Chapter Thirty-Three

Levi

B oth our heads craned upward at the noise.

"Back for round two, is she?"

I glared at Sarah, ignoring the hotness of her comment. "Grow up. You know damn well nothing like that happened. You're just too scared to admit it because you're scared of what that might mean about how you feel about me. Now, stay here while I find out who it is. There's more than one dragon up there."

In fact, there were more than two. Which meant it wasn't Lydia returning with Malakai. So, who could it be, and why were there so many? It was hard to tell through the stone roof, of course, but if I had to guess, I would have said it was nearly half a dozen distinct touchdowns.

Could the sovereign have discovered our plans?

The air around me grew cool at the thought, a chill settling over me. If it were, then things were about to get very bad indeed. Perhaps I could figure out a way to shield Sarah from the blame.

It would be hard. Many would say that, as a human, she would want the sovereign deposed more than anyone else. It wouldn't shock me to hear some call out her name as the ringleader of it all.

That couldn't be allowed to happen.

I beat whoever it was to the door, closing it behind me as I stared up at the stars shining in the night sky. I thought about locking it, but if I had to do something drastic, I wanted all options open to me.

And just what the fuck sort of drastic thing are you going to do? If it's the sovereign and her palace guard, you don't actually think you can take them on, do you? You're outnumbered.

Maybe I couldn't take them on. But I might be able to get Sarah and Levi to safety. That was all that mattered now. Protecting those who mattered most to me.

As I cleared the stairs, however, it wasn't the uniformed soldiers of the palace waiting for me.

"Malakai."

"Levi." He stared at me coldly, his eyes devoid of the warmth of friendship they'd held for so many years.

He knew.

My jaw tightened. "What do you want? Did you move up the attack to tonight?"

There was always the chance Lydia had kept her mouth shut, saving that information for later as some sort of bargaining chip. A sword to hang over my neck in case they needed to threaten me into submission. I doubted it, however.

"Did ‘I' move it up?" Malakai cocked his head. "Interesting choice of grammar, Levi, from someone who's been with me since the start. Who, it could arguably be said, was the one who first had this idea. Now you act as if I'm the only one who cares."

"I do care," I said, meaning it. "I want it to succeed. That has never wavered."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

"You act as if you know things I don't."

Malakai laughed. "There's very little I don't know. Even less after tonight."

My blood turned to ice, flowing with glacier slowness as Malakai confirmed my deepest fear.

"A son," he said thoughtfully. "And with that human whore, no less."

"Yes." I would not deny Jakub. Not now. "Though she's no more a whore than the one at your side. The one you sent to my house to seduce me."

"And it's a good thing I did send her!" Malakai snarled, confirming my suspicion that Lydia's visit had been planned by them. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have learned about your child. A half-human bastard."

I stepped forward with a snarl, scales decorating my arms as my dragon howled with fury.

"How long have we been friends?" Malakai said, ignoring my outburst. "Twenty-five years? Thirty? All this time, and you would keep this from me? I'm hurt."

"Go away," I said more calmly, noting how the quartet of other dragons behind my friend reacted when I stepped forward.

They expected violence from me.

Which could only mean that whatever their purpose was, it wasn't good. The way Malakai had brought up Jakub was more than enough, but that just confirmed it. He wasn't there just to threaten me with an If you betray me scenario.

Malakai was there to ensure I could do no such thing.

"This won't end the way you want," I told him.

"Yes, it will. You will come with me and stay out of the way while I finish what we started. It pains me you're too much of a coward to see it through, but I promise you I'm not. I'm strong enough to succeed where you fail."

They weren't there to kill us. That was good news. Still, what use would they have for keeping us around? It was probably only a sentimental thing. Once Malakai had what he wanted, it seemed unlikely he would let us go.

"Don't try it," Malakai warned as I tensed. "You're outnumbered, Levi. You can't win."

Scales the color of arterial blood glittered in the moonlight as they covered me from head to toe.

"If you think I'm going to let you have them without a fight, old friend, then you never really knew me at all." I inhaled. " SARAH. RUN!"

Malakai laughed. "And if you think the only men I brought are up here on the roof, old friend , then you never knew me either."

Shit.

I spun, scales disappearing as I dove for the stairs and unlocked door.

"Get him!" Malakai shouted, and his men rushed in pursuit.

Racing down the stairs, I flung the door open, swinging it shut. The fingers of my right hand morphed into dragon claws, and I shoved them into the holes on the door and turned, throwing the latches shut. The heavy metal bracers clunked as they locked into place.

A moment later, the first of Malaka's men reached the door and pounded on it.

"Levi!"

I raced down the hallway at Sarah's panicked cry. A dark form was about to kick down the door to the guestroom that had been given to Jakub.

Once more, scales covered me from head to toe, appearing from under my skin as I ran, silent as death.

The other dragon turned at the last second, so focused on his mission that he failed to notice me coming. I lowered my shoulder and hit him hard in the side. Several ribs gave way as we hurtled down the hallway. I landed with all my weight on him, bounced up and over in a front flip, then donkey-kicked backward, catching him in the jaw as he started to rise.

Something snapped, and the intruder's eyes rolled up into his head as he slumped to the floor. For a moment, I feared he was dead, but a quick check showed he was merely unconscious.

"It's me," I announced as I knocked on the door.

Sarah flung it open, and I gathered her into my arms and carried her to the bed where Jakub waited, his eyes open in alarm.

"Come on. We're leaving. I'll explain later," I ordered, not leaving any room for argument.

Sarah's training had already kicked into gear, and she scooped up Jakub and started toward the door. I snagged her by the shoulder.

"Not that way. There are more of them out there."

"Mommy, what's going on?" Jakub asked, clutching to her tightly.

"Hush, baby. We'll tell you once we get there, okay? Right now, though, I need you to be quiet. Can you do that for Mommy? Be a big boy?"

Jakub nodded.

"We're going out the window," I said to Sarah, pointing. "It's the only way."

She looked unhappy but nodded. I lifted the window wide, and then tore the screen out, glancing down as I did. The street below was empty—for now. We could make it.

"Hold him tight to you," I ordered. "This won't be pleasant."

Sarah did as ordered without asking questions. I brought them to the window and then, taking Sarah by the shoulders, carefully eased the two of them out into open space four stories above the ground.

"What now?" she asked, looking down nervously.

"Hold even tighter," I said. "I'm going to toss you up, and then catch you again as I come out the window."

"You're what?" Even Sarah's composure cracked. "Levi. No, that's too dangerous there has to— oh, shit! "

I threw them up in the air, climbed onto the ledge, and leaped outward for them, arms outstretched to catch the pair as they fell.

My wings snapped open, exploding from my shoulders as I caught them, and we swiftly descended toward the street below.

"Told you I'd get you," I said, allowing a smile to cross my face as we escaped Malakai's trap. "You're safe. I've got y—"

Something heavy landed between my shoulder blades, and we plummeted toward the street below. Frantically, I tried to twist. To put my body between the ground and Sarah.

I had to protect them. Had to keep them safe. It was the only thing I—

We hit the ground, and darkness swallowed me up.