Not exactly sure how she was supposed to let the ‘magic flow through’ her, Rya half expected to have to use her own powers to get things jump-started.
But even as she struggled to block out the sounds of Torque’s curses and the stench of burnt flesh, a torrent of magic cascaded through her hand that Levet was still holding.
“Sacre bleu,” the tiny demon rasped, his wings fluttering and his tail stuck straight out.
Rya understood his misery. She didn’t have a tail, but her hair felt as if it was standing on end as she shuddered at the vast amount of power pouring into her.
She felt like a balloon about to burst.
Release it, Rya, her mother ordered, her sharp tone snapping Rya out of her stunned befuddlement.
Damn. She was wasting precious time.
Tugging away from Levet, she turned, her heart halting at the sight of Torque, who had inched his way toward the female dragon despite the burns on his chest and down his arm. Ravel didn’t look much better. Her face was wounded and her robe charred in several places.
Worse, they were clearly in a losing battle as Blayze lifted her hands as she prepared to send another volley of fireballs.
Determined not to waste another second, she didn’t bother to move toward the others. It didn’t matter how close she was, so long as she could see where she wanted the magic to go.
Lifting her hand, she focused solely on her newly discovered sister, whispering a small thank you to her mother before she unleashed the power.
She gasped, not prepared for the sensation of the magic being wrenched out of her and hurtling across the room.
Damn. She’d thought it had been bad having the magic shoved into her. It was worse having it yanked out of her.
Gritting her teeth, Rya continued to concentrate on the female dragon who staggered backward as the power surrounded her with a golden glow. At first, nothing happened. Well, nothing beyond the fact that her fire was extinguished, which sent a flare of relief through Rya.
Then the glow began to spread and condense around Blayze, coating her in a thick layer of magic.
An eerie silence filled the cavern as they all watched the young dragon’s eyes widen. Not with pain. No, it was just the opposite.
The pale eyes were filled with astonishment as the spell eased her panic, and soothed the fear that Rya sensed had been her sister’s constant companion for as long as she’d been cursed.
Rya was briefly pleased at the thought that she’d managed to give the female a feeling of relief. Then a tragic expression of vulnerability touched Blayze’s face, and with a tiny cry she pitched forward as her knees gave way. She was unconscious before she ever hit the ground.
Lowering her hand, Rya felt her connection to her mother being abruptly severed as Levet swayed and tumbled backward in exhaustion.
Rya just had time to see Torque turning to race toward her before she joined the others on the floor, her legs collapsing beneath her as she hit the ground with a jarring thud.
***
Torque ignored the raw burns that were seared over his chest and down his arm. It wasn’t the first time he’d endured the agony of dragon-fire. And it probably wouldn’t be the last.
Unfortunately.
Right now all that mattered was getting to Rya.
Reaching her just as she hit the floor, he grimaced as he crouched beside her. She’d clearly expended too much magic. Dammit. And while he was happy as hell not to be reduced to a pile of scorched bones by the crazed female dragon, he was aggravated that Rya had dangerously drained herself to complete exhaustion.
With gentle care, he gathered her in his arms, tugging her onto his lap.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m not sure.” She wrinkled her nose, her body trembling as she reached up to touch his wounds. “What about you?”
“I’ll survive,” he assured her. Her touch was feather-light but it still sent a shiver of pleasure through him. “Thanks to you.”
There was a sound of distress from across the cavern, warning Torque that the younger dragon might be magically catatonic, but the mother was very much awake, and not particularly happy.
“What have you done?” Ravel rasped, kneeling beside her unconscious daughter.
Torque tightened his arms protectively around Rya as Ravel glared at them with blatant suspicion.
The female had smoke curling from her nose and sparks of fire in her eyes. One wrong step and she would finish what her daughter started.
“I channeled my mother’s magic,” Rya explained, her voice weary as her attention turned toward her sister. “It won’t hurt Blayze, but it will keep her sedated.”
A portion of the older dragon’s smoldering frustration eased, but her power continued to prickle in the air, making the thick mist that surrounded them swirl in a dizzying pattern.
“For how long?” Ravel demanded.
Rya shook her head. “I’m not sure. I’ve seen grown orcs sleep for days.”
Ravel glanced down at her daughter. The young dragon looked oddly peaceful as she lay on the ground, the darkness that had pulsed around her fully muted for the moment.
“A potent magic,” she murmured.
“Yes,” Rya readily agreed, her pride in her mother obvious.
“It gives me time to repair the damage the creatures did,” she murmured, speaking to herself.
Without warning, Rya was pulling out of his grasp and trying to stand. Instantly he was on his feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“Lean on me. You’re still weak,” he murmured, not mentioning the fact he had a fierce need to feel her warmth pressed against him.
For a few terrible moments he’d thought they all might be killed by Blayze. He needed to reassure himself that she was alive and relatively unharmed.
“What about moi?” the gargoyle intruded, shoving himself upright with a pout on his ugly face. “I was the trans-meter maid. Look.” He spun around, his tail twitching. “My wings are singed.”
Torque scowled. He didn’t know what the creature was babbling about, and he didn’t care.
