The mere possibility boils my blood. And I wasn't there. I couldn't protect her from the Collector, and I couldn't get her back from his place. I had to wait for her being bought and hope they would bring her here. All the things she might have lived through these days, all the torture... Because I was a bad mate.
If he touched her, he's going to pay.
Something shoots right past my left wing, and I snatch my attention back to the minions on the ground. Some of them have gotten to their feet, pointing weapons in my direction. Others crawl away from the fire, and I angle my body toward the small group gathering around with guns. They're going down first. Spells hurt, but nothing like a bullet to your chest to make you stop on your tracks.
Taking a deep breath in, I face them and burn them all. The sound of their screams run through my scales like cold water, making me shiver. I wouldn't usually do this — dragons take matters into their own hands, but someone from the Shifter Division should analyze, judge, find a safe route out. I'm not the guy who shoots first and asks questions later. We have consequences for those in the SSD.
Things are different here. My mate is in danger, and I'm not letting anyone even think of touching her. I'll bring hell to earth before I see her hurt.
And that's exactly what I do. I rain fire down on these fae, their unique smell burning as I push them away from Cassandra. Many run, going for the cars. Others stick with their master, the one standing too close to Cassandra. He snarls at me and screams something over his shoulder at his minions. They'll soon counterattack, I know it. We caught them by surprise, but the shock doesn't last forever.
One of the fae rises from the rest, clutching something in a hand as he raises the other. His lips move to no sound, and I know magic's coming my way. Before it can hit me, I let my body drop, straight to the ground, feigning away from the spell. I peel my dragon off before I hit the ground, landing with both feet next to Cassandra. She snaps her gaze at me, wide-eyed in shock or surprise.
The fire creates an orange hue around her, like a halo, like she's something holy and unique. And fuck, she is. She is the most unique woman I've ever met. Not in my wildest dreams, I hoped for my mate to be brave the way she is. My muscles tense and I want to bring her to my chest, hug her close, breathe her in.
There's no time. The fae won't stop for our reunion.
I reach out, my fingers curling around her slim wrist, fingertips touching her palm. The cold of silver bracelets bite into my hand, and I look at them for a second — they’re new. She wasn't wearing these the last time we saw each other. The thought is a flicker and it stays for a mere second before I tug her on, our gazes locking. "Run!"
And she does. She doesn't ask me why, she has no questions. Cassandra trusts me as she lets me tug her closer, and she picks up her pace to match mine as we race between fire and fae. She keeps looking over her shoulder, and I'm about to tell her to focus on the way ahead when a bullet cuts the air right above my head. I wince, ducking.
"Don't shoot her!" someone screams, and I bet it’s that fae leader. Honestly, not a smart move to shoot the only fucking Shadow Mage in centuries when you went out of your way to buy her. I have no idea how much he paid for her, and the idea the Collector treated my mate like stock makes me roar.
"Tristan!" Cassandra calls out, and I snap my head to her. Who the fuck is Tristan?
"Here!" Another voice, a male one, calls back to her, and a huge frame jumps through the flames. I pull back, pushing Cassandra behind my body as I look up and up.
Fuck. I don’t think I’ve ever looked up at someone. Ever. This guy is off the charts. Dude looks like a slab of rock popped legs and started walking around. And he has a dog in his arm.
I blink. What?
"Tristan, Apollo." Cassandra points between the two of us. "Apollo, Tristan."
Tristan opens a smile. "It's so nice to meet you. Cassandra talked a lot about you." And he offers his hand.
What the fuck is happening here? I shake his hand quickly, then I turn to Cassandra. "I have so many questions, but we should be running. Is he coming with us?"
Cassandra grins and nods, starting on a jog again. "How did you find me?"
Tristan takes her side, smiling like this is all a friendly meeting, as if we weren't making our way through a labyrinth of flames. The dog bounces in his arm with every stride he takes, tongue lolling out of its mouth. I take a second look. The tips of its paws are tinged red. Never saw a dog like that.
Just what in the world did Cassandra get into?
"The Cursed Realm is almost entirely protected from us by the fae in the Twilight Realm,” I say. “Almost, but at this one spot. A straight corridor into the Cursed Realm. A shortcut. There was once a human city here that did business with Light and Dark Fae. Ren and I found a library."
Cassandra chuckles, fingers curling around mine. "I'm so happy you came after me."
"Of course I came after you. You're my mate."
My words are supposed to be reassuring, soothing, but Cassandra's face sobers, like she's confused about her feelings toward this fact. And I don't like that at all. My heart squeezes at the confusion on her face, the hesitation. I grind my jaw, wanting to ask her about it, but we don't have the time.
There's screaming, and the fae stomping around us, trying to find a way through the fire. Alert rushes through my veins, and I pull Cassandra out of the way just as a net drops onto the ground, the edges igniting in blue magic.
"Fuck," she hisses, looking at me with wide eyes. "Where are we supposed to go?"
"Here!" A voice I know well calls out, as if waiting for the right moment.
We all turn to find Ren propped on the hood of an SUV, waving his arms like crazy. The huge smile on his face leaves no doubt as to how happy he is at seeing Cassandra.