CHAPTERNINETEEN
ONYX
The night had not been an easy one. Azura had been frantic with worry yet exhausted by grief at the same time. Onyx’s heart went out to her over and over again.
How much could one woman’s heart bear?
When Onyx woke, it felt like he hadn’t slept at all. Azura was curled in his arms, murmuring softly in her sleep. Dawn had not quite broken, and the silvery light was only just beginning to streak across the horizon.
He watched his lover sleep, the dark circles under her eyes worrying him. He knew that she was not getting enough rest, and he hoped that, for now, she’d be able to sleep a little while.
Then, there was a heavy knock at the door. Azura jumped in his arms, coming fully awake in less than a second. Before he could move, she was up and opening the door. The palace attendant stood at the door with one hand raised mid-knock.
“What is it?” Azura cried.
“It’s Master Martin,” he said, his voice heavy. “He’s taken a turn for the worse. You must come now.”
Azura ran past him and headed for Martin’s room. Onyx followed behind, charging after Azura as she bolted to her brother’s suite.
Onyx was worried about what they would find. It was almost a certainty that Martin would die. He just didn’t know how to prepare Azura for that.
She has suffered so much. Surely, she deserves more than this. How can she lose her brother, too, after everything she has already suffered?
As they approached Martin’s room, Onyx could hear yelling. Lots of it. Above it all, harsh screams rang out at irregular intervals.
It sounds like someone is being tortured to death.
They reached the doorway. Several healers were trying to hold Martin down. He was twisting and screaming, writhing on the bed.
Scales were flashing across his skin, making it look like caterpillars were crawling over him at hyper-speed. The boy’s limbs jerked as if he were being electrocuted, and his eyes had rolled back in his head, showing only glassy white.
“Martin …” Azura stopped just inside the doorway. It was clear she had no idea what to do. Even if she could get close to him, it looked like she didn’t want to touch him.
Martin screamed, the sound piercing and sharp. He roared as he struggled against the healers, trying to get free of them. He shrieked as they tightened their grip to stop him from getting up.
It was a sound of pain mingled with horror. Onyx watched in sick fascination as bloody wings tore out of the boy’s back and flapped against the mattress.
“Turn him over!” one of the healers yelled. They did so quickly and efficiently, careful to keep him pinned to the bed. As the healers got a good look at his wounds, still bleeding around the brand-new wing membranes, they all showed expressions of doubt and defeat.
The wizard who had caused all of this was sitting in the far corner of the room, his hands locked in chains. Onyx had ordered him to be arrested, and it looked like the healers had called him in for advice.
“You!” Onyx screamed. “Tell me what’s happening.”
The wizard shrugged, looking frightened for the first time.
“This magic is local to Nova Aurora. Her plants, her chemical makeup. It wasn’t designed for an Earthling.”
“I said, tell me what’s happening,” Onyx repeated, stalking over to the wizard.
“I fear the dragon will tear him apart,” the wizard said softly. “Neither one of them can live. He is not naturally a shifter. He is not even of this world. The dragon being created within is an unnatural thing. It seeks to be free of the human. It will use his flesh to make its own, not knowing that without him, it cannot survive.”
Onyx was about to tear the man’s head off when another howl came from the bed. He looked over to see scales racing across Martin’s skin, his muscles getting thicker as the dragon took over. His nails curved and turned black, becoming razor sharp.
As he stopped screaming, he blinked. His eyes opened to reveal acid yellow orbs cut by vertical pupils.
“Martin!” Azura cried.
The kid shook his head, then flexed his newborn wings.