs and soon I followed. Keera trailed close behind while Amear retrieved more medical supplies for the transfusion.
* **
Slumped in a leather chair, one foot on the edge of the mattress, I traced Everly’s sleeping face with my eyes over and over again. She was tucked under a down-filled comforter, one arm still outstretched atop the covers where one of the bags Keera had filled with my blood hung above, a small tube trailing to the needle in Everly’s vein. Her breath was so quiet, but her heart was beating. She’d gained back her color. That warm, fair shade that made her look angelic on bright, moonlit nights. Knowing she’d slipped so close to death made my skin cold, but knowing my blood brought her back somehow chased the chill away. I could feel her more deeply than ever.
When the door opened and shook me from my thoughts, I looked up to see Lukan. He’d changed into a cotton shirt and jeans while I still sat in clothes caked in dried blood and soot. He waved me over and as I stood, Keera walked in with some fresh cloths in hand for Everly. I let her pass, accompanying Lukan into the hall.
“You should clean up,” Lukan said, closing the door behind him. “Keera will watch her.”
I nodded, though the reluctance to leave Everly’s side was strong. As if he sensed my hesitation, Lukan placed a hand on my shoulder and assured me with a lift of his brows. Taking a deep breath, I turned and began up the stairs, rubbing an onset of tension from my face.
I withdrew to my quarters, closing the door behind me and sliding the small lock atop the doorknob into place. With Everly downstairs recovering, I needed a moment to process everything that had transpired that night. I stripped off my pants, dropping them lazily to the floor, and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. I submerged myself in the steaming water, leaning forward with one hand on the wall as the stream washed the grime off my skin.
I could feel Everly in the silence of my solitude. Her gentle pulse whispered through my veins. Her quiet breathing echoed in my ears. Carefully stretching my stressed body, I let the filth of the rebel compound whirl down the drain. Once I’d scrubbed away all remnants of that place, I stepped out, drying myself off and slipping into a comfortable pair of pants and a thin, black t-shirt. Still exhausted by my own thoughts, I laid myself atop the sheets of my bed and stared up at the stone ceiling. Sleep came without warning.
When I woke, it was to a gentle knocking at my door. I took a breath into my lungs and swung my feet over the edge of my mattress and onto the floor. Rubbing my eyes, I took a glance at my window where the red curtains were peeled back just enough to see that it was midday outside.
I rose to my feet, walking on heavy limbs to the door. Opening it, I found Keera standing with her hands locked loosely in front of her. She flashed a gentle smile up at me and I swung the door open wider for her to enter.
“I know you’re not used to being this worried,” she said, walking as quietly as if she were fl
oating. She made her way to my leather sofa and took a seat. “So I’ll talk you through it.”
I wasn’t used to Keera being so bold as to enter my room or anyone else’s without an obvious invite, but here she was. A little pixie with a sweet face and a clear purpose.
I’d never seen Keera as anything special, despite Lukan’s undying devotion to her. With my emotions tilted in uncontrollable directions, Keera had immediately stepped in to take charge of her care. Watching her concern herself over Everly, I sensed a more complex side of her that I never understood before. A piece of me began to see why Lukan kept her close. Her kindness was a stark contrast to the bitter, hateful, violent Draak that made up most of my kind. When I recalled Lukan’s potent emotions before meeting her, I realized she was the gentle warmth that balanced him out, making him the level, calm character he was now.
Post war, most Draak were lucky to find peace so quickly. I developed an appreciation for her in that fleeting few minutes.
“Amear is watching over Everly,” she said. “Lukan took Valentyne to the compound where you and Everly were being held to see if there is anything else to be done.”
Part of me wanted to be with them, but I couldn’t imagine leaving the manor while Everly was still recovering. I looked up from my thoughts as Keera was glancing around the room like she’d never seen it. When she caught my gaze, she smiled.
“Is there anything else?” I asked.
“Yes, actually,” she said. “It’s a little more personal I suppose, if you don’t mind.” I nodded, waiting to hear what Keera wanted to say. She shifted, sitting herself down on the sofa. “Everly Ghlass, despite how she came into your life, may be the best thing that’s happened to you on this world.”
“And how would you know that?” I quirked.
“Because you’re not angry. After what’s happened, you’re not out tearing the world apart. You’re here and your thoughts are on her. I’ve always believed your aggression wasn’t all that you were. You’re something more underneath it all and she seems to have brought that out in you.” She lowered her gaze, reaching into the pocket of her sweater, and held out her closed fist. “I also wanted to give you this.”
Ash Bringer (A Storm of Fire: Paranormal Dragonshifter Romance Book 1) Page 29
