Naomi shot forth from the cave, charging with her full strength. The men were in the air, but that gave her the perfect opportunity to fight from the ground. She tucked her head, slicked back her wings, and launched herself forward with every muscle in her legs and back. Slamming into Tazarre was like hitting the rock wall behind him, and it rang through her head and sent her reeling.

Naomi stumbled backwards and turned away from the demon to gather herself. Why did Julian have to show up? She was the one who had brought this thing into the world with her, and she was trying to protect him. Didn’t he understand that? And bringing the other dragons along meant that Tazarre had them all together in one space, with a few bonus humans he could kill right along with them.

Summer and Leah were still beating away on their drums. Summer had a look of peace on her face, but Leah’s brow was furrowed in concentration. Naomi recognized the sounds they were making; these were the same drums that had thundered through her soul as Summer was bringing her back from the Otherworld. She suddenly understood what they were trying to do, but she didn’t think it was going to work.

She wound around then to Autumn, who stood just behind Leah and Summer with her hands out and her fingers spread. “He’s too strong, and there are too many distractions. You’ll never be able to drag him back there, and if you do, he’ll keep Summer with him. We have to stop this and find something else to try.”

Autumn kept her pose, but she nodded her head toward the other dragons. They were buzzing around the beast’s head, blasting and tearing at him. The sun now filled the valley, making their metallic scales shine. They looked like robotic dragons, a wondrous sight if it were only under other circumstances. “They’re giving him some pretty major distractions, and I’m sending my power to Summer to help her get into her trance. We’ll get this done, Naomi. I know we will.”

Naomi opened her mouth to protest, but she took a step back and realized what a magnificent scene she had before her. It didn’t matter that she had ordered Julian to go away or that she had told her friends their efforts were useless. They were there for her, not just to protect their own lives, but to let her know she wasn’t standing alone. Julian, in all his viridescent glory, was fighting for her just as he said he would. He was a gentle man, but he was a fierce warrior.

Still, red energy crackled between Tazarre’s fingers. It grew, coalescing into a ball of electricity that steadily grew bigger and brighter. It was a horrifying image, but it brought the memory of a different one to the forefront of Naomi’s mind.

She couldn’t tell how long she had been in the Otherworld, because every second seemed like an eternity. Things moved differently there, including time. Her body was an unformed thing, floating in the murky world of ether that surrounded her. She was vaguely aware of the others, who came and went as orbs of lightness or darkness.

These, at least, were easy to distinguish. There were numerous shades of light beings, some brilliantly white and others a gentle glow, but the dark ones were nothing but the absolute absence of light. They hung on the fringes, waiting until they had the right opportunity. They gnashed at the light creatures with their teeth and broke them down, using them for fuel. Sometimes, when they had a particularly large or powerful adversary, they actually worked in teams. It was a horrifying thing to see the dark beings converge, but their cooperation only ever lasted for a short amount of time. Once their prey had been taken down, they turned to target each other.

Naomi had managed to stay out of the way at first, but it was only a matter of time before one of the shadow creatures noticed her. She could hear its thoughts as it approached, feel the hunger it had for her energy. It floated closer and closer, and she knew what fate she would meet. She’d seen it happen hundreds of times already, and now she would be the power that kept some evil creature alive. Naomi pulled all her energy inwards, terrified of what was about to happen, and when the being formed a gaping hole with which to eat her, a brilliant white beam of light shot it backwards.

Naomi looked, sure that she had been mistaken, but the black being was in full retreat.

After that, she did her best to pay attention to the energy she emitted. It had come because she was scared, but over time, she learned to focus it and use it. The dark ones stayed away; perhaps they heard of her power. The light ones gathered around her, and so her time in the Otherworld was slightly better than it had been before. But even the ‘good’ creatures were still only near her because they wanted what she had.

Realizing that her physical body, dragon or not, wasn’t enough to maim Tazarre, Naomi sprang into the sky. She swooped between the other dragons, careful to avoid their swiftly beating wings. The others were building fire in their chests, filling up the special cavities within their reptilian bodies with the hottest flames they could generate, but Naomi was filing hers with something else. She pulled in all the energy, frustration and fear that this creature had caused. She added to it the pain and loneliness of being stuck in the Otherworld.

