Philit spun us just in time to miss a ball of flame that had shot up toward us. I held on tight, letting out a little squeak as he righted us again. Any food left in my stomach almost came back up. Other dragons joined us, forming a massive pack in the air.

  We went with the flow, moving further down with them, noting the way they worked together. Dragons on the edges of the pack broke away, distracting the Fae coming from the sides. More dragons in the middle dropped straight down, gaining attention.

  Then the dragons in front of us opened up, blowing so much fire that I thought I was going to become a crisp. Each dragon still in the pack followed up with their own fire, effectively taking out a massive chunk of Fae below us on the ground.

  There was a low hum that caught my attention. I looked off to the right and saw a small group of Fae building their magic. I sent out a warning just as their magic blasted through the air, faster than anything I’d seen before. I had just enough time to send a warning out to my dragons, and we were so in sync with each other, that they felt my warning before I had to finish giving it.

  We were already rolling to the side, easily dodging the attack.

  We weren’t in the clear though as Fae popped into the air, all round them a mist that seemed to keep them floating there. They did hand movements, magic spiking around us.

  ‘Down,’ I shrieked, hearing a low screech that only felt like it was getting higher.

  My ears hurt from the sound, and I grimaced, feeling like my ear drums wanted to burst.

  We dove down. Fast. I held on tightly, squeezing my legs around Philit as if it were helping to keep me attached, though with my legs locked in my place, I wasn’t going to fall off unless I wanted to.

  The air above seemed to explode, something cold hitting my skin. I shivered. Philit did the same under us, but we were left unscathed.

  One of the dragons that was with us wasn’t so lucky as it fell to the ground and with a loud bang, hitting the ground, kicking up dirt.

  I bit back the guilt and sorrow at seeing one of our own fall like that. Could I have done more to make sure they got out of danger?

  ‘Do not,’ Philit said. ‘That isn’t your fault.’

  ‘But—'

  ‘He’s right. Don’t,’ Zilon sent.

  I clenched my teeth and nodded, the movement feeling wooden. We stayed low, pinned between the Fae below us and more just above us. There had to be a way out.

  ‘We got stalkers,’ Landers called out.

  I turned to see two Fae pursuing us. Ahead of us, the Fae realized we were coming and geared up for an attack.

  ‘To the right,’ I called out.

  Just as the Fae released their attack, we turned, dodging the hit just in time. The Fae behind us lucked out too, effectively evading. Damn, I had hoped we could get them to take each other out. We got closer to the Fae, and my body got hot as Philit drew in a breath. Then, he let loose a powerful stream of fire that had the Fae taking cover before they became crispy corpses.

  ‘We’re going back up,’ Philit said and then faced toward the sky, flapping his wings hard, shooting us up quickly enough for my cheeks to hurt.

  Coldness covered my face, but the heat from Philit was enough to fight it back.

  I could feel and hear the other two with us but also more Fae. I was slowly learning the distinct sound of Fae using magic to fly through the air. It was a low buzzing that thrummed just under my skin, making me feel prickly.

  ‘Baby, I need you to hop on Zilon’s back,’ Philit said.

  My fear spiked, and I gripped harder on the jagged spine in front of me. ‘What about you?’

  ‘It’s time we show these Fae that we aren’t the weakest link.’ There was something in Philit’s tone that sent nervous excitement through me. He had a plan. ‘They’re starting to focus on us because they see that two of us don’t have riders, so we have to be easy targets. We’re going to prove them wrong.’

  The confidence in Philit only boosted me. I was more happy to follow his plan if it meant we got out of here alive.

  Chapter

  Thirty-Two

  I settled on Zilon’s back the same way I did with Philit, the pleasure nearly distracting us from the war around. We would have taken a moment to enjoy it if it weren’t for Fae trying to lob magic our way.

  So my pussy ached, being impaled twice, but it also twitched, wanting more and not caring what was going on around us. The bond was growing stronger the longer I stayed close to them.

