Page 60 of Tamed By Air (The Nature Hunters Academy 4)

“Little bastards like to try to eat your face off.” Liam glanced at Aviur. “Make sure you don’t duck too slowly.” He pointed to his own forehead, where a bloody scratch trickled. “They will take a chunk out of you.”

“It’s just a little scratch, babe,” Gabby said dryly. “There are no chunks missing.”

“Except the ones in his brain,” Elias said. “How do you explain those? Did a demon pop you open and scoop out your gray matter?”

Liam just chuckled, which told Aviur he had no comeback … this time.

“And how long have the demons been emerging?” Beval asked.

“About fifteen minutes,” Tara answered. “At first, we tried to stop them using magic from our soul bond. Sepheron, the dragon king, explained how to do it, but then Rory got a wild hair up her butt and broke our circle. She jumped on a dragon and took off through the gate with ten more dragons and Ra on her tail.”

“How does the dragon king know anything about the soul bonded?” Nasima asked.

“I don’t think that’s really important at the moment,” Agni pointed out. “We’ve got a bigger problem.” She pointed at the gaping hole that led into hell. Aviur felt his power growing as he watched dozens upon dozens of demons erupt from the darkness. Some flew through the air, others scurried across the land, and it looked like some even burrowed under the ground, judging by the long tracks of raised earth forming and moving in their direction.

“Let’s go.” The fire king once again started running toward the dragons that battled the hoard. They were killing many, but not nearly enough.

Aviur looked at his mate. “Don’t die.”

“You’ve always had a way with words, my love.” She smiled at him. “I have no plans to leave this world. Not yet. You don’t die either, or I’ll let the dragons eat your corpse.”

Aviur would have laughed at his mate’s morbid threat. She’d always been a firecracker—one of the many things he loved about her. He turned his attention back to the battle at hand and pulled in every ounce of power he possessed. With a bellowing curse, he released his royal fire upon the gate.

* * *

Ra pulledShelly’s arms around him and ran a thumb across the back of her hand—a silent plea for her to hold on tight. She gripped him tighter and pressed closer to his back. If they weren’t in the underworld, attempting to escape before this so-called “rightful lord of the underworld” made himself known, he would have allowed himself to find peace in her touch. But their impending demise and the impromptu visit from his ancestors put that thought on the back burner. Instead, Ra focused all of his efforts on getting them out alive. Osiris’s face was a mixture of shock, rage, and confusion. It was clear he didn’t know what to do with all the truth bombs the dragon was dropping. His eyes kept bouncing between Shelly and the beast, and he looked unsure of whether he wanted to run, hide, or fight.

“This is probably the worst timing in the history of the world for an apology,” Shelly whispered, moving up next to Ra’s ear. He leaned back and lowered his shoulders so she could reach him better. “But in case we die—”

“We won’t, Mery. I’ve dreamed of a life with you, and I will make it happen.”

“I believe you,” she said, “but let’s be prepared for the worst, just in case. Better to be safe than sorry. That’s my motto.”

“As you wish,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” she told him, her voice wavering. “I don’t know what has happened to me while I’ve been down here, but I’ve had feelings that… I swear, I don’t know where they came from. It was like something came over me. I didn’t mean to have these feelings. I feel horrible. I’m a terrible per—”

“You have done nothing wrong, Shelly.” Ra hoped she heard the truth in his voice. “The underworld can distort your thinking. This is Osiris’s domain. He has powers that could mess with your emotions. I know you love me. I can feel it through our bond.”

She pressed her forehead to his back, and Ra ached to hold her. “It is a relief to feel you again,” she said. “I’ve missed you more than I’ve ever missed anything in my life. There was a gaping hole where you were supposed to be, and you were just gone.”

“We’re together now. And I might not let you get more than a few feet away from me for the foreseeable future. You will have to be patient with me.”

“I can do that. I will need the same.”

“Whatever you need, Mery, it’s yours.”

* * *

Shelly wantedto crawl into Ra’s lap. She wanted to beg him to forgive her, even though he said she had done nothing wrong. It felt so incredible to be back with Ra, but her guilt over her feelings for Osiris lingered. Thankfully, the words spoken by the dragon drew their attention, and she didn’t have to face that guilt just yet.

“I’m going to ask you one more time to leave with us,” the dragon said to Osiris. “And then we will leave without you.Iwill leave without you.”

“You can’t leave without a sacrifice,” Osiris pointed out.

“Rory,” the dragon called over her shoulder to the girl sitting on her back. “Shed my blood.”

Rory’s eyes grew even wider than they’d been. “I can’t.”

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