Page 76 of Draven
The wind rushed past me, and with each beat of my wings, I drew closer to Raven Port. The familiar landscape unfolded below, triggering old memories and a surge of emotions.
This place held my past, but Tobias was my future. The thought of losing him was unacceptable but could I truly win this fight?
Raven Port came into view, and I descended, my dragon senses on high alert. The sun had long since disappeared, replaced by the darkness of the night.
I scanned the area, searching for any sign of Justin or Belladonna. Reaching for my mate mark, I found an echo to the north. Tobias was close by.
By now, Doyle had probably informed Zane where I was. I wasn't alone in this fight, but even flying at top speeds, Zane might not be able to reach us in time.
It didn't matter. I had a score to settle with a black witch.
As I neared the outskirts of town, the echo from my mate mark grew stronger. My heart pounded in my chest.
Turning a corner, I spotted my old cabin, its windows dark and foreboding.
The echo led me here. Beyond the cabin, in a nearby clearing, my breath caught as I saw a figure curled on the ground, unmoving and still. Tobias.
I landed cautiously, and immediately, my senses tingled with the heavy press of Belladonna's dark magic. The air was thick with it, an oppressive energy that made my skin crawl.
The old trees cast long shadows under the moonlight, and the smell of brimstone lingered in the air.
I only had eyes for my mate, bound and unconscious on the grass.
"You came. What a fool," muttered a voice.
Justin stood a few feet away, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.
I roared, about to unleash a jet of flame at him, but sudden pain emanated from my chest and spread to the rest of me.
Agony radiated through my body, as if every nerve was set on fire, and my muscles seized up.
I froze, unable to move. Then I saw the faint black glow surrounding the forest.
I cursed in my head. I knew this was a trap, but after seeing Tobias, I didn't think, simply landed...right into a damn magic circle probably designed to contain and incapacitate me.
A small crack made me look down, and I saw the moonstone connected to the necklace Darcy had given me had cracked right in the middle.
More pain entered my body as bones cracked and my scales disappeared.
Shock flooded through me at the realization I was shifting back to human form—against my will.
My wings retracted painfully, my claws reformed into fingers, and my scales melted back into skin. Every second was excruciating, like being peeled alive.
In minutes, I was shivering in pain on the ground, a few feet from my mate. It felt like my armor had been stripped away, and my teeth chattered uncontrollably.
"How does it feel to be human, oh once powerful dragon?" Justin jeered.
He walked up to me, and my entire body was wracked with pain; I couldn't even stop him from kicking my ribs or stomping at my face. I grunted in agony.
"Stop, stop hurting him, please," rasped a weak voice. Tobias.
"You heard the wolf, Justin," said a familiar velvety voice.
Belladonna stepped out from the trees, smiling like a viper.
Justin immediately stopped, his earlier expression of rage replaced by a blank-eyed look that sickened me, because it felt like I was looking at a mirror.
"You have one more job to do," she told the human.