Page 91 of Cursed

With the loss of Drake’s dragon, Rourke shifts and glances back at me. “Did you destroy his dragon? For good?”

“I think so.” I shake with the energy building up inside me. I have too much. And I’m afraid of sending my mates any more. I worry if I falter, I will explode.

Rourke partially shifts his hand and brings his claws up under his father’s throat. While Quade keeps the older male still with his hold, Rourke snarls in his father’s face, “You don’t deserve to live. But it might be a sweeter justice to have you suffer without your dragon or your magic. To be exactly everything you feared to become. What shall it be? Hmm?”

Drake glares at his son. “You haven’t won. I did what was needed. Magic is dying, and I wasn’t about to die with it.”

“Pathetic. You solved nothing but only served yourself.” Rourke steps back, his lip curling in disgust. “What a waste.” He turns to look at me, likely weighing if he should kill his father.

Drake snatches up a discarded knife from an earlier skirmish. He slings it at Rourke’s back.

It happens so fast, no one is able to use our magic in time to knock the knife off course.

The blade pierces Rourke’s back and into his lungs—maybe even his heart. He staggers, coughs up blood, and falls to his knees.

Calling upon his last reserve of strength, Rourke spins and slams his clawed hand into Drake’s chest, killing his father. Then Rourke collapses on the ground, unmoving.

Quade snaps down and twists, breaking Drake’s neck and ensuring the dragon is dead.

I race forward to get to Rourke and call for Arden. “Please help him!”

He’s alive but barely holding on.

“I’ve never healed anything like this!” my druid cries out and hesitates before attempting to pull the knife out.

“Wait!” Branden rushes forward. “Removing it before you’re ready is a bad idea.”

I hold Arden’s hand. “I will feed you my magic. You use it to mend him.”

He nods and takes a deep breath.

I’m shaking with my fear of losing Rourke and from too much power coursing through me. In my frazzled state, I might not be able to control how much I let go.

What if I hurt them?

Landis hears my worries. “Remember, you are a powerful mage. A goddess among us. You can do this.”

Yes, I am strong enough to do this. I send Arden my energy, too slowly at first, then give him more until he trembles with the power too.

Branden removes the blade and licks the wound, sealing the puncture closed so Rourke won’t bleed out while Arden works. Rourke is so far gone that he doesn’t even feel the aphrodisiac hit him.

Quade is now in human form, and blood coats his entire body. I don’t even know how much of it is his own and how much is our enemies’ blood.

I sway.

The world spins.

Quade rushes to my side, catching me.

Branden lifts my shirt and sees that the blood on my clothes is actually mine. He places a hand on my sternum, over my heart, and curses. “She’s lost a ton of blood.”

We hear Rourke cough. I glance down to see him sitting up and spitting up the blood accumulated in his lungs.

“Rourke?” I say weakly, reaching my hand out, but I can’t do more than that.

His eyes widen when he sees my battered condition. “Shayla?”

I’m pleased when I see him able to stand up. Gracelessly, but he can. He’s going to be okay.

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