  ‘We need to minimize how often she switches,’ Landers grumbled. ‘Otherwise, we’ll end up just fucking her in the middle of a fight.’

  ‘Agreed,’ Zilon said, even his inner voice sounding strained.

  Philit didn’t answer as he took the lead for us three. We went up high, joining the other dragons in the sky. They were distracted with the Fae able to move through the air and paid us no attention, focusing on their own strategies.

  ‘Landers and I will go first and open up on them, Philit began explaining. Rayna, push as much as you can into us, we want to roast them into ash. Zilon will follow next to finish those we missed. We want them running in fear. As Zilon goes, we’ll be circling back around to do another round. Come back up once they realize where Rayna is and begin targeting her.’

  ‘Aye aye, Captain,’ Landers said, sounding way too excited.

  Nerves tightened in my stomach. It sounded like a solid plan. I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I wouldn’t survive the loss. Not after already losing Da to these fuckers.

  ‘You’ll be okay,’ Zilon sent. ‘I got you.’

  I knew his words were only for me to hear. I sent him my appreciation as we dove back down. My hair whipped around my face, my eyes blurring with the speed that we were moving, the air stinking in my face.

  I hunched down closer to Zilon.

  Philit and Landers tucked their wings in and shot forward while we lagged behind. I focused on the bond between us as the tingles in me built up. Then, as they were ready to open up, I shoved all that tingling heat their way.

  They opened and let loose their fire, and I could see and feel the strength in their attack. It was hotter, bigger, brighter, and a lot more deadly. Even the Fae were taken aback by the attack, some too slow to move, getting swept up in the fire that quickly overtook a massive amount of their army.

  I focused on that hot tingling and fed it into Zilon. It was easier since we were connected so intimately. He blew his fire, and while the others were a powerful red wave of fire, Zilon’s ended up being darker–practically black—and it was more of a tsunami as it swept through the army.

  ‘Holy fuck,’ Landers called out. ‘I want to do that.’

  ‘Not now,’ Philit said. ‘Focus. They’ll concentrate on them sooner, do another sweep, and then rise up.’

  We did it again, focusing on a different area since where we’d last attacked was nothing more than charred earth and crispy bodies. Philit called it. The Fae tried to focus their attack on me.

  We rose back up into the air, dragons moving around us. I could practically feel their gazes, their curiosity. I stared down at Zilon, not willing to look at any of them. I didn’t want to see their reactions. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like it.

  ‘Did you know that was going to happen?’ Landers asked.

  ‘No idea,’ I replied. ‘This is all new to me.’

  ‘Doesn’t matter. We’re doing it again, but we’re aiming where their leaders are. I’ve been watching, I think I found them,’ Philit said.

  ‘Then we take them the fuck out.’ Landers sounded excited.

  ‘Rayna, get on Landers,’ Philit commanded.

  Landers was so excited that he even let out a roar of excitement. We did the switch and fought to remain focused despite all the pleasure that shuddered through my body.

  ‘Damn, this is never going to get old,’ Landers said.

  No one replied as we flew off. This time, other dragons joined around us, making another pack. Something was different, like I felt as if I were at the center of a massive storm already rumbling and preparing to let loose. My skin prickled with all the energy, and my focus was growing a bit hazy, like I was growing drunk.

  ‘Damn. So many dragons. Rayna, babe. Focus. Focus on me, on the dragon you’re riding. Not on them.’

  I let Lander’s voice draw me back out and kept me grounded. I tightened my grip on his spine.

  ‘That’s my girl.’

  Without warning but already known without having to say anything, Philit dove with Zilon slightly behind him. Other dragons joined the attack, really getting the Fae running. A moment later, Landers did the same, whooping in my head with all the adrenaline pumping through him. At least someone was enjoying themselves.

