Page 34 of No Honor Amongst Shifters
Alcott could tell that Roslin was worried, but thankfully, he didn’t push.They could hear the sound of fighting coming from somewhere in front of them, and that was where they should be.They needed to protect the other dragons and kill the cockatrices and mages who were fighting them.Thatwas what Alcott should focus on.
He continued walking until the sound of the fighting became louder.He didn’t hesitate to shift.He had to protect Roslin, and he couldn’t do that in his human form.Hell, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it in his dragon form, either, but it would be easier than if he was human.Shifting and fighting also meant he wouldn’t have to think about Damien.
He hoped he never saw the man again.Alcott wasn’t the only dragon fighting tonight.Hopefully, another clan member would find Damien and eat him.
Alcott’s dragon body was much larger than his human one.The trees around him bowed when he shifted, but he ignored them and the scraping of their trunks against his skin as he walked ahead.
Two cockatrices were circling a dragon.They were in front of a house, and while all the lights inside were off, Alcott could see a face in one of the windows.He didn’t know whose home it was, but he was relieved they weren’t out here fighting.The dragon wouldn’t have made it against three cockatrices.
One of the cockatrices turned toward the house and squawked as if telling the person inside to help, but the person dropped the curtain and vanished.
Alcott took advantage of the distraction.He launched himself forward, knowing that Roslin would follow.The cockatrice wasn’t looking his way, and Alcott managed to reach them before they could even turn around.He slammed his body into theirs, sending them flying.Cockatrice shifters were big and strong, but not bigger and stronger than a dragon shifter.
The cockatrice hit the porch railing.The wood cracked, caving in.The other cockatrice turned, no doubt alerted by the noise, but the dragon they’d been fighting lunged forward.They bit down on the cockatrice’s neck, causing blood to spurt.
Alcott didn’t think the dragon needed him to take down that cockatrice, so he turned his attention back to the cockatrice he’d pushed.They were moving toward him, so he got ready to fight.
He wasn’t the only one.The cockatrice suddenly stopped moving.Their eyes went wide, and they tried taking another step forward, but something invisible stopped them.Alcott didn’t have to ask to know what it was.
The taste of blood was becoming familiar already.Alcott didn’t flinch when he bit the cockatrice’s wing and pulled.Blood filled his mouth, and the cockatrice screamed.Alcott tightened his jaw around the cockatrice’s wing and ignored their scrambling claws against his skin.
The screaming suddenly stopped when the other dragon struck from the side and bit the cockatrice’s neck.Their body slumped, and Alcott let go.
He was panting, but the fight was far from over.He glanced back at the house, not surprised to see that the curtain was up again.He and the person behind the window stared at each other for a moment.He couldn’t see well in the darkness, but he was glad they weren’t coming out to fight.He’d been afraid that even though they’d come to an understanding, some of the cockatrices would change their mind and attack the dragons, even though they’d said they wouldn’t.
“You’re okay?”Roslin asked as he patted Alcott’s side.
Alcott turned his attention back to him and nodded.He was as okay as he could be considering the circumstances, and he was unwilling to stop and think of Damien.He couldn’t afford to let anything slow him down.
The other dragon was already walking away, no doubt to find someone else to fight.Alcott decided they might as well follow them.That way, Roslin would be protected by two dragons.Of course, there was a chance that the dragon hated Alcott and wanted him dead, but he couldn’t think about that right now.He could only hope that the clan dragons wouldn’t hold the fact that Roslin was dating Alcott against him if anything happened.
He wasn’t sure how long they fought.He wasn’t even sure where they were going.Elijah had ordered them to try to get to the center of cockatrice territory because that was where Irwin and the mages would be from the intel they had, but Alcott had lost his sense of direction when he’d been running from Damien.He just continued fighting, killing more people than he could have ever dreamed of killing and listening to Misha’s voice in his ear.The thought made him nauseous, but he’d known what he was signing up for when he’d told Elijah he wanted to fight.He was protecting his family and the people he loved.He knew he’d have nightmares, but he’d deal with them when they happened since he couldn’t do anything to prevent them.
They followed the line of houses until they finally found a big clearing.Alcott wasn’t sure this was the center of the cockatrice clan until he recognized the dragon standing at the center.
Elijah.
He wasn’t there alone.Gunther was standing next to him, his back to Elijah’s side.They were fighting together, Elijah with his claws and fangs, and Gunther with his magic.
It was impressive, and Alcott paused for a moment to take the scene in.Everyone else around him was moving, which was probably why no one noticed the person creeping closer to Elijah’s unprotected side.The person raised their hands, and Alcott moved before he could think about it.He just knew that Elijah was being attacked, probably by a mage, and that he couldn’t see it coming.The only one who could was Alcott, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to his clan leader.
He threw himself forward.He heard Roslin call for him, but he didn’t stop.For a moment, he was afraid that he was too far away and that he wouldn’t reach Elijah in time, so he opened his wings and pushed himself into the air.He didn’t have to fly.He just needed more speed, and he got that.
He dove into the space between the person and Elijah just in time.Searing pain hit his side, and he screamed as his body dropped to the ground.He felt Elijah jerk away, and he tried turning to check on his leader, but the pain made him breathless.
His body slumped in the dust.He raised his head to check on Elijah.He was still standing, so there was a good chance that Alcott had saved him.Hopefully, this would finally redeem Alcott in the eyes of the clan—and Elijah.
Chapter Thirteen
––––––––
ROSLIN HAD NO IDEAwhat was happening.One second, he and Alcott were watching Elijah and Gunther fight, and the next, Alcott was gone.
For such a big dragon, Alcott moved fast.By the time Roslin started going after him, Alcott was already on the ground, bleeding.Roslin didn’t think.Part of his brain understood what had happened, and he pushed his power into the ghosts surrounding him.They crowded the mage who’d been attacking Elijah and had wounded Alcott, pushing her back as she screamed.
Roslin trusted the ghosts.He ran to Alcott, needing to know how his boyfriend was.In the darkness, he couldn’t even tell if Alcott was alive, which wasn’t something he wanted to consider.Alcotthadto be fine.
He noticed a dragon taking down the mage, and a savage satisfaction filled him.He only had eyes for Alcott, though, especially as he knelt down next to his boyfriend.
