34. Lira

34

LIRA

K nowing that I had to act fast, especially with the threat to Eiric, I lifted both hands and pushed water into the faces of Zyndara and the dragon who held my mate captive, aiming for their nose and mouth. Both dragons jerked back, and Tavish managed to use the momentum to break free from his captor's grasp.

"He shouldn't be able to move like that!" the violet dragon shouted as if that would change anything.

The remaining three dragons closed in on Eiric.

I had to reach her. She was in the most danger.

One of the dragons roared, and I prepared to splash the three in the face when King Ignathor's large arms circled around me and shoved me to the rocky ground.

Sprite! Tavish linked.

My injured knee flared and bits of stone cut into my knees, palms, elbows, and face. The king's weight covered me, making it hurt to even breathe, and my lungs screamed for oxygen.

I gritted my teeth and tried to roll him off me, but I wasn't able to budge him an inch. Instead, all I managed to do was expend more energy and deplete what little oxygen I had left.

My head spun, and I realized that if I didn't get free soon, I'd black out. Maybe that was the king's plan. My instinct was to call out to Tavish for help, but I swallowed the words, knowing he was engaged in his own battle.

Just as I felt myself fading, King Ignathor's weight lifted from me.

I raised my head and dragged in a deep breath, then saw Sorcha standing with her back to me just as Zyndara charged at the Seelie guard.

Finnian flew over the dragon's head, ice shooting from his hands and onto the dragon. Sorcha flew up, swinging her blade at the dragon's neck. At the last second, Zyndara flipped around and slammed her tail into Sorcha's side, sending the guard flying several feet away and leaving me wide open to attack.

I tried to climb to my feet, but my knee gave out, and I dropped back onto the rocky ground. Pain jolted through me again, stealing my breath.

Turning my head, I saw Pyralis fighting two of the dragon guards and protecting Eiric, causing some of my worry about her well-being to dissipate.

Flapping my wings, I rose so I didn't need to stand, and I found Tavish fighting King Ignathor while Mom, Dad, and Lorne fought Tavish's captor and the emerald-green dragon.

I tapped into my water magic to help aid the fight but realized that both of my magics were depleted. Blazing abyss. I had to find a way to help without my innate weapons.

Looking around, I realized there was one thing I could use for defense.

Rocks.

I grabbed a huge round rock and glanced up to choose my target.

A small, strong hand clutched one of my wings and yanked me backward. I landed against a tree trunk, which knocked the wind out of me. My lungs couldn't work, but I held on to the rock as my only line of defense.

Queen Sintara stepped in front of me, wearing a deep scowl. "It didn't have to be this complicated, Lira. All you had to do was marry my son." She gripped my arm, not acknowledging the rock I had in my hand, and jerked me up. I stumbled, and agony shot through my knee again. I went down, the rock rolling a few feet in front of me.

Lira, I'm coming, Tavish linked, fear for me taking hold.

I swallowed a whimper, but not soon enough. The corners of the queen's lips tipped upward. The fighting continued around us, and then the queen jerked on me once more. My eyes burned with unshed tears. Focus on your battle. Both Ardanos and I need you to live.

"My knee. I think it's broken," I wheezed. "I can't walk."

Huffing, the queen bent down to lift me, and I realized that this was my chance. Gritting my teeth, I rolled forward, startling the queen, and managed to grab the rock. The queen bent toward my other side then clutched my left wrist. With all the strength I had left, I lifted the huge rock with my right hand and smashed it into her head, knocking off her crown.

I heard a sickening crack , and her hand released my wrist.

She wobbled, reaching up to touch the top of her head. Crimson tracked down the side, and her pupils slitted. White scales showed faintly on her skin, but her body listed.

I reached for the rock again, shifting both knees for balance. Blinding pain slid through me, and the queen reached out to stop me. However, I swung the rock at the side of her head once more, and the impact made her collapse to the ground.

She didn't stir. My gut twisted as blood pooled under her head. I hadn't expected it to work that well since dragons were so strong, but clearly, in their smaller form, they were similar to us.

"Lira," Eiric cried, and I rolled onto my ass, unable to stand the weight on my knee. I turned to find Eiric running toward me with Pyralis right behind her.

She dropped beside me, her face strained. "Where are you hurt?"

"I don't—"

Pyralis fell forward, causing both Eiric and me to jerk up. The dragon prince rolled onto his back while Tavish flew over him.

Raising the dragon sword over his head with the white jagged blade facing downward, Tavish snarled, "You'll die knowing you never had my mate. That she is mine, always and forever. And I'll enjoy killing you for everything you've done to her and to my people."

"No," Eiric shouted, jumping to her feet. "Tavish—"

But my mate didn't even acknowledge Eiric. Rage and hatred churned in him, making my insides feel gross.

He swung downward just as Eiric jumped on top of Pyralis, covering him with her body.

My heart skipped a beat. Don't hurt Eiric! I wanted to intercept the sword, but I was at the mercy of my wounds. All I could manage was to scoot over to them, hiking my dress way too high for comfort or being ladylike.

Tavish lurched to the side, barely missing Eiric. He breathed erratically. "What the blast are you doing?"

