Page 98 of Marked Dragon

Thorn was channeling his magic.

“Merigold!” the male warrior behind her shouted.

The warning came too late. Thorn touched the woman, and magic thrummed through our bond.

“Grab a warrior!” Vlad exclaimed, and thanks to our training, none of us hesitated.

I jumped toward Uther as he pivoted to catch me. His intention was clear, but at the last second, I switched direction and grabbed his arms.

Gunfire erupted, and my dragon jerked forward, tapping partially into my mind, which she’d never done before. I sensed a tranq barreling toward me. I dropped to my knees, and the dart passed over my head by mere millimeters and lodged in Uther’s chest.

“Shit,” he rasped, but the damage was done.

Another warrior aimed his rifle at me, and I gripped Uther’s arms, forcing him to turn toward the warrior as the tranq flew toward us. The tranq hit Uther, just an inch away from where my hand held him.

The warriors were taking into account what I was doing.

A thud sounded to the left, and Saphira yelped, “Uncle Brenton!”

He must have gotten hit.

Screams came from near Thorn, and I saw four warriors positioned deeper in the trees to my right, training their rifles on him. I had to do something.

Uther’s body grew heavy as the drugs took effect. I wished I’d been dragon born so I’d be stronger. I released him, and he dropped like a brick as I moved toward my mate.

They’re shooting—I started as Theron, Sol, and Wyvern appeared from behind a tree and jumped on three of the warriors. One fired a shot.

“No!” Cassidy shouted as she lunged in front of Thorn, taking the dart to protect her son.

Theron knocked out the fourth warrior, and the three of them ran back into the shadows of the woods. They were helping us while staying out of sight. Drake and his warriors remained focused on Thorn.

The rest of the warriors raced toward us, rifles ready.

We couldn’t escape. There was no way.

A loud, familiar voice broke through the chaos. “Stop this.Now!”

Everyone froze. The warriors lowered their weapons, and I spun around to find King Arman and ten more guards stepping through a thick section of trees.

“Father,” Drake gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard Thorn might have been found.” King Arman’s neck corded. “I told you I wanted to go with you when he was located. Why did you not alert me?”

Oh, I knew that answer, but I figured I didn’t need to say anything. From the expression on King Arman’s face, he already knew as well.

“I want to prove what I’m capable of, Father.” Drake’s warmer persona slipped on like the slimy skin of an actor on stage. “Isn’t that why you put me in charge of the family business, so I could prove I’m fit to lead?”

Saphira laughed, not bothering to cover it up. “You’re not fit to breathe the same air as us.”

Drake’s eyes flashed, and the monster within snuck out for a second. “Say that again, and I’ll—”

“You’llwhat?” King Arman snapped. “Threaten her like you have the thunder here when they called and informed you that they’d seen Thorn? And now you have an entire group, including myroyal advisor, standing here naked in their human forms without weapons, while warriors attack them?”

“Oh, please.” Drake rolled his eyes, unable to maintain his fake persona. “They’re all traitors, and every one of them will die…except my darling Everly.”

Thorn snarled and took a menacing step toward Drake.

Jessie aimed her rifle at my mate again.

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