“My sister,” I spat as the jets peeled off at the sight of a dragon emerging into their midst.

The dragon came at us, its scales a slightly darker crimson compared to the bright scarlet of my own beast. With its jaws opened wide, it breathed a stream of fire directly into our path.

“Hold on!” I shouted yet again, folding my wings back in before dropping us like a stone once again. This time, I held it, giving us time.

“I need you to climb onto my back!” I said as my wingtips bit into the air once more, slowing our fall. “I can’t fight her like this. I must shift!”

Elanya’s eyes were wide, the whites of them showing as fear at my proposal took hold.

“But …”

“You must!” I roared over the howling wind. “Do it now!”

I held her by the waist as we soared in a straight line, an unmoving, easy target as Jaklin stooped on us with a vengeance.

Despite her terror, Elanya scurried over my shoulders, my hands always there for a grip until she was riding my neck like a witch on a broom in the movies.

“Here we go!”

I shifted in midair. Even for a dragon, the proposition wasn’t an especially smart one. If done from high enough up, control could be regained in time. Usually. But there was always the chance a wind shear would come along and rip the wing before the shifter had had enough time to settle into the new body. It only took a second or two, but at these heights, that was enough.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen to us. The only thing we had to worry about was—

“Shit,” I muttered, banking hard left as Jaklin came screeching down at us. Her head whipped around on the long neck, and fire singed my belly, melting several scales.

“You can’t do this!” she shouted.

“You’re insane!” I snarled back. “You just killed the human in that jet!”

“I’ll kill their entire race!” she cried. “Useless humans! They desire to die after what they did. All of them! How dare you breed one of them!”

“Jaklin! You have to stop this and stop it now! You’re insane.”

She whipped around and came after us, her wings beating hard. I shot a stream of fire at her, forcing her to veer off and gather herself for another strike. In the distance, the human jets watched. I could sense their anger at the loss of one of their comrades. It was surprising they hadn’t struck back yet.

They’re waiting to see what happens. Hoping maybe they can learn something.

The course of our fight had swung us around until we were now flying nearly parallel with the border. I had to steer that back on track. It was imperative we didn’t leave any DNA behind for the humans to study. They already had some from Vicek, but I wasn’t about to give them anymore.

“What are you doing?” Elanya shouted as I avoided the next two attacks, dodging them just in time while carrying us closer to the border.

“Trying to get us into dragon territory,” I explained.

“Not that! I mean, why aren’t you fighting back? You’re just letting her do this!”

“She’s family,” I said stubbornly, watching the jets as they circled and tried to herd us back away from the river.

“I know.” Elanya’s voice was softer. “But, Damon, she doesn’t seem to be making that particular distinction right about now. She’s trying to kill me. And I don’t think she’ll be too upset if that means you die, too.”

“I—”

My snout slammed shut just as Jaklin whirled around and launched a fireball at my face. I whipped to the left, then back to the right as my sister’s second attack, her true attack, came sizzling through the space Elanya and I had just occupied.

“Jaklin!” I roared. “Enough of this. Stop it.”

“I loved him!” she half-screamed, half-sobbed. “And that bitch’s people took him from me. Now, they’re taking you. You love them, you traitor. You put a baby in her, and you expect me to let it live? Never!”

My frustration was swept aside in a surge of fury. She wanted to harm my child. To kill it.