She stared straight at him. "He's my fated mate. You can't injure him."

"Eiric, get off me," Pyralis commanded. "You're going to get hurt, and this is my punishment to bear."

"Even he agrees," Tavish sneered. "He keeps trying to claim my mate."

Pyralis rolled over Eiric and stood, his scales splotching his face. "However, I'm not going to just lie here and die. I will protect myself and most definitely Eiric."

Sinking into a fighter's stance, Tavish prepared to advance.

"Tavish, you can't kill him," Caelan shouted as he flew rapidly to us.

Instead of listening, Tavish lunged. Pyralis jumped back and changed partially into his dragon form. Tavish didn't pause and stabbed the prince in the arm. Blood spurted, and my mate smirked and yanked back his sword.

"Stop!" Eiric screamed, but Mom and Dad landed behind her and grabbed her arms just as Caelan landed between Pyralis and Tavish.

"You can't kill him, Tavish." Caelan lifted his own sword with a shaky hand, the tip of his blade coated in red. Black blood oozed down his arm.

Snarling, Tavish growled, "People keep saying that, but I can and will."

"The dragon king and queen are dead. He's the last living dragon royal." Caelan lifted a brow. "If you kill him, then our world will become unstable, which will impact the fae and maybe even your relationship with Lira. Is that what you want?"

Pyralis gasped and hung his head. He glanced at his mother, who lay bloodied not far from him, and his face twisted in agony.

Tavish lowered his weapon just as Lorne, Sorcha, and Finnian landed between Tavish and me. I glanced behind them and noted that the dragons we'd been fighting had all been slain. Everyone was dead except Pyralis.

Some of the pressure lifted from my chest. At least none of us had been killed.

"He's the one person I want dead." Tavish wrinkled his nose.

I didn't know what to say because I didn't want to add to his turmoil. If someone had tried to stop me from killing Eldrin, I might have lost control. I didn't want Tavish to feel like I was choosing the dragon prince over his needs, but… "Maybe he's willing to do what's right." I had to hope he could be a decent guy and a potential ally, given what I'd feared was true—he was indeed Eiric's mate.

Pyralis clutched his arm where he'd been stabbed, but he turned to me.

"Don't blasting look at her, ashbreath," Tavish seethed.

"Fine," Pyralis said and faced Tavish. "There's been too much death on both sides. I can end the fighting. This arrangement was my parents' doing, not mine. And they paid the ultimate price with their lives." His eyes glistened, but he straightened his shoulders.

"Yet you tried to kidnap my mate and bring her here." Tavish grimaced. "It wasn't all your parents."

Pyralis's scales reappeared on his face. "I never wanted to marry her. I agreed only to help our people. When I brought Eiric back instead of Lira, everything changed. However, my parents wouldn't listen to me. Maybe if they had, things would be different right now." He growled, "I will return after I call off the fighting."

"Pyralis, you're hurt." Eiric's face twisted in worry.

Mom kissed her forehead and said, "Your dad and I will go with him."

It wasn't just to keep watch over the prince but to make sure he didn't betray us.

Pyralis flew away, blood still seeping from the wound on his arm, and Tavish rushed to me. When he reached my side, he placed an arm gently around me.

I was so worried about you, Tavish linked, kissing my forehead.

"Uh…" Finnian's head tilted back. "Who killed the queen? I've never seen anything so barbaric."

"That would be me." I raised my hand. "I didn't have a sword or dagger, so I had to improvise."

He grinned and placed both hands on his hips. "Why am I not surprised? You've always managed to find a way out of a tough situation. If you weren't fated to Tavish—"

Tavish snarled, "Stop speaking," as Sorcha smacked him on the back of the head.

"We should go and make sure the fighting stops." Caelan pursed his lips. "They may need our help."

"And the princess should really pull her dress down." Lorne cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Don't look or try to help her." Finnian fluttered his wings. "Otherwise, Tavish will kill you."

Tavish stood and gathered me into his arms, and I yanked my gown back down where it should be. Still, we both flinched at Finnian's choice of words right now. Pyralis was right. There were way too many deaths; even kidding about it right now seemed insensitive.

"Finnian, please, for once, be careful how you speak," I said gently, knowing that he hadn't meant it so inconsiderately. "We've lost a lot of people today." In fact, I feared the numbers.

Sadness flooded into me from Tavish, and he said, "Yes. Let's not make light of all those we lost."

There was no telling how many graves we'd need to dig. My heart grew heavy.

Caelan moved to pick up Eiric, but she shook her head. "I'm good right here."

"Finnian and I can stay here with her," Sorcha offered.

A dragon roared louder than I'd ever heard before.

Without a moment's hesitation, Tavish took to the air. Now that the battle was over, I began to notice every ache in my body.

As we continued upward, I glanced all around at the fae and dragons. Flames weren't flashing anymore, and the sound of swords and screams had calmed. The dragons that had been fighting over the water were flying back toward the island, leaving the fae with their weapons raised.

Pyralis had come through. The fighting had stopped.

And with that realization, I nestled into the arms of my mate and let darkness overtake me.