Page 73 of Cruel Daddy Dragon

My heart clenches when I hear it:wow… I know he’s said he loves me, but I’ve never heard him talk to other people about me like that before…

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Kaius replies, “But Milo has to stay, and that means only one other person can stay.”

“No. Youallneed to go,” I declare.

All of them stop arguing and stare at me.

“I don’t think I’ve made myself clear,” I state, “When I said I saw Cyrus and Evander getting killed by a huge number of Eclipse dragons, I mean, there was at least a dozen in my vision.”

“A dozen?!”Orion snaps, his voice as loud as I’ve ever heard it.

“More than ten, at least,” I answer darkly, “They… uh…”

The vision flashes before my eyes, and I shudder. Cyrus and Evander are soaring through the air, just flying easily. They don’t speak to each other, instead flying with frowns on their faces. It looks like whatever they’re flying from, it didn’t exactly go well. The sky is very clear, with barely a cloud in the sky. Just the smallest light wisps, shining a light peachy pink in the reddening sky. The sun is drifting quite low, not quite sunset, but not too far from becoming sunset either. There’s nothing else to be seen; they’re too high in the sky for me to see if they’re flying above a forest or civilization. It’s a very calm and peaceful image for a few moments.

Suddenly the air turns thick and dark with other swooping drakes, descending on Cyrus and Evander at speed and with force. It’s less of a fight and more like a gathering of piranhas swarming around some prey, ripping meat from bone. They all come in so quickly—one moment, the sky is clear, the next, it’s full of dragons. Cyrus fights well, Managing to rip one Eclipse dragon’s wing, throw another out of the sky, and rip one’s throat out, but he’s overwhelmed by the sheer number of attackers. Evander isn’t as lucky—one descends on him and has his limbs wrenched away by so many others that he can’t fight.

I at least don’t see their end. There are just too many Eclipse dragons surrounding them, like killer wasps swarming over prey. But I can see blood—on their mouths, claws, and dripping from the sky.

“Sarah?”

I jerk back. Milo, Orion, and Kaius are staring at me, and Rufus has stepped forward and put his hands on my shoulders.

“Sorry,” I grunt, “I was just… remembering.”

Rufus puts a hand on my face, a gentle look in his eye.

“I’m okay,” I assure him, and then clear my throat and take his hand off me before I look to the others, “A dozen Eclipse dragons and the ambush will be a bloodbath. There’s no way that even with the element of surprise, two of you will be enough. To be honest, I’d be worried even with four of you, but if you guys can figure out how to take out three each in a single attack before they figure out you’re there, then you can do it.”

“That’s going to be tough,” Orion grunts, “One, we can take out by surprise easily. Two, perhaps. Three each in one strike? That’s probably going to be tough to pull off.”

“Well, if you can take out two each, that might be enough to turn the tables,” I reply, “What I’m trying to say is that sending only two of you is a suicide mission. There are just too many of them, and your only option is to ambush the ambush.”

“What about Julie and Lena?” Kaius asks, “Who’s going to protect them?”

“I will,” I say strongly.

Again, there’s a pause among the four of them, and they exchange uneasy looks.

“I’ll take them somewhere safe,” I assure them, “Us girls will hunker down somewhere underground and lay low until you come to get us.”

“Sarah…” Rufus says to me, pained.

I look at him, smiling sympathetically.

“We don’t have a choice,” I say, “I mean, it’s not a good situation, but what are we going to do if Cyrus and Evander get killed?”

“She’s right,” Orion says, “If they kill our Alpha, we’re going to be in a hell of a lot more trouble than we’re already in. We just can’t let that happen.”

Orion looks at me.

“Do you think you could take them to the police station?”

“Absolutely,” I answer, “I’ll be sure to take them as far into the police station as I can.”

I look to Milo.

“There’s usually a medic in the station as well, so without you, Lena will still have some medical care, and if something happens, we can drive her to the hospital in a cruiser,” I tell him.

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