Raluca’s silver dragon had caught him in mid-air. She’d had to come so close to the ground to reach him, she must have almost crashed into it herself.
Nick tried to look past her, to see if anyone was shooting at them from the roof, but he couldn’t tell which building they’d fallen from. They were in a maze of skyscrapers and streets, flying very low. Too low. Raluca was dangerously close to the streets and light posts and buildings, and moving far too fast to land.
“Look out!” Nick yelled.
As Raluca swerved to avoid one office tower, another loomed ahead. Her great wings beat hard, straining upward, trying to fly over it. She gained some height, but not enough.
“Left!” Nick shouted, his voice cracking with the force of it.
A wall of glass loomed before them. Raluca veered to the side, whipping one wing up.
They hurtled past the building, so close that Nick could have touched it. Then they were past it, and into open air. Raluca soared upward, her wings beating powerfully, heading for the sky.
Nick closed his eyes with relief. They’d made it. He’d saved his mate, and she’d saved him. They knew who was behind the plot. All they had to do now was go back to Protection, Inc. and tell the team. Everything would be all right.
The grip on him vanished.
Nick dropped like a stone.
A scream tore through the air. Raluca was a woman now. And she too was falling. Instinctively, Nick grabbed her, pulling her close as they both plummeted toward the ground.
He smelled dragonsbane. She must have been shot with a dart or spray gun or something, forcing her to shift in midair.
The streets seemed to rush up toward them.
Shane had told him what to do if his parachute failed to open. Nick twisted to direct his fall. But not as Shane had taught him, to save himself. Nick moved to take the full force of the impact, cushioning Raluca with his own body.
The ground struck him like a fist.
Chapter Ten
Raluca
Raluca had expected to die.
Once she’d caught Nick and soared into the sky, she’d been filled with the joy of flight and survival and love. She’d been so proud of herself for understanding Nick’s plan and reacting fast enough for it to work, and of him for coming up with the idea and having the courage to carry it out. All she had to do was fly them both to safety, and everything would be all right.
Then a small, hard impact had hit her wing, like a thrown rock. It broke open against her hide, splashing her with a tiny amount of liquid. The unmistakable acid burn of dragonsbane seared her skin and wrenched her from dragon to woman in a shocking, agonizing instant.
As they’d fallen, Nick had clutched her tight. In the stretched-out moment before they hit, Raluca had hoped that holding her would give him some comfort in his last moments. But she felt nothing but a bitter rage at the universe.
Hasn’t he been hurt enough? Raluca thought. He deserves to live and be happy.
And then, as the pavement rose up to meet them, she thought, And so do I.
At the last second, she closed her eyes.
The impact jolted her, but nowhere near as hard as she’d expected. She lay still and stunned for a moment. Then she realized that she’d hit the ground, and was still alive.
Impossible.
Dazed, she opened her eyes. She was lying on top of Nick. That must have protected her —
No. He’d protected her. Raluca abruptly recalled how he’d twisted around in midair. He must have deliberately moved so he’d hit the ground first and take the brunt of the fall.
“Nick?” Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper.
His head was turned aside, his face in shadow. He didn’t move or answer. His body lay still, sprawled on hard concrete with his right arm and leg twisted beneath him.