Page 53 of Samuel
The pain had already faded, replaced by a fierce urgency.
I stretched my wings, feeling the tension in every muscle, every fiber of my being. I was ready.
Blake’s fear spiked again, a sharp, agonizing pulse through the bond. He was hurting, and I could feel it like a dagger in my chest.
My heart raced, panic building alongside the rage. If I didn’t find him in time…
I launched myself into the air. The wind howled in my ears, but I could still sense him.
The bond between us was stronger than anything, a beacon that grew brighter the closer I got.
I latched onto it, letting it guide me through the dark, over the treetops, my massive body slicing through the sky.
The stars overhead blurred as I sped faster, my heart thundering in my chest.
Then, beneath the trees, a figure came into view. Not Blake. Finn.
“Samuel!” he shouted, waving his arms wildly, his face pale with panic. “Hey, is that you? Blake’s that way!”
Finn pointed to the dense part of the forest, his voice trembling with desperation.
“He’s in deep trouble. Please—save him!”
I barely acknowledged him, my entire being zeroing in on the direction Finn pointed.
The bond throbbed again, harder this time, and pain flared across my chest. It wasn’t mine. It was Blake’s.
My heart stuttered. The rogue had caught up to him.
With a furious roar that tore through the sky, I surged ahead, flying faster than I ever had before. Every second counted now.
The pain through the bond grew sharper, more intense, and it pushed me to the brink.
My mate, my treasure, was out there suffering, and if I didn’t get to him in time…
I spotted them in the clearing below. My heart stopped.
Blake was on the ground, writhing in agony as the rogue dragon loomed over him.
Its claws, long and wicked, slashed across his chest, ripping through his flesh.
Blake screamed, the sound cutting through me like a blade. Blood stained the ground, and my vision went red with fury.
The rogue could’ve incinerated him in seconds, used its dragon fire to end him—but it didn’t.
It wanted Blake to suffer. To draw me out. To taunt me.
It worked.
A bellow of rage erupted from me as I dove, descending on the rogue with all the fury in my soul. But it was waiting for me.
Just as my claws stretched out to tear it apart, the rogue spun, faster than I anticipated, and its own claws met mine.
We collided with a bone-shaking force, teeth bared and claws slashing.
The rogue snarled, and we tangled in midair, our massive bodies crashing through trees and tearing up the earth beneath us.
Its claws raked across my side, searing pain shooting through me, but I ignored it.