  The tingling felt stronger this time, and the moment Philit and Zilon opened their mouths, I sent it slamming through our bond. Fire darker than normal broke out of them. Not like the black that Zilon’s had been but still stronger and more potent. The Fae didn’t stand a chance as it swept through their ranks. It stopped just shy of who had to be the leaders with the way they seemed to toss out commands as the Fae around them put up a barrier.

  Against normal fire, it probably would have worked. But we didn’t have normal fire. I sent that buzzing feeling into Landers. He practically grunted from the influx of energy. Then he roared, and that black, dangerous fire slammed into their barrier, burning through it like it was straw.

  And the Fae, they never had a chance.

  They disappeared in the black fire, and as we were turning to go another round, it cleared up enough for me to know we’d done it. We’d taken them out!

  The Fae after that quickly fell apart. There was no one there to appropriately command them. At least not at the front lines.

  The dragons and riders all around me went into a frenzy, destroying as many of them as they could. It wasn’t long until the Fae were turning and running, realizing they were fucked.

  ‘We need to get out of here,’ Zilon reminded us.

  We flew up into the air as the dragons continued to destroy the Fae, who were too slow to get flee. It should have been easy to slip away, everyone focused on finishing up the battle. Except a small group of dragons shot up and quickly surrounded us.

  One dragon came close enough for me to see the little man sitting on its back. He didn’t say anything for a moment, as he looked at us three. “The king wants to see you,” he said.

  Fear slammed into me, and I jerked on top of Landers, like I had been shot.

  ‘Fuck that, we need to go,’ Landers said.

  He dove down, the other two quickly following. His wings were tight against his body, and then as we got closer to the ground, he shot out, pulling us up enough to glide through quickly.

  A new feeling hit me, taking in all of my senses for a brief moment, like my perception was being overridden.

  ‘Rayna!’

  I blinked out of that oppressive feeling and looked in the direction it was coming from. The mountains where the Fae were retreating. My eyesight wasn’t better than a dragon’s, but for some reason, I could see it: the shape of a man standing at the edge of a cliff. Something about him was powerful and dangerous. I shivered, tempted to go closer and get a better look at him.

  Then, we were slammed into hard. Landers yelped as we were forced to crash into the ground. Dirt burned my eyes, rocks scratching at my face and body as it kicked up. Landers slid on his side for a few feet, me still attached. As soon as he stopped, his spine let me go, and I fell to the ground, sore and feeling too empty.

  Thuds surrounded us, the ground shaking with each one. As my vision cleared, I realized we were being encircled by other dragons, and they looked pissed.

  “Again,” the rider who spoke to us earlier said, walking over to us. His expression was empty. “The king wishes to see you.”

  Well, fuck.

  Chapter

  Thirty-Three

  The grip the dragons had on my arm was bruising, and I had to bite down the need to cry out every time they forced me to go in the direction they wanted. It ended up being a very long walk back to the castle, as we worked our way through dead bodies of Fae, dragons, and riders, as well as scorched earth.

  Now that I was on the ground, I could truly see how dangerous the fight had been. Our side had taken a hit, but not one as massive as the Fae had. Hopefully, it’d be enough to keep them back longer. I had to blink through tears as my heart went out to those who didn’t make it. I couldn’t help it. They were still my people, the same as me. They weren’t what was broken about this place; they were just doing what they were tasked with doing. And if the king wasn’t who he was, I would be right there with them, fighting to live and to protect our realm.

  I did stand by them for this battle. But I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to be by their side for the next one. Not if the king got what he wanted.

  By the time we reached the castle, I was crying for our side’s loss. The guards sensed my sadness, and their grip on me lessened, even turned gentle. They felt it too, the loss of our comrades.

  ‘It’s okay. We can figure this out,’ Philit said.

  ‘I’m not so sure about that,’ Zilon sent. ‘The king will not be happy knowing we were freed and were about to escape again.’

  Landers grumbled. ‘We should have left sooner.’

  ‘You know we couldn’t have done that,’ I said. ‘Not when our people need our help. We did our job. We did our best.’

