Page 79 of Dragon Mine (Dragon Kings 2)
Chapter Thirty
“Eurwen?” Vaughn called as worry filled him.
She kept talking, but her words weren’t clear. It was as if something distorted her voice.
“Eurwen!”
Soon, the others were calling for her, as well, but she wouldn’t answer them either.
“I’m going to her,” Vaughn said as he dipped a wing and turned in her direction.
The instant he did, he saw Eurwen stand. Suddenly, she jerked as if something had struck her. In the next instant, she fell backward.
“Nay!” Vaughn bellowed and flew faster.
He dove from the sky, tucking into a ball and shifting to his human form so he could land on his feet and run the last few yards to her. As he did, he looked around for an opponent but saw nothing. He slid to his knees and bent over Eurwen as the others rushed to them.
Vaughn stared in shock at the hole through her abdomen, wide enough that he could put his arm through it. Blood coated Eurwen’s front and continued pouring out.
“Con!” Vaughn shouted.
The King of Kings was immediately at Eurwen’s other side. “I’m here.”
Vaughn’s heart thumped in his chest as he stared helplessly at his mate. Even though he knew that Con could heal Eurwen, Vaughn couldn’t shake the unease rolling violently through him. Someone or something had attacked his mate, and no one had seen anything. Just as with Nundro the day before.
It felt like an eternity before the wound finally mended, and Con dropped his arm to his side. Vaughn looked at him and saw the worry on his friend’s face.
“That was different than Nundro’s wound,” Con said.
Brandr sat at Eurwen’s feet, panic and concern etched across his face. “Why hasn’t she woken? She’s healed.”
“Open your eyes, lass,” Vaughn urged Eurwen. “We’re waiting for you to tell us what you saw.”
But she didn’t move. Vaughn glanced at Con, Brandr, and V, hoping one of them would have a solution. The three of them looked as helpless as he felt.
“Eurwen,” Vaughn called louder. “Open your eyes. Look at me.”
V shook his head. “This isna good. None of this is. No’ the location, the attack, and no’ her lying as if in a coma.”
“Whoever did this has to be around here,” Brandr declared as he got to his feet. He yelled to his generals, and the dragons took to the sky.
Vaughn smoothed Eurwen’s hair from her face. Her beautiful armor was ruined. Dragon scales were difficult to pierce, but whatever had struck Nundro had managed it then as well as whatever or whoever had done this today. Vaughn looked at his friends. “Did you hear what she said before she fell?”
“It was jumbled,” Con answered.
V shook his head. “It was like a radio station that didna come in clearly.”
“I couldn’t make out anything,” Brandr said.
“She felt something yesterday,” Con reminded them.
Vaughn stood and backed away as he glanced around. “We need to get her out of here. Now.”
“I’ll stay with my generals and the army. We’ll scour the area. And we’ll find who is responsible,” Brandr replied.
Vaughn nodded before shifting and gently lifting Eurwen in one of his hands. V and Con flew on either side of him on the way back to Cairnkeep. Halfway there, Vaughn expected her to wake and demand to be put down. He kept hoping he’d hear her voice, but it didn’t happen.
Once they reached Cairnkeep, they landed. Vaughn returned to human form and carried her to Brandr’s cottage. Con followed close behind. Not much later, Rhi teleported into the house with them.
“What happened?” she demanded.
Con wrapped an arm around his mate as he explained the situation. Vaughn gently lay Eurwen on the bed, still waiting for her to wake.
“Why hasn’t she opened her eyes?” Rhi asked frantically.
Con shrugged and shook his head. “None of us knows.”
