Page 176 of Her Tortured Beasts

There is a shout below as the wolves, likely hiding inside the castle until now, join the fight on land.

But they have four powerful felines to contend with, and neither Marduk, Yeti, or the most powerful tigress I know will be overcome by mere grunts, Lunaris wolves or not. But this means that the two previously occupied dragons, Francesca and Ragnar, are now free of their telekinetic shackles. And free to charge right for us.

Xander roars in challenge and charges right back. I tense to ready myself for impact, except Francesca, being smaller and more nimble, banks at the last second, the side of her wing skimming down Xander’s neck.

Sharp scales hit me as Xander banks away from her, and the force of the blow, combined with the inertia, sends me sliding down Xander’s side, my shoulder and arm blossoming with pain.

“Scythe, hold on!”Xander’s cavernous dragon’s voice is an emotional and psychic mallet into my head, and I scramble to keep my seat, my fingers getting cut on his scales.

Aurelia’s phoenix screech of panic is another sort of blow as her power picks me up and plonks me onto Xander’s back. Panting in relief, I settle back in place to see Savage pointing towards Flores and shouting something that’s lost to the crosswinds.

A high-pitched draconian roar of pain fills the air, and I turn in time to see Flores ripping a giant chunk out of Lady’s Drakos’ side. He swallows the flesh as Lady Drakos’ wings upend and she falls to the earth.

It’s then that Ragnar’s head crashes into Xander’s ribs, sending us careening in mid-air. From our other side, Francesca breathes fire right into Xander’s face, making him flip vertical. But Ragnar was prepared for this and sinks his teeth into Xander’s shank.

I grip onto Xander’s neck with all my power as roars fill the night air; I don’t know how we’re going to win this.

Aurelia’s sudden scream in my head makes light burst across my vision.

Chapter 99

Aurelia

My mates are being attacked on all fronts. Lyle is bleeding on land, Scythe is clutching onto Xander’s back for dear life, and my dragon has just been attacked by Ragnar, his teeth still deep into those blue-tinged black scales, tearing,rippinghis tough hide.

I see defeat. I feel fury, and I embody it.

The Wild Goddess knocks inside my head, a sound from deep within the earth.BOOM BOOM BOOM goes theancient sound, full of primal rage.

And this time, I answer.

The scream that tears from my lungs makes my throat bleed as it turns into a colossal, draconianroar.

Chapter 100

Lyle

Everything suddenly stops. Both on the ground and sky.

The remaining wolves all cease their fighting to look up. Ragnar abruptly lets Xander go, wheeling around. Francesca too stops her pursuit of the black dragon and spins around in surprise. Flores stops mid-dive and wheels around to stare. Even Lady Drakos rights herself where she lies on the grass and angles her head up.

All to look at my regina.

Aurelia, my angel of light, is growing in size, her crimson plumage darkening to a bright and terrible blue, and becoming something much harder and sharper. Her beak morphs into a muzzle full of sharp teeth. And herwings. Her wings reach out and grow to an impossible size, now strong with leathery skin and cartilage.

She opens her blessed, mighty mouth and roars fire right over Flores’ head.

Aurelia’s dragon form is magnificent. There is no other word for something so phenomenal as my regina has done the impossible. Everyone had thought Boneweavers were simply not capable of shifting into a dragon. Even Xander had never broached the subject; we’d all just accepted it as a given.

But she takes to it like a being born to reign over the sky.

“That’s my regina!” Savage shouts excitedly, now held tightly in a car-sized blue claw. “Myregina!”

Aurelia’s grand spell is broken with that and the dragons above us round upon Aurelia.

But my blue angel is ready.

And so is Xander.

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