Page 55 of The Tanglewood Witches (The Three Sisters 1)
“If you want the book so much, perhaps you belong in the underworld with it!” Hera snarled at Medea, raising her hands above her head as if to strike his mate.
Tavyss had often heard talk of Zeus and his lightning bolt, but he wondered why Hera’s weapon wasn’t similarly feared. A great ring of celestial fire appeared in her hand, its edges razor-sharp and molten red against the blue sky. Medea’s expression morphed into terror as the goddess aimed for her head.
Tavyss’s dragon tore from his body, transforming so quickly it felt as if he’d exploded from a shell. He’d placed his dragon scales between Hera and Medea before he even had time to consider if they’d be strong enough to withstand the goddess’s power. Dragon scales were fireproof and laced with inherent magic, but Hera’s weapon was charged with celestial fire. Would they stand the test?
The ring cracked against his scales. Searing pain radiated through him, but his scales held. Uninjured, he coiled and snapped, his teeth passing harmlessly through Hera’s form. She reappeared a few yards away, her eyes wide in surprise.
“Anaktó,” Medea called from behind him. The gem flew from Hera’s hand and landed in her own. Her sisters were there, flanking her, wands drawn.
Hera’s eyes flicked to his, the fire forming again in her hand. “You can’t win this, dragon. You’ll never defeat me in battle, and there is nowhere you can run that I can’t go.”
He growled, low and menacing, but even his dragon brain understood that only half of that statement was true. Hera released her ring of fire, hurling it at the three sisters with a vengeful hiss. Tavyss knocked it from the air, then swiped, his claws slashing through the goddess. In a flurry, he transformed back into his two-legged form and grabbed Medea’s hand. Her sisters clung on, Circe to Medea’s elbow and Isis to his own.
Tavyss’s ring radiated gold light. He slashed anxthrough the air, opening a portal to Paragon even as Hera formed again, shrieking behind him. Heat from the goddess’s weapon flamed against his back, but they had already stepped through to the world she was forbidden to inhabit. His feet touched down on rocky soil, and the portal closed quickly behind them.
