Page 89 of Dragon Unhinged

Declan, brother, please. Talk to me. Look at me. Give me some sign that I don’t have to put you down.

His head whips around, even as he continues to run.

I want to take that as a sign that he’s not entirely lost, but his eyes don’t look like his own. He looks empty, wild with insanity,and the velocity he throws himself off the roof with just goes to confirm how out of control he and his dragon are at the moment.

I run after him, listening for a crash, but just before I leap off the roof myself, I see his hulking form catch enough lift to rise on his broken wings.

He’s not flying smoothly, each flap of his wings causing him to drop a bit before rising again, but he’s airborne, and I don’t know that there’s anything I can do to stop him.

All I can do is keep pace, watching him, hoping he’s going to make it anywhere that’s less populated, anywhere that I might be able to force him to the ground and try to reason with him.

I project out to any dragons who might be listening, especially focused on Pru,Tell Ash I’ll bring him home. We’re not losing another family member to Grey’s bullshit vendetta against our clan. Tell Syrena to do whatever the fuck she can to find his mate.

It’s not a lot, and I’m sure Ash will have my scales for losing sight of Declan in the first place, but at least I’m with him.

At least my brother isn’t alone in this.

It takes longerthan it should for us to clear Miami airspace, and as he flies up the eastern coastline of the U.S. I can’t help wonder what’s going on in his mind, if there’s any scrap of my brother in there anymore, or if all that’s left is the dragon or just rage, sorrow, and destruction.

Somewhere around South Carolina, I prod again with my mind, hoping he’ll respond to me, dragon to dragon.

Declan, you have to stop this. You’re in no shape to be flying. If you go down, not even a lost city of Larimars would save you.

Mate. Missing. Need.The three staccato words make my heart leap.

He’s still in there, even if he’s mostly just his baser nature now. If there’s even a chance we can bring him back, I’m going to hold onto it as long as I can. I still can’t believe he’s been able to fly, let alone as long as he has been. His adrenaline and rage must be carrying him.

I know. But we need to land. You need to shift back. Syrena’s going to find her. Syrena and Ash are going to bring her and your baby home.

I hope against hope that the reminder that he’s going to be a father, that he’s going to have a family of his own, is enough for him to cling to sanity a little longer.

Not claimed. Need mate.

Two-word sentences. We’re getting somewhere, however slowly, I’m sure of it.

I know. Show me her. Show me your mate.

I have no idea what kind of images he might project, and I have to hope it’s not a greatest hits of the two of them fucking, but at this point, any sign that he’s still there is worth it. I’ll just look away instead of seeing my future sister-in-law naked or my brother fucking her.

Instead of doing what I asked, he shouts in my head,MINE!before veering off further out over the ocean.

Fuck. Clearly that wasn’t the right tactic. Ash should be here or Krystana. Anyone but me.

I follow him and focus on the little bits of interaction I got to have with Brianna before she disappeared. I project an image of her in the passenger seat of the car they showed up in, looking almost shy as we all surrounded the car.

Her small smile, the way she gripped his hand, every detail I can remember, every detail I can think of, to try to keep him grounded, to keep him focused on the fact that hehasa mate.

Brianna.The sound of her name coming from my brother sounds like a prayer, and I double down on the image I’m thinking of, focusing on her face, her eyes, her lips, the way I saw her looking at him.

I make sure to keep him in the image too, just in case he flips out, thinking there was any chance at all she was looking at anyone else like that or that I’m looking at her in any other way than a sister.

There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s head over heels in love with him, and the way he’s losing his shit at not having her, I need him to remember those feelings. Those moments.

Everything he shares with her.

You found her even in your worst moments, brother. Don’t let go of that now. Hold onto her. Hold onto yourself, for her.

It’s the only thing I think might help him. He’s clearly not going to hold onto his sanity for me, for any of our brothers, even our sister. He needs her, and I really fucking hope Syrena and her witch friends can find her before it’s too late.

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