My amused smile froze as soon as I saw what landed in the clearing.

Four vast alligator-like creatures folded their enormous wings of talons and swept their tails that could impale a man with one strike. Each creature had seats strapped on their scaled backs.

They bared their fangs—serrated and longer than my forearm—and stared at me with interest. They liked seeing me scared. I lifted my chin and glared at them with disdain in turn.

If I got on those fearsome creatures, they would take me far away, and then it would be more risky for me to journey home since I would have to worry about the Angel hunters. I’d never dared to venture too far from my forest after I’d escaped them years ago.

The savage leader strode toward the alligator that had the largest, most overdeveloped wings. He patted his ride with affection and beckoned at me to approach it. Both beast and man looked formidable and magnificent. Now that the Dragonian leader was relaxed and affectionate, his sex appeal rolled off him like waves.

His sculpted armor fitted him perfectly and highlighted his broad chest. Hard muscles flexed on his arms. My gaze dipped to his long, firm legs before I tore it back to his face.

He had a strong, square jaw, a straight nose that one only saw on the faces of nobility, and long, dark eyebrows. His sensual lips could lead to wild, immodest imaginations. This half-blood had the most symmetric features I’d ever seen, and none of them hid his brutal strength.

For the first time since our encounter, he wasn’t watching me. He wrapped an arm around the beast’s thick, scaled neck in a hug, and the beast purred. It purred!

“I’m not getting on that thing,” I said.

Last time I had been taken to the sky, the Angel had spun me in the air, released me, and only caught me before I hit the ground. Before he had hijacked me, his companions had dropped an Aryanian, a mortal subspecies who had a short lifespan, from the air. Her skull had exploded less than two feet beside me like a cracked egg, her blood and brains splattering all over me.

The sadistic demonstration had been for punishing me for fighting them off.

And then the Angel had soared into the sky with me, ready to show me the extreme sports, despite that my clothes were matted with the girl’s blood and brain. When I had spotted the lake beneath, I’d managed to touch one of his beating wings when they’d come down toward me. His screams of agony had been like music to my ears. His corpse had fallen into the lake after me.

When his companions had reached us, I had been lurking in the depths of the lake. The sky creatures weren’t so powerful in the water. With a touch, I had sent another Angel to Hell, and had buried an angelic blade into the eye of the last Angel.

I’d killed them all. 

I was twelve then.

When my pack had found me and dragged me back to woods, I had had two broken ribs.

“The hell you won’t,” the half-blood leader snapped his head toward me, his amber eyes emitting dark fire. He seemed to have run out of patience with me. This tyrant just couldn’t handle anyone disobeying him.

But he was the one who had invaded my forest and tried to take me away from my home.

This ended now. At this moment, my pack was retreating toward the far north region. They would be safe.

“I won’t fly on that creature,” I repeated. “In fact, I won’t fly at all.”

“You’re my prisoner now, wolf girl,” the Dragonian leader said. “So get used to doing whatever I ask you to.”

“Make me,” I said.

“If that’s what you want,” he said.

I inhaled the earthy fragrance of the forest. This could be my last breath, but I would bring him down with me. His scream of agony would be a melody.

His men would never find the First Witch, even if they turned every stone on Earth.

I sauntered toward him to meet him halfway, planning to use the beast as a shield after I was done with the ringleader.

The alligator leapt and swept his rider behind him with his mighty wings. The beast faced me, his big ice-blue eyes meeting my dark ones.

Hello, Witchling, the alligator said.

What? I stumbled back. What the hell?

I didn’t expect you to be the nervous type, the alligator said and let out a chuckle like a half-thunder.

Did you—did you talk to me? I asked.

Who else can I talk to other than the only witch who can communicate with my kind? He sighed. He actually sighed as if he thought I was dumb.

How do you know who I am? I demanded, my mind’s voice hard and cold as panic shot through me. You must have taken me for someone else!

I won’t tell your secrets, Witchling, the alligator said lazily, if that’s what you worried about.

My taut shoulder muscles didn’t relax at his easy promise.

C’mon, get on my back, he said. I won’t bite and I won’t drop you. Never drop you. 

Are you the Oracle? Even as I said that, I knew it couldn’t be. The Dragonian leader had said the Oracle was female. He now darted his piercing gaze between his alligator and me, his face unreadable.

No, no, no. The alligator shook his huge head as if I kept him amused. I’m Ventus, Guardian of Wind. I won’t harm you, Freyja.

I narrowed my eyes. How did you know my name?

You talked to your wolves, and I overheard, he said. Now get onto the seat before everyone gets suspicious.

Fine, I could use him if he turned out to be an ally.

“I’ll ride him alone,” I told the Dragonian leader as I put my gloves on, “if you want me to go with you.”

“He’s my rightful ride, so you’ll ride with me,” the ringleader said. “Each guardian will only take two passengers.”

I looked around. His men had mounted the alligators, two men on each beast.

Then I would ride on another alligator. I didn’t want to saddle with this nasty half-breed. If I could mental talk to this alligator, I could communicate with the rest. I would persuade them to rebel against their former riders and follow me to freedom.

“I’ll ride with Lucas,” I said, turning my head to the shifter.

Lucas grinned from ear to ear. “Anytime, wolf girl,” he said, turning to gesture to his partner—the advanced human—to empty the seat.

“Back off, Lucas,” the ringleader said.

Large hands seized my narrow waist while I considered the shape shifter. I snapped my head, and the ringleader lifted me in the air. This close, I could smell his powerful male scent mixed with wood and leather. Suddenly I was lost, and then I was on the front seat strapped on Ventus’ back. With a swift move, the ringleader settled behind me, his hard chest pressing against my back and his inner thighs crowding mine.

“Wait!” I called.

“We’ve waited long enough,” said the Dragonian leader. “No more causing trouble.”

Earth! He kidnapped me, and he thought I was the troublemaker just because I protested?

The ringleader whistled noisily, and Ventus surged into the sky. Bone-chilling wind slammed into my cheeks and whooshed by my ears.

With a yelp, I tugged my hood tightly around my face.

The Dragonian behind me didn’t seem to mind the strong current. He must have thicker skin. I lowered my head, not wanting to shield the rigid airstream for him.

His hand gripped the handle embedded between Ventus’ scales; his free arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him. I was tempted to slam my elbow into his abdomen, but his embrace was surprisingly pleasant. It was solid and warm.

“You’ve never flown before, right?” he asked.

You have no idea, I thought.

“After you get used to it,” he said, “you’ll like the thrill of flying. Roaming in the sky is the best experience. It’s freedom. It’s—”

I turned my face halfway so he could hear me as I shouted at him, “Thank you for telling me how I should feel, but I’d appreciate it more if you stop talking.”

That shut him up.

Ventus roared with laughter.

This will be a very interesting journey, he said in my head.

I snorted in answer.

The Guardian of Wind climbed into the high clouds and sent me straight into the freezing air.