Page 60 of Here Be Dragons

Then Elana’s, “For god’s sake, Seth! Put on some pants.”

It all had me smiling to myself despite the severity of the situation. All these people were here for me. They cared whether I won or not. If I slept for a century, many of them wouldn’t be here when I woke.

Elana, Mateo, Sybil, and most important of all, Carly, would be gone. Maybe Seth too, since I wouldn’t be awake to encourage him to break those stupid EA rules and extend his life, though he might do it for Liam. And if Seth was gone, Liam might follow his mate into oblivion.

If I didn’t win this right now, this might be the last time I heard any of their voices.

And Carly. Would Emmett claim her instead? Would he share his lifespan with her, or would he let her age and then die? I didn’t think I could ever see them together and not feel murderous rage.

Fuck! I had to focus. I had to win.

If not for me, then for my friends and my mate.

A portal opened up a few yards in front of me, and a manticore and a gargoyle silently flew through it. The darkness of night was our ally, hiding us from the enemy.

“Be careful,” I warned quietly, using the link to avoid giving their presence away. “Don’t engage directly. They are strong. Use stealth.”

They might have wings, but they were still land creatures. I did not want to fish my friends out of the water because they’d drowned. Imagine that. A dragon with real friends.

I flew toward the boat and waited, my eyes on Gillisandra, who was still thrashing about in the net, trying to break free. A tiny glowing object caught my eye. The compass! It was hanging around her neck from a chain.

There was a commotion in the vicinity of the boat, followed by loud splashing. Above Gillisandra, Eamon puffed out of existence and then reformed into his normal shape. Gillisandra stopped struggling, the net holding her perfectly still. Her magic casters were temporarily out of commission, and that meant Seth and Sybil’s net was finally strong enough to hold her.

“Get the compass!” I yelled to Eamon. “It’s around her neck.”

He darted in quickly, snatching the compass and yanking it off its chain. Gillisandra might be immobilized, but she could still breathe fire. She directed an angry stream of flames at the demon. Eamon dematerialized, making his body into smoke. The fire went through him, but he still yelped in pain. Dragon fire was one of the few things that could hurt a demon.

As he flew toward me, I saw that his hand, which was still around the compass, was smoking. He hadn’t been able to dematerialize it, or he would have had nothing with which to hold the compass.

The second he tossed the compass to me, he plunged his hand into the water. It sizzled as it cooled.

Compass in hand, I dove again to the ocean floor, following the needle.

Suddenly there was a sound of something being knocked over, followed by several cries of “Sybil!” and “Seth!”

Moments later, Carly’s voice came through the link. “Instead of attacking the net, their wizards or whoever sent a shock wave through it. It knocked Seth and Sybil back. It was only one second, but it was enough for Gillisandra to break through. She’s coming after you.”

Sure enough, I glanced behind me, and saw Gillisandra was on her way down. Being sleeker and slimmer, she was also the faster swimmer by far.

“You can do this, Desmon,” Carly said. “I believe in you. Get that artifact, win the competition, and I’ll be all yours.”

I reached the ocean floor with renewed hope in my heart. I swam in a circle, watching the needle, finding the exact position it wanted me to be in. There was nothing there but sand.

Fuck! It must be buried underneath it.

I shoved my claws into the sand and started digging, but Gillisandra was fast approaching. I was also running out of air. I ignored the tightness in my chest and continued clawing at the sand, which only drifted back into the hole with every swish of the water.

Something metallic caught my eye.

It was very dark on the ocean floor at night, but in my dragon form I had immaculate night vision. Just as I reached for it, sharp teeth clamped down around my tail and yanked me back.

I whipped my head around and snapped my jaws at Gillisandra’s face, catching her cheek. She released my tail, and our blood clouded the water. Her claw caught me in the chest, pinning me to the sand and knocking the last of the air from my lungs.

The glint in Gillisandra’s eyes betrayed her plan. She wasn’t after the artifact. She was going to drown me. Then she’d win by default.

“Why is it taking so long?” Carly’s voice was tinged with worry. “He’s been down there for a long time.”

I struggled under Gillisandra’s claw. She had the advantage; she still had air, having made it down here much faster than I had.

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