“Hold him!” one of the healers screamed. “Get the restraints! We can’t …”
Martin roared. Smoke poured from his mouth. He flexed his entire body as he rose from the bed, throwing off the healers. Before anyone could stop him, he stumbled to the window and threw himself out.
“No!” Azura screamed.
Onyx could not stay to comfort her. He launched himself out the window after Martin.
He expected to see the kid plummeting to certain death, unable to use his wings, but Martin was some distance ahead of him, actually flying. It was odd to see a human with wings powering through the sky … Onyx had never seen anything like it before.
He shifted fluidly in the air, the cool wind stroking his scales as he caught the air current and angled after Martin. He was far faster and began to gain on him.
Then, instead of heading for the sea, or the mountains, Martin turned in the air and began to fly straight at the plains that bordered the kingdom. Onyx swore, trying to call out and warn him, but it was no use.
Martin was flying straight into enemy territory.
Nova Aurora wasn’t known for war, but disputes between kingdoms could happen. A dragon flying straight into another’s territory without announcing its intentions would definitely be seen as a hostile act.
Onyx picked up speed, flying faster than he had ever believed he could fly. His body ached with the effort, but he knew that today, he would have to push himself harder than he ever had before.
I will not let him die!
It was entirely possible that Martin could drop out of the air, dead, at any moment. The strain of flight would be taking a huge toll on the boy’s strength.
His dragon must be very strong indeed to keep him going all this time. Maybe, it’s Martin himself that is strong.
That thought clarified in Onyx’s mind, and suddenly, he saw everything in a new light.
Azura is strong, like nothing I’ve ever known. She is my mate…she is one with me, and Martin is her brother! It’s the same blood!
He flew harder now, not feeling the pain in his wings. He saw Martin falter in the sky, screaming as the changes twisted his body.
“Martin!” Onyx roared. The kid’s head turned, and his eyes were human again, completely out of place with the scales and snout disfiguring his face.
“Don’t fight it!” screamed Onyx. “It’s your only chance!”
As he drew close to Martin, he saw a vanguard of three dragons approaching from enemy territory. He could tell they meant business, and they had come to kick them out of their airspace … or kill them.
Onyx reached Martin, aware that the enemy dragons were getting closer. He hovered in the air before the boy, relieved that the kid’s wings seemed to be automatically keeping him up.
“It hurts,” Martin moaned. “It hurts so much. I’m on fire inside. I feel like I’m being torn apart.”
“Halt,” Onyx said sharply. His voice was resonant, full of the strength and power of an alpha dragon. A human may not have understood the words, but a dragon would because they had the same voice.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself right now!” Onyx roared. “Embrace the change! Shift!”
Martin shook his head, tears flowing down his cheeks as his eyes flashed between human and dragon.
“I can’t!”
“You can!” Onyx’s voice was so loud it seemed to vibrate through the air around them. He glanced behind and saw the dragons were almost upon them.
“Shift, now!” he roared again. “I am your lord, dragon! I command you to shift right now! BECOME THE DRAGON!”
Martin screamed. He threw his head back as his arms and legs flung themselves outward. His wings flapped harder, and his skin split all over.
Fuck, I’ve killed him!
Then a roar ripped through the air. It took a minute for Onyx to realize it was Martin. His form wavered like a mirage in shimmering waves of heat for a moment. Then, as the air cleared, the human form fell away, and only the dragon remained.