Page 128 of Heir of Broken Souls

“I don’t want to negotiate,” it spits.

“What the fuck do you want then,” Axel sneers, his temper rising as that blade remains along his mate’s neck.

Milky eyes slowly glide to Delilah where she sits atop Aurora, panting from the exertion of everything. The Phooka grins wickedly.

“The golden witch.”

And then he’s lunging for her.

The Phooka throws Elysia to the side, sending her careening through the air with a piercing scream. Axel jumps off Zephlyn to catch her while the demonic dragon launches for Aurora.

The black griffin retaliates, taking Delilah with her as she lunges for the dragon, aiming for its neck. But my focus is on the Phooka, with its outstretched claws, sharp talons, and the wicked grin on its goat-like head.

Foronce, I get to her in the nick of time.

Teleporting, I wrap my arm around Delilah while my free hand clings to Aurora for dear life as the griffin turns her head and latches her mouth around the dragon’s throat. The sound of her teeth snapping bones rings throughout the sky, and the dragon suddenly goes limp.

The Phooka’s eyes lock on Aurora, a thunderous expression overtaking the demonic creature, but the griffin’s focus remains on the dragon still in her mouth. It’s why she doesn’t notice that she’s twisted at an angle the Phooka takes advantage of.

The second Aurora drops the dragon from her mouth, spitting its black blood, I stand, unfurling my wings. I launch myself off Aurora’s back, my wings beating rapidly right as the Phooka lunges as its creature falls.

But where I jump one way, teleporting to hurry along, the Phooka expects it and dives in the other direction. Suddenly, it’s atop Aurora with a wicked grin, beside Delilah, who now sits exposed. Its claws skate down her arms, tearing a scream of pain from her throat, and it laughs manically.

All sounds evade me as my wings snap out, stopping me from moving further away.

My eyes widen, my heart plummeting and my anger rising.

Suddenly, I’m before the Phooka, my magic teleporting me, and by its sudden blink, it wasn’t expecting me. Daggers are in my outstretched hands in the next second, and with a war cry, I plunge them into the Phooka’s eye sockets.

Its jaw drops open as it moves to sink its claws into me, but with one swift tug, I pull the daggers out and kick with all my might, sending the Phooka careening for the ocean below.

The sound of it smacking against the ocean’s surface is similar to that of hitting a boulder. And it does nothing but bring satisfaction to my heart.

* * *

Aurora whimpers, brushing her head against Zephlyn’s once we reconvene. However, it isn’t long until his eyes begin to roll. Before the griffin can plummet from the sky I shoot out my hand, sending a pocket of air to hold the griffin steady.

Flapping my wings rapidly, I hover near his belly, grimacing as I find that the skin I healed is beginning to rot, as if dark magic thrums beneath the surface. My heart pounds a furious beat as I didn’t think to suck the dark power out of the griffin.

Gods, the dark magic really does infect everything pure.

Placing both my palms on his injured belly, blue healing light flows onto his white body of fur. Instead of soothing, though, I guide the power to extract the dark magic. I can’t contain my grimace as I pull away, finding my fingers slick with a black substance akin to oil. Yet despite the disgusting feeling, relief floods me. It’s working.

Axel is beside me in an instant, flying in from below, fear in his voice as he clutches a quivering Elysia to his chest. “Is he all right? I thought he was healed.”

The question has Aurora’s golden eyes narrowing, and she snarls in my direction.

I assure them both, the tightness in my chest lessening as Zephlyn comes to again. “He’s okay. I needed to extract the dark magic the dragon infused in its bite.”

Relief courses through me as he beats those glorious wings, and the air magic I used to hold him steady retreats as he begins to fly on his own.

Axel rubs soothing circles along Elysia’s back as silent tears roll down her cheeks. “Is anyone else?—"

Delilah gasps. “Oh, gods.”

Craning my neck, I follow her eyes where they’re on the water below, only for my jaw to practically unhinge.

Harlow’s water dragon form flickers in and out of visibility as a trail of crimson snakes through the water behind her, leaking from a large bite in her midsection.