His attention was locked on the dragon as she rose gracefully to her feet and held a hand in their direction.
“You must go.”
Torque parted his lips to agree. Rya, of course, had to argue.
It was as predictable as the sun rising in the east.
“No. My mother is still here,” she said. “I can’t leave without her.”
Ravel glanced toward her sleeping daughter. “Once I have Blayze fully protected by my magic I will attempt to send her to you.”
“But—”
Torque overrode her protest. “Rya.”
Ravel might not be as unstable as Torque had originally feared, but she was a full-blooded dragon with a volatile temperament. It wouldn’t take much for her to decide she’d had enough.
Rya sent him a fierce glare. “My mother needs me.”
He turned her to face him, gazing deep into her eyes. “I need you, Rya.”
An elusive emotion rippled over her face, as if his words had touched her. Then she lifted her arm to place light fingers against his cheek.
“Please,” she pleaded softly. “I can’t abandon her.”
He reached up, covering her fingers with his larger hand.
“Think, Rya. If your mother is as terrifying as the gargoyle seems to believe, she’ll have me castrated if she learns I didn’t take you to safety when I had the chance,” he said with a rueful smile.
Her lips parted, but she couldn’t argue. Which only emphasized Torque’s belief he was going to have to walk on eggshells when he finally had the pleasure of meeting the formidable Kai.
A worry for another day.
A sudden heat rushed through the air, the swirling mist directly behind them parting to reveal a gaping portal.
Dragon-magic.
“I’ve opened a gateway,” Ravel said, her tone stern. “You must leave now.”
&nbs
p; “He is right, ma belle,” Levet murmured, for once not making Torque want to choke him. “It is time to go.”
She heaved a sigh. As if she was about to concede defeat. Then, without warning, the opening in the mist abruptly widened and the smell of sulfur filled the air.
“What’s happening?” Rya demanded.
Ravel made a sound of impatience. “Did you interfere with the gateway?”
Torque frowned at the accusation. “Rya can barely stand, let alone manipulate your magic.”
“Someone is trying to…” Ravel hissed in shock, making Torque pull away from Rya. He wanted room to maneuver if they were about to be attacked.
“What is it?” he rasped, allowing his flames to flicker over his body.
Ravel abruptly dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around her daughter.
“It’s Synge. He’s sensed the opening and he’s using his power to drag us out of here.”
“Shit.” Torque smothered his flames and once again gathered Rya in his arms. “Stay close.”
She shivered, her hair blowing back as a blast of searing energy wrapped around them.
“I don’t think Father is very happy,” she muttered.
He gave a sharp, humorless laugh, feeling as if his skin was about to be sucked off his body.
“You, my love, are a master of understatement,” he managed between clenched teeth.
The magic thickened until there was no way to battle against the force yanking them through the opening.
A blinding heat seared over them, and still holding Rya tightly in his arms, he felt them cross from one dimension to another.
Once again he was reminded that traveling from world to world wasn’t like a gentle stroll through the usual portal. No. It was like being roughly wrenched through the air by a giant hand.
Prepared for the awkward landing, Torque managed to remain upright. Beside him, Rya grunted, grabbing him around the waist to keep her balance. Torque grimaced, the pain from his wounds raw enough to yank the air from his lungs. And worse, the burns had been caused by a dragon, so they would take longer than usual to heal.
He had a brief second to glance around their new surroundings. A shudder of relief raced through him. He recognized the massive room that had golden tapestries hung on the walls that displayed violent battle scenes, and a crimson rug spread across the stone floor.
At the far end was an elaborately carved throne set on a high dais and surrounded by a number of half-naked females sprawled on large pillows. More servants and guards were spread throughout the chamber. Some half-breed dragons, some fey, and even a few vampires, but no matter their species, they were all dressed in green and gold uniforms with the emblem of a lightning bolt on their upper chest.
Synge.
Torque’s gaze at last landed on Rya’s father, who was standing in the center of the room.
The full-blooded dragon was a large, brutish man with black hair that was buzzed short, and eyes the color of polished silver. At the moment he was wearing leather pants and a matching vest that revealed the handful of tattoos that moved over his skin with a metallic beauty. They couldn’t compare to his son’s. Baine collected knowledge, while his father preferred a more tangible treasure.
There was a low growl behind him, and Torque turned his head to see Ravel slowly lowering her unconscious daughter to the ground. She obviously wasn’t nearly as pleased as Torque was to be in the dragon’s lair.
With a last glance to ensure her daughter hadn’t been wakened by the violent transport between dimensions, Ravel straightened and headed across the lush rug with determined strides, not halting until she was standing directly in front of Synge.
Then, with what Torque could only assume was a death wish, she lifted a hand and slapped the male across the face.
“How dare you?” she rasped. “You’ve ruined everything.”
The entire room gasped in horror, a few of the guards stepping forward as a halo of fire surrounded Synge. But even as Torque prepared to toss Rya over his shoulder and make a run for it, the flames faltered. And the most astonishing thing happened.
Synge’s cruel features softened and his hand shook as he reached out to lightly touch his attacker’s cheek.
“Ravel?” he breathed. “Is it truly you?”
Ravel’s lips flattened, but she made no effort to pull away from his touch. “Obviously.”
