Stella shuddered, and her body stiffened, then he heard the slice of a blade against scales, followed by the whimper of the woman inside the beast’s body. With a furious roar, he circled her, shifting as he went. The first man he came upon dropped his weapon at the sight of him. His eyes widened, and his mouth went slack. A disgusting wet patch darkened the man’s jeans at the front. Jace grabbed the man in his jaw, his sharp teeth sawing into the man’s shoulder and neck. His struggles stopped in an instant, and Jace tossed him aside.
Two more men were there, waiting for him with their spears pointed straight at his chest. Stupid fucking hunters. Spears wouldn’t protect them—nothing would. Stella was paralyzed by their poison, as were the other dragons in the yard, but he wasn’t. Not yet anyway. With a deafening roar, blue-white flames shot from his mouth. He didn’t wait for them to fall. The snipers on the roof, whether they were human, or dragon, would be aiming right at him, and Stella would get hit. He beat his wings long and hard, lifting from the ground. In the distance, he heard the rest of his clan.
Shots rang out all around him. Searing pain stabbed through his right side. He expected to be hit, but the burn was too intense, too wicked to be a mere bullet. Poison, more potent than their arrows could ever carry blasted through him, making each muscle seize and contract. Another shot, this time in his left leg had him roaring and turning toward the roof. The flicker of movement from inside, a darkened curtain moving drew his attention. Charlotte. Her silent scream from inside the house and the fury and determination in her eyes had his already straining heart hammering against his ribs. Stay inside, Charlotte. He willed the words to her. He didn’t want her in danger. He didn’t want her to watch him die. Jace pulled his wings tight to his body, diving toward the roof. He had to get rid of as many of them as he could before he fell.
The roars of dragons erupted all around him. The human men on the roof turned and ran while the dragons shifted. He dove for the humans first, flinging them off the three storied building. The satisfying crunch of bone and the taste of blood in his mouth pushed him forward.
FOURTEEN
Charlotte struggled against the man holding her in place. “Let me go, damn you. He’s going to die. He needs help.” She didn’t care if Reyn heard her, or if he came after her. She’d do whatever it took to get to Jace.
“The men have arrived, let them take care of this,” he insisted.
“Who is that?” Maddie grabbed her arm. “Tell me what’s going on, please.”
“We’re under attack. Hunters and dragons. The man with the scar on his face is in here with us. He has been all along. He hasn’t hurt us yet, so you’ll be safe with him.” She hoped she was right, but she couldn’t stay to make sure. Jace needed her more.
“I’m going with you,” the man said as he pushed past Maddie. Even better. Maddie might be scared alone, but she would be safe.
“Maddie, please, I know you’re scared, but I need you to stay in here. The men need our help.”
“Did you see Luke? From the window?” her friend pleaded, needing comfort, but she wouldn’t lie.
“I didn’t, I’m sorry. Please say you’ll stay here. You’ll be safe. We’ll come back for you as soon as we can.”
Maddie sobbed, and shook, but she nodded. “Be careful.”
Charlotte listened for a full minute before pressing the panel open. She peeked out. No one was in the hallway. Slipping through the opening, she was careful not to make a sound. When she was all the way out, the man angled his wide shoulders and wiggled himself out.
“At least, tell me who you are, she whispered at him as he stood and put the panel back in place.
The man looked at her, then glanced over her shoulder, his stance stiffening. “You can call me Fitz,” he said before he roared and ran down the hall. She hadn’t even heard Reyn, but there he was. His sneer turned into shock as he saw the man barrelling toward him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Reyn yelled, his voice a couple of octaves higher than normal.
“What your father entrusted us both with, traitor. You do not deserve to carry the Rivers name, and you sure as hell don’t deserve to lead the Eldurcrest clan.” Fitz lunged at him, taking him down onto the floor.
“You’re willing to die? For her? You’re more stupid than I thought,” her brother spat the words at him.
Fitz swung his arm back and struck fast and hard. The crack of fist hitting flesh resounded in the hallway. Charlotte raced down the hall. The sounds of battle raged outside. She’d only taken two steps out the front door when her black dragon fell from the sky, making the ground shake to land not fifty feet in front of her. “Jace!” Her heart stuttered, then pounded, stealing her breath. He lay in a heap, unmoving except for intense spasms tearing through his body.