She yanked it up, pulled back, and began to run.
I can do this! Bird exulted.
Then her foot slammed into a rock, and she fell flat on her face.
FOURTEEN
MIKHAIL
Mikhail had to fight harder than he ever had before in a lifetime of fighting, if he wanted to save his mate.
Cang’s strength lay in fire and stone. As Cang fought to keep Mikhail confined inside the cavern, Mikhail fought to keep Cang’s attention solely on him so that the renegade Guardian would not see wonderful, loyal, determined Bird.
Then the lava wyrms struck, and pain ignited all down his length. He had to get to the cave entrance, where the waves were beginning to brush up against the rock. Once he could get outside he could gain his full form, with all the power of the sea and air.
The lava wyrms bit mercilessly into him. The waves ran inside. He could draw on the water, and the air flowing in the cave entrance, but if he shifted all the way to his full length while still inside the cavern, he risked bringing the palisade smashing down. He did not d
are draw on all his power with Bird still in the cave. Cang, who cared nothing for the consequences, was already shaking the cracked earth and stone along its many small faults.
Give it up, came Cang’s thought. Mikhail, why are you so stubborn? I promise, if you back me you will be my right hand. It’s time for a new era! Fire will cleanse this world!
Mikhail whipped his head around, and flexed his whiskers into ice form. They sent up boils of steam as he cleared the wyrms around his head. But great numb patches were starting along his body.
No, said Mikhail.
Then I shall bury us both! Cang’s rage burned on the mythic plane.
The ground jolted. Rock began falling overhead—
And then the great dragon that was Cang suddenly vanished. Cang had become a man again, sprawled on the ground in a thoroughly undignified pose. The incoming tide foamed up, sending a wave of floating Styrofoam cups and plastic bags and other trash all around him. Rubble rained down on them both as Cang stared in wide-eyed shock at the shiftsilver chain looped around his torso lasso-style.
Bird, filthy from head to toe, her hair dripping with brine, held the other end of the chain.
Another wave surged in. It hissed as the last of the lava wyrms boiled into steam and vanished. Mikhail shifted back to his human form, staring at his heroic mate in disbelief.
Bird kept on wrapping Cang in chain, heedless of the sand and small stones dropping on her.
“Take that! And that,” she sobbed. “You dare to hurt him—here’s another loop!”
Her chin was bleeding, and there were scrapes on her elbows and hand. She was his Bird, the most gallant and beautiful mate since the dawn of the world.
Cang sent a last slashing grin Mikhail’s way, then flicked his glowing red gaze at Bird.
“I will remember you,” he said in English.
A great crack smote the air from overhead. A massive boulder began to fall with deceptive slowness.
“Let’s run, beloved,” Mikhail urged.
Her pale face and frightened eyes turned his way. Their hands met, their fingers lacing as they ran for the cave entrance, Mikhail’s first thought to get Bird to safety before dealing with Cang. An incoming wave splashed into her, nearly knocking her into the rocks, as overhead, more stones and dirt began to fall.
Mikhail swept Bird up into his arms, his head turning from side to side as he splashed into the churning waves. He braced for attack from Horace and Liza—
To see them pinned down as water foamed around them, crouched above them a pair of Pi Xiu. At the sight of him, their dragon heads flashed upward in salute, horse bodies still as their icy unicorn hooves pressed into Cang’s hirelings.
Farther away, Joey in fox form danced along the shoreline, out of reach of the water.
Mikhail set Bird down higher on the shore, and ran back to deal with Cang—in time to see him vanish into the falling rock, smothered by his lava wyrms. Then the entire structure came down with a crashing roar.