The fire might not have bothered her had it not been for the effect of the silver all around her, but the fire would most likely hurt Oliver or kill Lucia. There was no moment of hesitation to spare. Oliver’s claws sunk into the metal so he could scale it like a cat in a curtain. The grate was nothing, one thrust of his head forcing the metal to pop and bend.

Once it was free, Oliver gave one shake of his body, one warning, before he thrust forward. His body shot into the open air just as the fire around them burst to life. Noelle could feel the end of her hair begin to singe, but the feeling of being free enlivened her. There was no more silver around her. Her beast rose with fire and anger and she let it come forth.

Noelle’s dragon form snaked away from Oliver, whipping back to catch Lucia in her hands. Noelle, despite her human size, was much larger than Oliver’s dragon. They’d been lucky that he was the one who carried them through the shaft. Noelle’s beast might not have fit, she realized.

Her eyes immediately turned away from the fire and the building below. The others, she thought. Had they made it to the exit? Were they safe? Her beast growled with anxiety. It hadn’t been able to protect their mate, their sister. Where were they?

Noelle didn’t have much time to look because the blue-green dragon beside her roared and clutched at his head. Noelle twisted in the air only to find Oliver’s claws pull away from his face. The gaze he speared her with was not the dragon man she’d escaped with. The dragon glaring at her bared his teeth.

Noelle would have cursed had her dragon lips been able to form the long string of words she had prepared as she darted higher into the sky. Her form was larger, but it made her a bigger target for the smaller, sharp clawed beast on her tail. The scientists must have recognized Oliver. They must have reached the chip in his arm and reset his mind.

Talk about bad timing, she thought as she twisted in the air.

Noelle turned back toward the dragon surging toward her. She dared a glance, surveying the ground for her mate and the others. Lucia was unconscious in her claws, rending her hands useless and giving Oliver yet another target. The quick look didn’t offer her any answers. She had to turn back to the threat flying toward her.

She didn’t pull on the fire now burning bright inside of her. It was too much, she realized. There was one other option, but she couldn’t do it all day. Her tail whipped around. Oliver’s small form dodged it. She growled. The differences in sizes between human and dragon form for her were infuriating. What she could do with one body was not quite applicable with another.

Her bigger form was slower. She had to remember that. Noelle couldn’t try to outpace him, try to hit fast and hard. She had to lure him in for this to work. She cradled her mate’s mother in her hands and prepared herself.

She relaxed her body, wings beating the air, and brought her head up. The look she gave the other dragon said she was better than him. It was one Noelle was good at, even if she didn’t truly believe she was better than anyone.  It did the trick, she could tell. Oliver’s brow lowered and his lips pulled back in a slight sneer. He was angry.

That was good. It would make him foolish, reckless. That was what Noelle needed as she pulled her serpentine body into a U shape. Oliver lunged for her, his small body slicing through the air. She knew this was going to hurt. He was going to hit her, no matter what she did. Just as she wanted, his body slammed into her thicker body. His claws sunk past her thick scales and she cringed, but not before she curled in on herself. Her long body wrapped around the smaller dragon like a python with prey.

She squeezed him, both of them sinking toward the ground. Oliver’s claws cut into her body and her eyes watered, but she held on. Somewhere inside the dragon was the man who’d helped them to escape. He’d bore her and Lucia thought the incinerator to freedom. Oliver was a good man. She would not kill him.

Noelle only wished the dragon would pass out already.

The ground was approaching, a parking lot appearing beneath her. She used her wings to slow their descent like a parachute. Soon, the lot would be filled with GOE agents wielding stun guns and silver bullets. There wasn’t much time.

Before her form hit the ground, a body broke free from the nearby trees. A long, rainbow colored dragon entered the sky and Noelle felt her heart surge until she realized it was not her mate. No, the Quetzalcoatl slithering toward her was not her Marc. She eyed the newcomer warily until she realized just who it was.

Marc’s father.

The man had been waiting outside the facility for them. The dragon form slithered forward. Noelle raised her clawed hands, presenting the body inside them for him. He took her, gingerly and with sadness in his eyes. Noelle didn’t think too hard about what that might mean. She only turned toward the dragon sagging as she squeezed him.

Shouts broke the air. Agents were coming. Noelle turned toward the trees around her, panic in her eyes. Marc’s father touched her with the end of his tail and dipped his head, assurance that everything was okay. He nodded once more before his feathered wings slapped the air and he soared into the sky.

Noelle wasted no time in grabbing Oliver by his legs and following Marc’s father. There was still no sight of the others below, but she had to trust Marc’s father.