Page 60 of The Dark War

“For one” —Clara held back her shoulders— “you said always listen to the leaders of a pack or territory first and not the people. That they should gather enough information to decide a fate. If I had done that, we would be in a heap of trouble sending a helpless human back to Vermillion to a duke who claimed to be her mate. We wouldn’t have magical dragons now to aid us in the war, either!”

“Fuck, that was hot, babe,”I purred through the link. “Warrior princess, damn.” I could feel her smiling on the inside as Eden shot daggers at Clara.

“You took the word of a human who knows nothing of this world, about bonds, and could very well be bonded to this vampire.” Eden growled, her large pregnant belly coming closer to us. She was not as pretty when my mate was pregnant. My mate glowed beautifully, and Eden looked rough.

“Even if she was truly mated to him, which we found out twenty-four hours ago she wasn’t, I would haveneversent her back to the duke! He abused her!” Clara hissed.

“Mate or not—”

“No, mother. Mate or not, my tushie! She had every right to walk away!” Clara yelled.

Clara stomped her foot. “And ask for a new mate if she wanted. One hit to a woman is it, or in this case, a bite without permission!” Clara’s fangs grew, and Giana’s eyes glowed fiercely.

“I’ve got a raging boner.” I rubbed my dick on her ass. “Feel that?” Clara’s seriousness faltered, and she laughed. Elijah grabbed Eden and pulled her closer to the portal.

“I still love you, Mom, and we will take care of everything. We will work on us later. Please keep everyone safe!” she yelled out, waving goodbye.

“We will, darling.” Elijah smiled, pushing Eden through the portal. “I wish I had your balls, my princess. I’ll be sure to have her calmed down before we come back.” Elijah chuckled at his mate’s speechlessness and disappeared into the mirror.

Twirling my mate quickly, my lips slammed into her. Sucking her bottom lip until I lifted her around my waist. “Gods, you make me so hungry for you,” I whispered. She rubbed against me, tightening her hold around my neck.

“I know what you are doing.” Clara seductively licked my ear. “Trying to make me forget, not to worry.”

“Is it working?” Kissing her shoulder until one of the dragons that guarded the portal shifted his wings. He sat up higher in the cliffs, his roar now capturing the warriors’ attention below.

“They have a strange smell.” The graveled voice of the guardian flapped his leathered wings, taking to the sky. A ball of energy pushed into the dragon guardian’s underbelly, causing him to fall from the sky. Three dragons came close in the distance, blowing fire and brimstone toward the ground.

“They are coming straight for us!” Clara screamed. She shifted into her wolf as I turned into my half-beast. Hearing static, Clara yipped. Fuck, some black magic was being used to ruin the link.

“Take cover!” I yelled out. Wolves sprinted into the woods behind the portal until one crashed on the side of the cliff. Black claws lengthening by the enemy, scratched up the side of the mountain, pulling themselves up the cliff next to the portal.

“Shut it down!” Bounding toward the dragon, my claws ripped upward as it hung from the cliff side. I was trying to get into its delicate skin underneath the scales. It howled in distress as I reached its eye and scuffed across its tender place. It fell backward, sliding down the cliff.

Clara jumped as I finished my own assault, landing in front of Cyrene and the witches, who were already chanting for protection.

Two more dragons, one holding a warlock, held a ball of fire, throwing it toward the warriors. Wolves pounced at the opposing brown dragon with red markings. My warrior’s claws were not as strong as mine. They slid off the dragon, falling to the ground. One gigantic claw stomping two of my warriors.

I boomed forward, scraping up the scales. “Upward!” I thundered, getting the message across to them. Twenty jumped on top of the spiny back, trying to pull at the scales. The dragon breathed its fire, catching fur aflame. Burned hair and skin seeped into the once clean air.

An orange dragon, hovering over us all, spat out its fire over the trees where we once hid. Branches fell to the ground, catching the rest of the wood on fire. Pixies flew from the damage, screaming in their bell-like voices. Some angry, lowering their fangs, and flying toward the orange dragon now landing.

You do not mess with fucking pixies.

Pixies went straight for the eyes, unable to penetrate the scales. Both dragons that remained near the portal shook their heads.

“Almost done!” Cyrene and her accomplices had a tornado of pink and purple lightning pushing it forward toward the portal. The warlock that sat on the orange dragon wheeled her magic ball, forcing it to Cyrene.

Shit.

Cyrene was too far away from me, but my mate wasn’t. Clara leaped forward not toward Cyrene, but toward the warlock. Clara’s small agile body contorted, having her twist her body mid-air until she fell right into the enemy. The slow, torturous wait for their bodies to hit the ground had Torin racing toward my falling mate.

The dragon reared back from a pixie poking his eye, his wing getting in the way until my sharp claws ran right down the leathered wing.

Screeches and drops of blood decorated the ground as I caught Clara’s small form. The warlock fell on her back, the magical ball of lightning falling, disintegrating into broken sparkles.

Cyrene wailed. The clouds grew dark until the tornado of electrical currents was sucked into the portal. Lightning flashed, striking the ground in front of the dragon, having everyone fall back as the bright light blew torrential winds in our furs. Warriors fell to the ground, and dragons fell backward, falling off the cliff. The warlock was knocked off his feet, held by four warriors on top of him.

The clouds dispersed around us. Bohdi and her companions now lay on the ground. Bohdi’s weak body lifted one arm, then the other, pushing her face from the dirt. Clara’s head came up under my neck, my soft spot, a sign of protection against anyone that dared want to hurt me. Purring in my chest, we watched the smoke depart, seeing the glass-like mirror was now just an empty stone archway.

---