Adrien attacked again, throwing a kick into Mercury’s side, then following up with a knee into his chest. Mercury was able to shift on the second strike, and Adrien felt his knee connect with nothing as Mercury’s body melted back to dodge and then reappear where it had once been a second ago.
Mercury glanced upward, then beat his wings as he took to the air, heading for the windows that looked out onto the city, probably trying to make an escape.
Nice try.
Adrien teleported in front of the swiftly flying Mercury and slammed his fist into the unsuspecting dragon, sending him plummeting back to the ground and further tearing up the already destroyed marble floor.
Mercury didn’t move for a moment. Then, eventually, he slowly stood up, gazing up at Adrien angrily.
“Enough!” Mercury shouted, infuriated as his sword flashed before Adrien, jagged and horrible, a reflection of the creature who wielded it.
In response, Adrien’s sword appeared in his own hand, huge and magnificent and silver, and he raised it above his head.
With his sword out, he wouldn’t be able to teleport, but he needed it to finish off Mercury.
Adrien dove toward Mercury, and Mercury waved his arm as huge metallic spikes emerged from the ground. Adrien dodged back and forth, the feel of flying as natural as walking.
Drawing his sword, Mercury swung his heavy blade down at Adrien, who caught it with his own, deflecting it to the side with a sharp clang.
Then, using his forward momentum, Adrien drove his sword deep into Mercury’s shoulder. He shouted out in anger and pain and tried to swing his blade directly at Adrien’s face.
But Mercury was all but defeated now, and Adrien snapped his hand into Mercury’s, knocking the blade out of his hand. It clattered to the side, then dissipated into a gray smoke, the magic that summoned it fading.
“What’s… happening?” Mercury grimaced, his face contorting with rage as he struggled against the blade.
“Surprise, surprise. Having a hard time escaping, are we?” Adrien asked, a slight grin on his lips now.
Just as the power of his silver could nullify poisons, the silver of his sword could nullify specific dragon powers. Especially ones as vile as Mercury’s.
Mercury lashed out at Adrien, but he pushed him backward, driving the sword into the wall. Mercury howled, and Adrien answered with one final punch to the face, knocking him out completely.
Adrien’s sword kept him propped up like a mannequin as Mercury’s still face listed to the side.
When Citrine got back, they could figure out what to do with him. Right now, Kelsey was the only thing on his mind.
“Wow, pretty ghastly.” He heard Kelsey’s voice right behind him, and Adrien flinched in surprise as he turned around.
“Amazing,” Sever muttered, a little paler than usual but patching up quickly.
“He’ll be fine. Or at least not dead. Yet,” Adrien replied.
“Nice wings,” Kelsey said in awe as she reached up and ran her hand along the edge of Adrien’s wing. The touch sent warmth flooding through him.
Then to everyone’s surprise, the main doors to the room crashed open with a bang, and they all turned in the direction of the sound.
Twenty
“What the hell is going on here?” Citrine asked, looking around, consternation on his face turning quickly to shock, then concern as he surveyed the room and the people inside it.
Kelsey kind of felt bad for him, missing it all to come back right now. He would probably feel guilty when he found out what happened.
As Citrine stepped forward, his cell phone rang, and he pulled it out. His brows lowered as he listened to whomever was talking to him, presumably angrily.
“Yes, I know,” he said. “Aegis called me, too. I was only gone an hour, if that. How was I supposed to know something would—” He groaned. “Yes. I understand. I’ll be there in the morning.” He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket and walked forward, running both hands through his dark, mussed hair.
He stopped in front of Mercury and looked over at Adrien. “Are you all right?”
“I am now,” Adrien said. “Move back. I’m drawing in my wings.”
She took a step back and watched in awe as the large, sparkling metal objects folded in and then disappeared, leaving him looking normal and human once again. Well, except for being supernaturally beautiful.
He faced her, running his palms over her neck, her shoulders, her waist, her face, touching her everywhere, as if he had to be sure she was okay.
And she was because he was there. Ever since she’d met him, he was always there when she needed him.
“Sever might still be hurt,” she said, looking over at Sever, who was still standing against the wall.