Chapter 13

Pulling back from Tulia, denying her, was one of the hardest things Austin had ever done. Hell, he’d wanted it just as badly. Still did. But if anything happened to her parents while they took their time and made love—because there was no way he would have rushed his first time with his mate—she never would have forgiven him, or herself, which was even worse.

After a quick shower and breakfast in the hotel lobby, thankfully devoid of anything Rachel, they set off. If all went according to plan, they would reach Pikes Peak just after three, and her parents would already be there, waiting for her. It didn’t give them much time to enjoy the Colorado scenery, but it brought them closer to going home, and to safety.

Tulia flew beneath his left wing, fitting there perfectly. When they crossed over a large body of water, she dipped lower, making his heart stutter before she came back to him, sliding her body against his side with a playful look shining in her eyes. Had she dived into the water again, he might not have panicked quite as much as he had the day before, but that didn’t mean he’d like it, either.

After another hour of flying, he spotted a red and white railcar snaking its way up the side of a mountain. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was the Cog Railway he’d seen when he’d done an online search on his phone as they’d eaten breakfast. That meant they were close. Although he’d been on high alert since they’d taken to the air, he had yet to see anything to rouse his suspicion—yet a heavy dread churned in his chest. He couldn’t quite define it or what was at the root of it, but he’d learned to listen to his gut long ago. It never steered him wrong.

Tulia, who’d kept up with him the entire way, put on a burst of speed, breaking away from him. A plume of black smoke rose to the left. She headed straight for it and away from their destination. Changing course, he followed, coming back to position himself where he could defend her if the need arose. At first, he thought the smoke came from a campfire, or a small brush fire, but the acrid scent of heated metal and burning rubber filled the air with their noxious odor. Fuck.

When Tulia let out a horrified roar and plunged toward the scenic overlook, he didn’t have to see to know what he’d find there. The charred remains of her parents’ vehicle smoldered, the tires still on fire. Tulia landed a short distance away, shifting quickly, and he was right behind her. Thankfully, no tourists were there, but they couldn’t count on that remaining that way.

Austin took a deep breath. Isolating smells beyond the wreckage of the car wasn’t easy, but he picked them up. There was an underlying scent of dragons—one female, and several males. And blood. In the distance, the rumbling of an engine sounded, getting closer with each passing second.

“We can’t stay here,” he said softly, putting an arm around her bare shoulder, offering what little comfort he could.

Eyes bright with unshed tears, Tulia nodded.

“I’ve got their scents. I can track them. Maybe we won’t be too late.”

As brave as always, Tulia swallowed hard and took a steadying breath. “We’ll make it in time.”

It didn’t take him long to catch the trail on the breeze. The further they got from the summit, the stronger the coppery smell of blood became. More than anything, he wished he could go ahead and see what they would find, sparing her from a gruesome sight if the worst-case scenario came to be, but he couldn’t leave her unprotected.

They flew over a valley nestled between two mountains where the trees grew in sparse patches. A sprawling ranch made the scenery pretty, but the cattle stampeding in the distance, kicking up dust as they went, had him flying harder and faster. When he and Tulia flew closer, the cattle, eyes wide, bellowed and veered off to the side as a unit.

The scent of her parents and the enemy grew thick as he glided across the sky with Tulia at his side. A flash of red and an agonized roar came up to greet them from the ground. The smell of burned flesh fouled the air, followed by devastating silence.

Austin tucked his wings close to his body, diving for the small copse of trees that partially obstructed his view. Two dragons lay on the ground with another two posturing before them. The injured male lay so still, Austin couldn’t be sure if he lived. The smaller stayed close to him, using her body as a shield. Her movements were jerky, but each time one of the others tried to approach, she placed herself between them and her mate.

When he was within striking distance, Austin let out a roar that had the two attackers scrambling as they took to the air. Both were average-sized beasts, and each had the same brown-black coloring to their scales.

He gave Tulia a look, hoping she’d understand that he needed her to go to her parents and let him take care of the enemy. Too much was at stake. She had to remain safe—or as safe as she could be under the circumstances. He tipped his head in the direction he wanted her to go, then banked left, flying higher, drawing the enemy to him. When she didn’t go toward her parents right away, he thought she would follow him, but then she glided toward the ground.

The males beat their wings hard, flying straight for him, then breaking formation to come at him from both sides. It was a move he knew well. Hell, he’d done it with his clan brothers often enough while chasing an enemy to know what they were up to. For some larger dragons, quick maneuvers in the sky were tricky. Unfortunately for the two chasing him, he was nimbler that many smaller beasts. Just as they attacked, opening their jaws wide, he pulled up, clearing their flames.

Having the two dragons strike themselves down, however, would have been too easy—not that he would have minded. At the last second, one veered left while the other went right. Each had to have felt the burn of the other’s flame, but it wasn’t enough to slow either one. They came at him again, and once more, he evaded them with ease.

Expecting the duo to work in tandem, Austin put on a burst of speed, closing the distance between them. He’d clip one, then go after the other. They wouldn’t know what hit them. But then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. Rather than rally to chase him again, one of the two brown dragons broke off in a sharp turn while the other dived for him from above.

Austin didn’t have to wait long to see what the other was doing as it flew straight and true toward the spot where Tulia had gone to the ground to be with her parents. His heart thumped hard against his ribs. The bastard was much closer to Tulia than he was and closing in fast. Austin rolled to the side, avoiding his attacker. The move lessened the impact but exposed his vulnerable underbelly. Fiery heat tore through him as the enemy’s claws dug into his flesh, leaving deep gouges in their wake.

Warm blood oozed from the injury, and it hurt like hell, but nothing vital had been hit. He’d heal. With a thundering roar, he whipped around. The dragon had already positioned itself and was flying straight for him. This time, Austin was ready. Rather than back down, as the other assumed he’d do, he stayed right where he was. The fire searing his chest roiled inside him, expanding with every breath as his dragon’s fury at having its mate in harm’s way fueled it.

He met the heat of the other beast’s blast with his own, pushing forward as he did. Fire blinded him, but it didn’t matter. He forged ahead, ignoring the blistering of his flesh. Only once the enemy had run out of power and its fire fizzled out did Austin let up. In an instant, he was there. His massive jaw wide open. He grasped the dragon’s throat and clamped down, mid-flight. The beast struggled, but Austin was too strong. Whipping his head back and forth in a hard, violent move, he snapped the beast’s neck and then released it.

Austin didn’t wait to watch it crash to the ground. It wouldn’t get back up. Spinning in the air, he ignored his pain and shoved aside the panic trying to rise within him. There was no way that dragon hadn’t reached her by now, and Tulia was so much smaller. With her parents there, she would stay and defend them. He just hoped that by the time he got to her, it wouldn’t be too late.

Flying harder and faster than he ever had before, Austin doubled back. If the bastard had harmed a single scale on her little body, even if it was just a scuff, he’d rip the fucker limb from limb. Slowly. He’d let the beast shift only to listen to him cry and beg for mercy, but nothing would save him.

Angry feminine roars greeted him as he approached the copse of trees. At once, the desperation and untameable fury switched to a relief so profound his wings hitched, and he all but stumbled onto his face when he landed. Standing there, guarding her parents, was his beautiful mate. Her opalescent blue scales reflected the greyness of the clouds high above. She threw her head back and roared, her gaze trained on an indigo dragon and a jet black one that was even bigger than he was. He’d never been so fucking glad to see his clan brothers in his life.

They’d never harm her, or any other female for that matter, but she had no way of knowing that. Though he’d never admit to it, his dragon’s knees shook as he approached and put himself between Tulia and the Dragon Blood men.