Page 93 of The Court of Thorns and Wings

My heart nearly stopped beating. There could only be one explanation. The worst possible scenario that could happen in my entire world.

The ashbreath must have learned that Lira was here and had come to take her from me.

I released my hold on the snow, needing to conserve my energy. The darkness was more necessary. I needed Lira to leave and blasting hide.Find Nightbane and go somewhere with him. I can keep cloaking you because of our connection.

Lira shook her head as Eldrin spun around and swung his fist at her.

I opened my mouth to yell, and Lira stopped using her wings and dropped. But Eldrin’s hand swung into her hair and clutched it.

I had to reach her.

A sharp throb bolted through the bond, and I rushed forward, slicing through any guard who got between us. I’d been trying not to kill all of them because we needed prisoners, but that changed when I lost sight of Lira.

Lira’s wings fluttered, and fresh blood dripped from the wing injury she’d partially healed in the prison cell. The wounds had reopened.

Yanking her hair, Eldrin snapped her head upward and sheathed his sword.

He was trying not to make her bleed… not until he could capture most of the blood. Instead, he pulled her up, and pain radiated through our bond.

A guard raced forward, about to get in my way, and I kicked him in the back. He slammed into the female guard fighting Eiric. Both guards dropped as I flew faster toward my mate.

Lira flapped her wings harder, the blood dripping more as she punched Eldrin in the testicles. Eldrin’s eyes bulged as if he hadn’t expected her to be so unconventional. It was one of the things I loved best about her—she thought outside the norm and didn’t mind fighting dirty.

He released her and flew backward as he gripped his groin. But Lira’s wings didn’t hold her weight, and she dropped toward the village rooftops.

“Lira!” Eiric screamed as I pushed myself to catch her.

Blades clashed and guards spun toward Lira, able to locate her since she’d cried out.

My only goal was to catch my mate. I’d trust the others to help Eiric fight our attackers.

Not five feet from the slanted rooftops, I caught up and wrapped the arm not holding the sword around her, pulling her front to my chest. The jolt of our bond sprang between us, and I gritted my teeth, fighting the downward momentum.

Her expression strained as she panted.I… I can’t fly anymore.

It’s fine. We all don’t need to fight Eldrin, especially with the ashbreath heading this way.I turned my head and saw that the beast had almost made it to our land. I could see his crimson scales and the smoke drifting from his snout.

Wings flapped toward us, and I glanced upward to see that the others had left the guards to fight themselves. Eldrin was hunched over, but he was catching his breath, which meant he’d be back to tracking us in no time.

“We have a crater-size problem.” Finnian flew to my side, staring at the dragon prince in beast form.

“God, he’s huge,” Eiric gasped, her breath catching as her green eyes locked on him. “And fucking strong.”

“And here for my mate.” I didn’t appreciate the awe in her voice for the man who’d threatened to strip Lira from me and claim her as his own. The edges of my vision darkened as pressure built in my chest, but I wasn’t sure if it was from that or fatigue. For all I knew, it could be from blasting both, which would be more problematic.

“She’s shrouded in darkness, so she should be fine.” Caelan kept glancing from the dragon to the guards.

“They’re no longer here,” Eldrin snapped. “Stop being foolish.” He stared right at us, tracking the magical essence of the darkness.

Blighted abyss. I despised that he’d been born with royal magic.

“Lira can’t fly, so you need to go on foot,” I said softly to keep others from hearing us.

The dragon prince had made it to the edge of our island. We were flying out of time.

“Eiric, Isla, and Struan should go with her and get far away from the village and castle.” The last thing I wanted to do was separate myself from Lira, but until Eldrin was dead, it was the safest choice. I believed Struan was on our side, and he wouldn’t endanger his daughter. “Anywhere away from here and the cave. Somewhere no one would consider going.”

“No.” Lira wrapped her arms around my neck. “We can’t separate.”

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