“But…” Synge’s words trailed away as his gaze drifted toward the unconscious female who Ravel had laid on the floor. “Blayze?”
Disbelief and something oddly vulnerable darkened the male’s silver eyes to smoke as Synge studied his daughter. But when he took an impulsive step toward the female, Ravel blocked his path.
“Stop,” she commanded, her hand placed in the center of Synge’s broad chest. “I won’t let you hurt her.”
With surprisingly gentle care, Synge grasped the female dragon by her shoulders and moved her out of his path. Then with measured steps he prowled to stand over his daughter.
“The curse is gone,” he breathed in wonder, only to give a slow shake of his head, his brows drawing together. “No. It’s being contained by a Shinto spell.” His head turned as he glanced toward Rya for the first time since their dramatic entrance. “Yours?”
Rya shook her head. “No. Mother’s.”
“Ah.” The male’s attention returned to Blayze as he crouched down beside her. He stretched out a hand to touch her hair that spilled over the carpet like a river of ebony. “Amazing.”
Ravel made a sound of distress as she rushed forward. “No,” she cried in a harsh voice. “Don’t touch her.”
The perpetual frown returned to Synge’s brow as he watched Ravel lower herself next to their daughter, her body angled to block him from the sleeping female.
“I don’t intend to hurt you or our daughter, Ravel,” he muttered.
“You allowed her to be sentenced to death,” Ravel reminded him in sharp tones.
Genuine pain twisted his blunt features. Torque arched his brows in shock. Until this moment he would have sworn that Synge was a hard-hearted, pitiless savage who had the emotional depth of a gnat.
Certainly he’d never shown any concern for Baine or his brothers.
But now it was obvious that Synge had bottled his feelings deep inside when he’d lost his mate and child.
“I truly thought it would be kinder to Blayze to allow her to die. How could I condemn her to an eternity of pain?” he asked, a raw guilt throbbing in his voice. “I loved her.”
Ravel’s ferocious expression slowly eased.
“I know,” she conceded.
“But the moment you disappeared from my lair I regretted my decision.” The two dragons shared a glance that spoke of a long, intimate relationship. “I desperately tried to find you, but my soldiers told me they’d witnessed your death.” His shudder shook the entire lair. “I should have recalled your ability to create illusions.”
Ravel leaned toward him so she could rest her hand on her mate’s broad shoulder.
“Synge, let us go,” she pleaded. “I’ll disappear with our daughter and—”
“No. Not again.”
His thunderous voice carried through the lair, making his servants back nervously away. Torque tried to tug Rya toward the nearby exit, only to have her dig in her heels. Typical.
And annoying as hell.
Ravel surged upright, her eyes glowing with power. “I’ll fight,” she warned.
Wriggling out of his arms, Rya took a half dozen steps toward her father before Torque could grasp her shoulders and yank her back.
“Stop,” he commanded, fear clenching his stomach.
He didn’t believe Synge would intentionally hurt Rya, but no one was truly safe around a pissed-off dragon.
She struggled against his firm hold. “I can’t let him hurt my sister.”
He muttered a curse. “We’re going to have a long talk about your habit of rushing into danger.”
Sh
e sent him a warning glare. “Or maybe we’ll discuss your habit of trying to tell me what I can or can’t do.”
“Only a fool stands between angry dragons,” he hissed, nodding toward Ravel, who had a shimmer of magic dancing around her as she prepared to shift. “Or mates.”
“Dammit, I’ve told you,” Synge snarled, straightening to face his furious consort without fear. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ravel.” He pressed his hand to the center of his broad chest. “I swear.”
Ravel shook her head. “I’m not worried about myself.”
Synge glanced down at Blayze, a profound regret simmering in his eyes.
“Our daughter is safe in my lair,” he swore.
“For now, perhaps,” Ravel said, still prepared to fight for the safety of her child. “The spell that contains her curse won’t last forever.”
“Kai can help,” Synge muttered, his head swiveling until he located Rya. “Where is your mother?”
Rya waved a hand toward the closed gateway. “She’s still lost in the lair. We have to rescue her.”
Synge glanced toward Ravel. “Can you make another opening?”
“No.” The female dragon gave a firm shake of her head. “When you pulled us out my magic was no longer there to keep the space open. It’s possible that it’s already beginning to collapse.”
Rya stiffened, her face draining of color. “Mother.”
“She’s still alive,” Synge abruptly announced, clearly still possessing a bond with his former courtesan. He waved a beefy hand toward a clutch of nervous fey standing in a corner. “I’ll have my servants find a way to reach her.”
The fairies and imps moved to stand in front of the closed gateway, murmuring together as they discussed how to open it.
Ravel made a sound of impatience as they instantly started to argue at the best way to begin. Rya released an equally annoyed growl.
“I’m not sure we have time for her to be located and brought here before Blayze wakens,” Ravel said.
“Call for Char,” Torque abruptly suggested, sending out a silent apology to his friend.
He would do whatever necessary to end the family drama so he could get Rya alone.
Char would understand.
Well, after he kicked Torque’s ass a time or two.
Dragons of Eternity Collection Page 33
