Page 80 of Hidden Fate

We jogged through the clearing as a burnt orange–scaled dragon swooped down, going for Thorn. My mate released my hand to battle the dragon, and I noticed four others peel away from the herd and fly toward us.

They’d wasted no time locating Thorn, which was why I’d wanted the others with us.

Get to the secret passage,Thorn connected, as the burnt orange dragon expelled flames at him.

Although I knew the flames wouldn’t hurt him, acid churned in my stomach as this asshole went after my mate.You thinking I’ll leave makes me wonder how well you know me.

With my right hand, I pulled my gun from its holster, and with my left, I gripped my dagger. I didn’t hesitate; I aimed the gun at the burnt orange dragon’s closer eye and fired. The bullet hit its mark, and the dragon’s fire fizzled out immediately as its body dropped to the ground.

Our warriors had taught us three spots to aim for on a dragon: the eyes, the nose, and the small area where its jaw and neck connected. The eyes and nose were a dragon’s most vulnerable points, and striking them would cause actual damage. The small area between their mouth and throat would sting but wouldn’t take them down. Everywhere else would feel like a bug hitting them—annoying, but it wouldn’t hurt.

Thorn moved closer to the dragon, his skin flushed from the flames, but the other four were almost upon us.

I’ll take the navy and scarlet dragons.Swinging my gun toward the larger scarlet one, I shot at its nose. Thankfully, my aim was good, and the scarlet dragon let out a horrifying screech as it plummeted.

The oncoming attackers took note, and I knew without a doubt that I wouldn’t have such an easy time taking them down.

Gunfire erupted behind us, along with the sound of arrows whistling through the air. As more wings flapped, my jaw clenched more tightly. Both sides were engaged, and we were officially at war.

I kept my eyes locked on the approaching navy dragon, who’d been joined by a mustard dragon and a violet dragon.

I lifted my gun, and the dragons zigzagged so I couldn’t get a clear shot. They weaved around each other, making their pattern random. I didn’t want to waste bullets and miss my mark, so I held my fire.

The violet dragon cawed—a sound I’d only heard from a bird before—and the three of them straightened and dropped.

All three targeted my mate as if I were of no consequence. I’d show them they shouldn’t underestimate me.

Extending its talons, the violet dragon went for Thorn’s shoulders, while the other two aimed for opposite sides of him with their huge mouths wide open. Drool dripped from their sharp, jagged teeth as if they were looking at their all-time favorite snack.

I focused on the navy dragon first.

Thorn’s magic thrummed through our bond, and his hands glowed. He planned to strip the violet one of his dragon by grabbing its talons. He’d done it before.

Running away from him, I stretched out my arms, keeping them steady. I aimed for the navy dragon’s soft spot near the throat, going with my gut and firing. The bullet went into the dragon’s mouth and hit the back of its throat. Its mouth clamped shut, and it whimpered. Unlike the other two, it pulled away and flew back toward the château.

Pivoting, I was about to shoot the mustard dragon when a dark brown dragon hurtled in front of me a second before I pulled the trigger, steamrolling the violet dragon deep into the woods.

Thorn forward rolled, his body disappearing a second before the mustard dragon’s teeth gnashed right where his torso had been.

That was too damn close for comfort.

An arrow whizzed across the clearing and lodged in that vulnerable spot near the mouth and throat of the mustard dragon. It threw its head back, roaring, but Thorn and I didn’t waste time watching to see what would happen.

We took off running.

More dragons would be coming, which was what we wanted, but our people wouldn’t last forever. We needed to get to the château, find Drake, and kill him.

As we reached the first stand of thick red cedar and oak trees, Thorn and I turned around.

The fight was brutal, despite our having greater numbers. Obviously, Drake’s warriors were better trained, but so far, we were holding our own.

More are coming,Thorn connected, pulling me back to the present.

Now that he mentioned it, I could make out the sound of dragons flying this way. I forced myself to turn around and take off deeper into the woods, with Thorn keeping pace beside me.

Even in the woods, the dragons would sense us, but they wouldn’t know who we were until they reached us. Hopefully, most would assume Thorn and I were with the others.

We picked up our pace, and for once, I didn’t feel completely winded. All that training was paying off because it didn’t use to take much for me to get a cramp in my side. My lungs filled easily, but I wouldn’t celebrate my new fitness achievements until this was over.

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