Page 32 of Marked Dragon

Gunfire came from the bedroom as bullets pelted the area below. Guests jumped to their feet, screaming, and raced toward the guest home, moving away from the shots.

Chaos was a good thing.

I pivoted and jumped onto the grass. Eva and Queen Mira were standing by their seats, immobile.

I hurried to Eva, twisting my ankle mid-stride in the damn high heels. What sort of dumbass wore heels on a lawn? Me. I was that dumbass. I bent down and removed them. “Eva, take your shoes off. We have to run.”

Thorn snarled, and I glanced over as two airborne dragons swooped down at him. He bared his teeth as the earth-brown dragon extended its claws and the charcoal dragon opened its mouth. My heart lurched into my throat. But as I took one step toward him, the earth-brown dragon swiped at Thorn. Thorn’s hands glowed as he dodged the talons and ran to touch its tail just as the dragon lifted back into the sky.

His hand brightened, and the dragon roared louder. Then, with each second, the dragon’s roar weakened, and its body shrank. It was as if the dragon were stuck and couldn’t fly away. Soon, its scales faded.

My breathing quickened as I watched Thorn’s magic at work. I’d never seen anything like this before, but the pure rage on his face told me he wasn’t fully in control. The magic was controlling him.

Gunfire blasted from the bedroom upstairs, but not soon enough. The charcoal dragon’s talons dug into Thorn’s shoulders, and it flapped its wings, lifting him off the ground.

“Thorn!” I tried to scream but choked on the sound.

Thorn released the former earth-brown dragon, and a naked man landed on the terrace. The man, perhaps in his fifties, sobbed, not bothering to get up.

A hand clutched my arm, and I turned to see Daniel.

His jaw dropped as he took in what had happened. “The monster took the warrior’s dragon!” he yelled, ensuring everyone could hear him with their supernatural ears, despite the chaos.

I yanked my arm out of his grip and rushed toward Eva, but Daniel grabbed my arm again.

I’m coming,I connected with Thorn. I didn’t want him to think I’d abandoned him.

Don’t,he replied, the bond between us sizzling.Get out of here.

A strangled cry rang over the grass, and I turned to see Thorn’s glowing hands on the dragon’s legs. The dragon was already shrinking, but blood dripped from my mate’s shoulders.

“You’re coming with me,” Daniel snarled, and he jerked me toward the guest wing.

I wasn’t going anywhere with this douche canoe. With my free hand, I clutched the side of my dress to prevent myself from tripping. Then I spun around and kicked Daniel in the stomach with as much force as possible.

He sailed backward and smashed into an aisle chair in the third row. His head hit the back of the chair and smacked onto the ground.

Babe, I need you to go,Thorn connected, his anger and worry flooding me, squeezing my chest like a vise.More warriors will come, and we need to get out of here. They’ll run out of bullets soon. I’m sure Vlad already ran out of arrows.

We. He was right.Weneeded to leave. I had to focus on that.

“Eva, come on,” I commanded and found her with her high heels off. Good girl. She’d listened to me without arguing, for once in her life.

She nodded, ready to move.

I took her hand and glanced at Queen Mira. She stood unmoving, watching Thorn with one hand over her heart and fear etched onto her face, her expression both relieved and scared.

She was a good woman but misguided, and that had unfortunately destroyed my mate’s childhood. I paused in front of her and said, “Drake made him do the very thing you and your husband feared. Thorn was in hiding until the son who could do no wrong kidnapped people, including a human he forced here to be his breeder, and tried to force a woman who is mated to another to marry him. Think onthatnext time you think there’s any good in Drake.”

Having said my piece, I turned to the house. The warriors were closing in now that the panicked guests were mostly out of the way, but the gunfire was still holding them off.

Eva and I hurried to the side of the terrace and up the steps just as a swirling noise swooshed toward us. A sickening impact had me jerking my head around.

First, I saw my mate. He was back down on his feet, hurrying toward me. Then a familiar scream lodged in my ears.

Saphira.

“Everly, please help my father!” she cried.

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