He turned Ran over and saw his graying, colorless face, the blood seeping from the deep wounds in his chest.
Damn. “Drake! Bring Quill.”
Drake ran into the room, running his hand through his hair. “He’s out. And he’s too weak. No more blood.”
“Damn!” Draven said, pounding the concrete. “We have to try.”
He pushed back Drake and ran for the hallway where Quill was.
Melissa was sitting next to him, looking tense. When he approached, she stood. “Where’s Ran?”
Draven jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “There.” Then he knelt over Quill, hoping to bring him to consciousness. If he could only wake up, his fire could be enough.
But Quill was too wounded. Draven shared devastated looks with Drake, feeling numbness move over him.
Once again, he was helpless. Once again, there was nothing he could do.
He felt a sharp pain in his arm, felt something warm and wet touch his skin.
He turned to see what had happened and saw Melissa run into the room. He looked down at his arm, trickling blood. Felt something odd running through him as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.
Then he heard a high-pitched, feminine shriek.
She couldn’t have. His heart lurched painfully as he pushed to his feet and ran back into the room.
She was kneeling by Ran’s body, clutching a bleeding arm.
She’d mated them both, the little idiot.
10
Melissa didn’t know if it was bravery or stupidity that drove her to Ran. She only knew Ran was right, that there was no point to a life where you couldn’t protect your friends.
For once, Ran would have to accept someone making a sacrifice for him.
As his blood burned like fire through her veins, she hoped it wouldn’t be in vain.
“No,” Ran choked out, reaching for her. She stayed out of his reach. He’d tried to stop her. As Draven was distracted by Quill, she’d seen Ran on the ground and known without a doubt he was dying and she was his only hope. She’d grabbed a knife from the floor and quickly slid it along her wrist and then done the same for both Draven and Ran, joining her blood with theirs.
And then the most intense, blazing pain had shot through her, making her scream.
Then she’d heard Draven’s agonized roar.
He wouldn’t approve.
She felt the moment the blood reached her heart, felt everything echo around her like an earthquake from the inside out as she felt squeezed as if she were in a vise.
She could feel things going black.
Please let me be a dragon-heart. Please give me the ability to heal.
“Dammit, you weren’t supposed to… You were supposed to stay with Dray,” Ran choked out as he watched her.
She fell forward on the ground, unable to stay upright with the pain.
Maybe she wasn’t dragon-hearted after all. Maybe she was just a stupid girl who’d been caught up with dragons.
Maybe she’d just done something that couldn’t be forgiven.
But a life without Ran wouldn’t be any life at all. She’d seen the evil in the world, and the world needed the black dragon.
Draven was over her, turning her in his lap as she hissed in pain at being touched.
“You stupid idiot,” he said. “Always doing what you want.”
She gave him a pained grin and then fainted.
In the obscurity of dreams, she saw herself walking in a blue darkness, nothing but cold air swirling around her. Had she died? She reached out a hand to touch the coolness around her, and as it touched her fingertips, she was shocked as it flew inside her, like she was suddenly a vacuum taking in all the blue mist. She arched back, suspended in midair in this strange dimension, as she felt herself overwhelmed by blue. And at the end, when there was only blackness left, she felt a flash of light and then saw her friends.
She was back in the warehouse, but she felt like she never had before. She looked up at her friends, Draven kneeling over her, Ran looking still at her side.
“Quick, Draven, how do I use my fire?” she asked.
Draven blinked. She didn’t have time for him to explain. Instead, she held up her still bleeding wrist and pressed it to Ran’s, giving him her blood.
When he didn’t immediately improve, she straddled his waist and put her mouth over his. Focusing on everything blue inside her, she blew as hard as she could, trying to fill his body with whatever she was.
She heard him draw a hoarse breath, felt green poison rushing toward her, but knew she could take it. It melted at the place where their fires met. She stayed entwined with him, taking his poison and filling him with life. She’d never felt more powerful or more needed.
And she could literally feel hope filling the warehouse where they rested.
Finally, she felt a large hand gently come up to touch her back. She opened her eyes to see Ran staring at her in shock. She released him and scooted back, wiping her mouth.