Page 58 of Retrograde

I got him, I promised her, Iris in full agreement.

I cut left away from him and flipped around before telling Iris to punch it. I barrel-rolled right below him and up into the dragon who was closest to him, breaking a wing almost completely off but also using my huge teeth to grab its neck.

I saw someone on my side right there with me and practically tossed the now-dying dragon to them to handle. Then I went for who was next.

“Too many. Can’t kill them all before they will get him,”Iris warned.

No, but I could do a lot more damage and let the others finish it… Especially since there was a mystic dragon among them. That was why they’d gotten so close without us detecting. They were using their powers until Benson’s void ability made them fail.

I headed right towards the next three and then quickly spun, using my tail to basically swat them away. It wouldn’t kill them, but it would disorient them enough, and I saw at least one mangled wing.

Thorn roared and was there to handle one of them that I’d damaged. Two other guards followed his lead and I was glad he’d caught on.

Benson tried to get my attention and head towards the castle, but that wasn’t happening.

No, he is never getting injured again while I’m around. He cannot be broken again. Not because of me.

Fine, it wouldn’t have been my fault this time… But did it really matter if I did it myself or he died because people came to attack me?

Good luck explaining that difference to my heart.

Or my guilt.

I saw Onyx and several guards fighting with other dragons and they weren’t doing well because there were too many. Half of my detail had tried to get me back to the castle while half turned to fight.

And they had more dragons.

More powerful dragons.

No,olderdragons, which also meant more powerful.

That was what worried Belinda so much and why she risked using magic that I could sense that others might have as well.

I clipped the dragon fighting with Onyx and practically bit its head right off before moving on. Iris barreled into two more and then snagged a wing in her claws, shredding it when they tried to get away.

Fuck. They started dropping fast, and that could hurt people below.

But then I saw dragons coming up from the ground. It had to be the police doing what they should because they were focused on the falling dragon, not everything else.

Good. Then I could focus on the fight.

And a fight it was. I’d only seen the first dozen dragons, but it was way more than that. Maybe thirty?

Who could really count with all the chaos?

Belinda arrived and shot magic at seven of them, catching people off guard that she could override Benson and the other void dragons… But at a cost to herself. She would be depleted and vulnerable.

I knew that from experience, but I was young. It cost an ancient dragon as well.

I saw a few more with her and realized it was probably Emre and the two other ancients who had arrived and I hadn’t even met yet. Or was it more?

Again… A lot going on always, and counting people wasn’t my priority.

While those people were stunned or recovering, I went right for the two trying to take down one of the Queen’s Guard. Onyx and Thorn went after the stunned ones… And Benson was doing his best to try and protect me.

“Back you up. Be fair,”Iris chastised.

Yeah, that was actually fair. It wasn’t meant as a slight, just his job.