On top of that, she piled the sorrow of knowing that everyone back on Charok was gone.

As she swept into the fight, she balled it together and fired. The blast blew her backwards, her wings folding in front of her face. She could barely see, and she sped back with such velocity, she couldn’t get her wings around to lift her weight.

Naomi fell toward the ground, watching in slow motion as a massive wall of white and blue raced through the sky toward the demon, spreading out like fireworks and cascading down over his head. Tazarre paid it little attention at first, instead knocking Xander aside as he tried to dig his teeth into the evil wizard’s wrist. But where the dazzling sparks fell onto his obsidian hide, they burned down into his skin, sizzling away at his flesh and sending small plumes of smoke into the air. Tazarre writhed with the sudden shock of the pain, and the sphere of red that had been building between his fingers suddenly dissipated.

It was good. It was what she had hoped for. But still she couldn’t gain control of her wings. She fell like a stone.

Until she was suddenly hurtling up again, strong arms around her middle. “I don’t know what that was,” Julian said from just behind her ear, “but I sure as hell hope you can do it again!”

“I can’t,” she gasped, suddenly realizing just how taxing that burst of light had been. “I can’t do it again. I don’t even know if I can stand up.”

Julian set her down gently on the ground. His claws clicked gently against her cheeks as he looked into her eyes, making sure she was alright. “You’ll be fine. You have to be. We all have to be.”

She watched him soar back into the air, her heart breaking all over again. What use was she if she was only good for one shot?

A cool hand, a human one, touched her shoulder. It was Autumn. “He’s right. We must keep fighting, no matter what. Tell me how you did that.”

“I don’t really know. It was just something I used to do when I was in the Otherworld. I wasn’t even sure if it would work here. And it took everything out of me.” Her muscles felt as though they had turned to liquid.

Autumn’s green eyes glittered. “If you can get yourself in the air and focus on what you need to do, I’ll take care of the rest.”

“But don’t you need to help them?” Naomi looked over Autumn’s shoulder to Summer and Leah, who still drummed away. The beats filled the air, though she had hardly noticed them while she had showered her light onto Tazarre. Summer’s eyes were closed, but she didn’t look as though she was in any sort of trance.

“I’ll figure it out. I’m not sure how much good I’m doing her right now anyway, since she’s still in our world. What we do know is that whatever you did seemed to work, and we need to expand on that. Just go, and don’t worry about a thing.” Autumn trotted back to the other two women, a bounce in her step.

Naomi knew she was right. Summoning the last of her strength, she pushed herself back into the air. Julian gave her a glance over his shoulder, clearly worried about her, but since she was in the air, he continued to fight. Naomi stayed a little back from the fray, trying to focus her mind once again. She felt some of that white energy building, but it wasn’t nearly as much as she’d had before. Apparently, her first blast had left her with little to commit.

Just as she was about to give up and start fighting with her claws, she felt something crackle in her veins. It was a blue light this time, one that she didn’t recognize as being her own. It vibrated through her blood and out into her muscles, building a shield around the cavity in her chest. With a grin, Naomi understood what was happening. Autumn was sending her energy to Naomi, just as she had promised.

Naomi closed her eyes for a moment, trying to summon that ball of light again. But it was hard to do with her friends being knocked around by the demon. Even more distracting was the thrilling sensation of Autumn’s power in her own body. It was good to know she had friends, but it was almost too much excitement for her to bear.

A voice sounded inside her head. Concentrate. You can do this, Naomi.

It was Leah, reaching out with her mind and communicating with her. Naomi still heard the drums on the ground below, so at least she knew they hadn’t given up their own plans just to help her. I can’t. I’m not angry anymore. I’m not even scared. I don’t understand it.

A tickle went through her mind that could have been a laugh. It’s because we’re all here. That’s okay. Use it. Use the knowledge that you’re not alone. Pull your energy from us.

I don’t know if it will work! A volley of hatred and violence would probably be far more effective that one of love and joy.

Try it anyway, Naomi. It’s at least worth a shot.

Naomi pulled in a deep breath and centered herself. She hovered in the air, relying on the other dragons to keep Tazarre distracted enough that he wouldn’t go after her specifically. She expanded her chest as she pulled in all the love she had felt for Julian back on Charok. The friendship and fun she had found on Earth mixed with it easily, and it continued to grow as she concentrated on the intensity her relationship with Julian had taken on. The final topping was the new fondness she was just beginning to find for Kaylee, a sweet little girl who needed a mother and a friend, someone whom she barely knew but wanted to spend a lot of time with.

