Page 25 of Fury of Affliction
“He dares?”
“I’ve got his blood on my claws, so…yeah. The arrogant prick dares.”
A low snarl came through the connection.“Kill him. Take him apart, piece by fucking piece.”
“No time. My mate’s in trouble,”he said, watching the yellow dragon close the distance. Less than five hundred meters away from the truck. Too close for comfort.“I’ve got to?—”
The enemy’s talons brushed the tailgate.
With a curse, Hamersveld unleashed his magic. Power surged across the top of the water. Without him to hold it up, the F-150’s grill tilted down. Gravity took over. The front end slammed into rising waves. Steel buckled. Saltwater closed over the cab, dragging Natalie under as the enemy male hovered above the surface of the ocean.
“Jesus, Sveld,”Ivar muttered, rocketing into view with a battalion of Razorbacks in tow.“Get to her, then bug out. The boys and I will handle Zidane.”
Without hesitation, Hamersveld left the battle behind. Gaze glued to the spot his mate disappeared, he blasted over the high cliffs. Sand kicked up as he cut across the beachfront. Water frothed. Waves spiked, stretching skyward to touch him. As the gnarled fingers raked his underbelly, Hamersveld dove into the Pacific.
Cold, wet and dark closed over his scales.
His sawtooth spine sliced through the surf. His water vision sparked. Details jumped into focus. His sonar pinged, providing a map of the underwater topography. Smooth ocean floor transition to jagged volcanic rock as he swam out to sea. His webbed paws pulled him forward. The slash of his tail uppedthe speed, propelling him away from the coast. Flowing over a ridgeline, he rocketed past the continual shelf as headlights flickered once, then went out, engulfing his mate in darkness.
6
The impact threw her forward.
The seatbelt tightened another notch as saltwater slammed into the windshield. The glass cracked. She watched the fissures spread, yanking at the cross-body strap, breathing too fast, feeling the cold rush pour through the open driver side window and drench her clothes.
Panic made her yank harder.
No give. Hardly any room for her to maneuver. The buckle was locked tight, the belt strung even tighter. A one-two punch that immobilized, trapping her inside the cab.
She needed a knife. Something sharp to slice through the nylon strap. If she got loose, she could swim to the surface, stay buoyant in the waves until Hamersveld reached her.
A shadow with wings flew overhead.
She heard a low growl, then a crunch. Something big hit the surface of the water. Yellow scales. Glowing blue eyes. Not Hamersveld. A different dragon. Someone she knew in an instant planned to do her harm.
Cursing through clenched teeth, she struggled harder to break free.
The truck listed sideways.
Metal groaned as quarter panels crumpled, buckling under the pressure.
Terror spun her around the rim of insanity as water touched the bottom of her chin. Fighting the panic, she tilted her head back. She took deep breaths, filling her lungs, trying to store oxygen. Breathe in quick. Exhale fast. In the way of free divers. She needed to be able to hold her breath long enough for?—
“Shaleima, hold on.”
“Sveld—”
“Give me a second.”
A shadowy gray blur sliced past the truck.
The yellow dragon flailed, wings thrashing, fighting to get out of the water.
Heat swirled in. Saltwater poured out of the truck, dropping the level to her chest, then hips and feet. As the cab emptied, a warm pocket of air moved in, acting like an oxygen tank, giving her what she needed to breath as the F-150 leveled out, then bumped down on the ocean floor.
A snarl echoed through the deep.
The sound of claws striking scales drifted. Bones snapped. Someone screamed. Natalie closed her eyes and waited. Any second now. Hamersveld would be back any second now. She sensed him close. Knew he fought to protect her by unleashing his water dragon and chasing his enemy out of the sea. All she needed to do was stay still and breathe. Hold on and wait—no matter how freaked out she felt sitting in the dark, inside a wrecked truck at the bottom of the ocean.