Page 64 of Fae Exile

“Uh, guys?” West said. “We’ve got another problem. A massive one.” His voice uncommonly panicked, he amended, “Shit. Several massive problems.”

Reluctant to look away from the dragon who was pulling its one hind leg through the hole, slicing mercilessly into its scales as it did so, I retreated so that my back was to a wall, a more or less clear shot from there to the tunnels or the entrance to the vast throne room, whichever would be the safest bet at escape.

Then I glanced toward West—and my heart skipped a beat before thundering at a gallop. “Oh no.”

Four more heads were poking through shifting, widening holes in the floor. One dragon, with rust-colored scales, was busting through the floor at alarming speeds.

“Run,” I bellowed. “Through the front. Now! Let’s go, let’s go!”

West, Ryder, and Hiroshi obeyed instantly, jumping over hurdles as if they were running an obstacle course.

The rust-colored dragon roared, the force of it vibrating across the entire length of my body.

The blue one echoed its warning, setting off another round of quivers that seemed to rattle my very bones.

More stone crumbled and shattered. More dragons groaned and shuddered as they forged a way in.

But we were nearly at the double doors I’d walked through what felt like a million times under much pomp and circumstance. A part of me couldn’t believe the queen was leaving her precious throne room to ruin.

Sword in hand, I pumped my arms and legs, ruing how ridiculously long the space was.

Finally skidding to a stop in front of the doors, I turned to make sure my brothers were there too. They ran only a few steps behind me. Three of the dragons were fully out, stomping around or climbing onto downed pillars.

But my attention was no longer on any of them.

My chest squeezed as if one of the massive creatures sat on me, crushing my insides. For several torturous moments,I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but gape, my heart stuttering.

From beyond the open threshold, Ryder yanked my arm, tugging me toward him. “Rush, what’s the holdup? We gotta move...”

Ryder froze beside me before growling fiercely. “Fuck!”

West popped his head back in through the doors. “What is it now?”

But once they all saw, we wasted a moment we didn’t have to spare to gawk.

Thereshewas.

The entirety of the Sorumbra was supposed to separate her from the queen who didn’t know she’d survived.

But even with her back turned toward me, every part of my being knew it was her.

Elowyn.

My mate.

Without reason or explanation, she was here, standing atop a mound of rubble. Two partially downed pillars framed her form while she faced the blown-out wall of windows.

As more dragons crawled up from whatever depths they’d come from, all on their own, my feet moved toward her.

Her head swung left and right as she attempted to make sense of her sudden new surroundings. “Xeno? No, no, no, no,Xeno!”

My heart, the organ I’d believed to be a bloody pulp that scarcely worked anymore after what I’d done, squeezed as if she’d been the one to stabmein its center.

Her first thoughts were of him.

Not of me.

What the dragonfire did you expect, Rush? She believes you betrayed her.

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