All he could do was breathe through the pain, and hope time was on his side and he survived the coming attack. It wasn’t long before he scented the humans, so when leaves rustled to his left, followed by a snapping twig, he knew he was in trouble. Brycen tried to pick his head up off the ground, but it wouldn’t budge.
The one Alexandra had named Trevor came into the clearing, his triumphant yell cutting through the quiet forest. He walked right up to Brycen’s snout, nudging it with his boot. The bastard acted brave, but the sour smell of his fear filled Brycen’s nostrils. He’d love nothing more than to whip his head up and chomp down on the coward. The fire in his gut built slowly, but it was coming. If by some miracle they didn’t carve him up right away and make him bleed out, he’d be able to defend himself again, and soon.
The man sneered down at him. He angled his blade, lifting the edges of the scales at Brycen’s neck and sliced through the tough hide beneath. Not enough to do any real damage, or kill him, but enough that he felt the warm trickle of blood down the side of his neck.
“You’re not so tough, are you, dragon, now that you’re on the ground at my feet?”
Fury roiled inside him as the man stepped back and laughed, turning to his friends, bright red dragon blood glistening on his sword.
Biding his time, Brycen concentrated on the anger, letting it build and churn until he had the strength to use it again. Already sensation was coming back. His arms and legs burned and tingled as feeling returned. Off to his right, the trees swayed from side to side as though dancing to some unheard music. Shit. Brycen closed his eyes for a moment, trying to dispel the vision. When he opened them again, the trees stood still. Giving in to the poison wasn’t an option. He had to keep his head on straight. A few minutes that’s all he’d have, so he had to make it count. Both his and Stella’s lives depended on it.
Trevor didn’t look back, in fact, none of them did. A mistake they would soon regret. Brycen took a steadying breath, testing out his strength with a quick flick of his tail. It moved. Not much, but it moved.
“Who wants to do the honors?” the man asked. “I’ll take the female when she comes.”
Rage, stronger than he’d ever felt blasted through Brycen. In an instant, power surged through him. He ignored the pain as he shot to his feet and roared. The men around him scattered, some running toward the treeline while others scrambled to find the bows they had dropped a distance away, but it was too late.
Brycen took several steps, and he was upon Trevor. The man swung his sword, slicing through the muscle and tissue on Brycen’s chest, but nothing would save him. When the man lifted his arm to swing again, the sword undulated in a serpentine way that had Brycen blinking and taking a step back. The flash of pain to his right wing when the blade sliced through had him roaring, and fire spewing from his mouth. The man let out a blood-curdling scream as the flames engulfed him. Brycen didn’t hesitate, clamping his teeth around the enemy’s chest. He shook him from side to side until the screaming stopped, and the man lay motionless in his grip.
Heavy gusts of wind came at him from either side as two familiar dragons, one purple, one black, landed on the ground next to him. Working together, they found each hunter as they scattered and tried to get away. A few of them got as far as their bows, but none of them managed to get a single shot before one of the dragons was upon them. Only once their screams silenced, did Brycen face the other dragons.
Expecting to find his friends, he roared. Who the hell had fought with him? The black dragon had not one, but two heads. Luke didn’t have two heads. The purple one shifted to the side, trying to get around him. He roared, warning them away. What did they want with him? Did they know about Stella? She-dragons, especially pure blooded ones, were rare. They had to be after her. Roaring, he stepped toward the black one. Dragon or no dragon, one head or two, he wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her. When a sharp pinch stung his leg, he roared again, ready to eliminate the threat, but it was too late, the world around him melted.
***
Jace had come prepared, as he always did. Once Brycen had torn the hunters to shreds and had turned his fury toward his clan mates, he had been quick to stab him with the sedative that would allow him to heal and sleep off the hallucinogen. It needed to be done but damn it, that had left Stella alone for over two days. He couldn’t catch his breath for the pounding of his heart. He flew fast and hard, not caring who was around. If the humans saw him and got scared, it was too fucking bad. He didn’t care if he ripped his wounds open, or if his wing ever healed properly. All that mattered was getting back home to Stella. He should have fucking mated her when he’d had the chance, and begged forgiveness for not being more gentle with her. If she’d suffered through the change alone and wasn’t able to shift back, he’d never forgive himself, and she wouldn’t either.