The energy crackled up through her throat and out her mouth almost without her own will. It burned in a pleasurable way as it sparked over her tongue, casting a light so bright and so white that it made even the sun seem dull.

Tazarre looked up, scowling at the new attack. He’d been building his energy once again, and he raised his hands over his head to keep the glittery orbs of light from landing on him. He spread his hands, creating a scarlet net with which to catch Naomi’s light.

Her heart sank as she watched the first few sparks land on his net and stick. Tazarre laughed, and Naomi understood his intention. He would catch it all and throw it right back at them. Naomi had not only brought the demon there, but she had created the blast that would be the downfall of all of them.

But the sparks that had accrued on the net suddenly broke through, sending a deluge of Naomi’s blast right down into Tazarre’s face. They sank in like napalm, burning away at his dark flesh. The smell of old ashes spread through the air, and the demon screamed. It was a horrifying sound, one that could be heard all over the valley, but it was a shriek that heartened Naomi and her friends.

While the evil creature writhed, Naomi snuck a look back at Summer. She drummed away, but her head was tipped back. Her eyes had rolled back in her head so that only the whites were visible. Naomi didn’t know much of anything about what they were doing, but this must have been the same sort of trance that had brought her and Tazarre back from the Otherworld.

Newly inspired, Naomi gathered and sent another blast at Tazarre. It didn’t have as much energy behind it; Autumn and Leah were concentrating on Summer now. But she could do everything in her power to keep him weakened. They had helped her, and she would do the same for them.

“No!” Tazarre screamed. “You won’t send me back! You’re too weak!”

But as Naomi circled around the back of his head to blast away, she saw that Autumn had lit a candle and set it between the drums. The flame was unusually big for just a small pillar candle, and the tip of it was beginning to spark.

She didn’t know how to send her energy to the others as they had done for her. She had only ever been alone, but she whispered a prayer of hope and love on the breeze and hoped that it would reach their ears. In the meantime, she sent another explosion down on the back of Tazarre’s head and watched as Julian and the others sent their fire blasting after it. The flames and the white spheres touched, detonating like a bomb and blasting a hole several feet wide in the evil wizard’s shoulder.

The sparks over the candle flame had now turned into a small, swirling vortex. Naomi felt a bolt of fear run through her as she saw what was on the other side. It looked like nothing more than swirling colors, dark and light, indefinite and abstract. But she knew the hell of being in that place, a purgatory that no one should have to suffer—no one but Tazarre.

The bottom of the demon draped against the ground like a shadowy robe, but a corner of it suddenly picked up as though blown by an unseen wind. It tapered and pulled toward the vortex, slowly getting sucked in.

“You think you can defeat me? I’ll take you all with me, and then I’ll pick your bones out from between my teeth as I eat you one by one!” Tazarre reached out toward Beau, trying to slap him out of the air. The gold dragon dodged to the side just in time.

But no matter how strong he thought he was, Tazarre was no match for what the women had done. Naomi’s firepower had weakened him, and although his fingertips still crackled with crimson, he was slowly being pulled into the vortex. His arms fell to his sides and melded with the rest of his body, rendered useless. His great horns, which had looked so intimidating when he had first appeared in Julian’s dining room, melted down into the sides of his head. His eyes, slits of red that had thirsted for her blood, sagged into his cheeks.

Summer and Leah pounded harder and faster on the drums. The vortex picked up speed, pulling Tazarre in. His shadowy form dragged along the ground as he struggled against it, but the force was too strong for him to resist. His blackness now filled the circle over the flame. Summer’s body writhed, her hair dragging in the dirt. Autumn kept her hands out in the air near the vortex, protecting her sister from going in, too.

One last moan spilled from Tazarre’s lips as his body was pulled into the Otherworld, and the vortex slammed shut.

Xander morphed as he landed, running up on two legs to his mate. “Summer! Are you alright?”

She opened her eyes and gave him a beatific smile. “Of course.”

A wingtip touched Naomi’s and she turned to see Julian at her side; he looked tired, but victorious.

“Let’s go home.”