  ‘We just didn’t escape. Who knows what that pervy bastard is going to do to us now.’ Landers sounded a bit defeated.

  His exhaustion came through to me. All their exhaustion did, weighing me down even more.

  ‘What’s going to happen to us?’ Zilon practically whispered through our bond.

  I wish I had an answer for him, but I didn’t know either. I didn’t want my guys’ wings to be bound again. Or worse—torn off. My stomach tightened with my nerves, and I almost threw up. I took in a huge breath and blew it out slowly as we got closer to the throne room.

  King Laskis looked absolutely furious. Nothing about him looked like he was amused or happy or anything that meant we would be okay. His expression was dark, his wings tucked tightly to his back.

  The moment we were forced to bow before him, he was in front of us, growling. His fury pressed against us, and I grimaced, bowing down lower. Philit grunted behind me, and there was a thudding sound, like flesh hitting flesh. His pain hit me, and I gasped. They were forcing him to submit.

  “What do you think you’ve done,” the king growled.

  I tried to talk, but my mouth was cotton and my lips refused to open.

  “We won against the Fae. We fought your battle for you,” Landers grunted out.

  “Silence!” His command slammed through the room, causing everyone to gasp.

  Sweat dripped down the back of my neck as I whimpered and pressed my forehead against the cold floor, too weak to fight against him. We were finally getting a true taste of his power. Oh, he had given us glimpses, but the man before us was done with the games.

  “You disrupted the structure of our ranks and caused confusion among our people, which led to deaths,” the king said.

  My mouth dried at that as guilt slammed into me. Did we inadvertently cause deaths?

  ‘Do not listen to that bastard,’ Philit said.

  ‘He’s blowing fucking smoke,’ Landers added.

  Both their voices sounded strained as they tried to comfort me. I whimpered again, biting my lip hard enough to bleed.

  “And not only that, but whatever you are doing to each other, you practically spread among our bonded mates. You touched upon their bonds and affected them.”

  “What?” My head snapped up in confusion.

  For a moment, I thought the king was going to smile, but it was quickly schooled into an expression of pure disgust. “You forced yourself upon our bonded dragons. Many of them are currently dealing with that repercussion. I do not know what you are capable of doing, Rayna, but it is dangerous, something abhorrent that should not exist. You should not exist. You are a danger to our people.”

  “I would never—”

  “You already have. You hurt our people. Even if you didn’t realize it at the time.” His voice grew icier, scraping at my skin. “You stole control over them, though briefly. You threatened to weaken and break their bonds. For that alone, we cannot let you be.”

  He drew in a breath, his wings spreading out far and wide as he spoke. “Rayna Delian is hereby banished to the dungeons. She shall be locked apart from her so-called mates until we can deem what her true power is. If we find that she has forced those dragons to be her mates, we have no choice but to kill them.”

  I gasped. “No, that’s wrong. That’s all wrong.” I tried to climb to my feet, but the guards shoved me back down.

  “Nothing is wrong with my statement. You claim to have three dragons as mates, and as we saw today, during the battle, you have the ability to control others, even those mated. That is too dangerous a gift to let loose. Lock her up.”

  The dragon guards picked me up, not even letting me walk on my own.

  “Rayna!” My dragons called out for me and tried to fight to get to me, but all the other guards surrounded them. The guards’ weapons were out, ready to strike them down.

  “Philit! Zilon! Landers!” I called for them.

  ‘It’s okay. We’ll figure this out, Philit said. Just do your best to—'

  The moment the doors closed, our bond became muted.

  ‘Philit!’ I called out. ‘Philit? Landers? Zilon?’

  But it felt like my inner voice was hitting a brick wall as it traveled down our bonds. We had been blocked from each other once again.

  I was dragged down. Down. Down. Further and further away from light. Very quickly, the windows all disappeared and only torches were there to light our way. Wood and beautiful marble turned to rough stone. The fresh air became muggy and heavy.

  “Please,” I begged. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

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