Page 98 of Claim the Light
Niah jolts. “How did you—?”
“It wasn’t me,” I say, but I’m not about to give her any further explanation, certainly not to alert her to the camouflaged dragon shifters currently watching out for me or to tell her that Lana and I made contingency plans if I ended up constrained by dragon’s gold. Niah may not even be aware of Lana’s ability to control other dragon’s gold, and I’m not going to enlighten her.
Especially since Niah and the other Scorn are now drawing their weapons and hurrying toward me.
But I’m ready.
Every droplet of alcohol, every smear of sweat, and every pulse of blood in this balcony is tangible to me.
“Stop,” I whisper, my command directed to the blood pumping around the Scorn dragons’ bodies.
Niah gasps, chokes. She clutches at her heart, her eyes bulging as she drops to her knees.
“You…” She gasps. “What are you doing?”
All around me, the Scorn are falling to their knees, their faces turning pale as I stop the blood from pumping around their bodies, placing enormous strain on their hearts.
Nearer to me, the woman I once called my mother simply stares at her comrades and takes a sip from her glass. I left her blood alone because she’s already destroying herself.
Gordon glares up at me, his voice a low rasp. “You can’t… kill us…”
I’m a little unsettled by his claim, and even more disconcerted by the darkening hue rippling across his face and hands where his skin is visible.
My intention was to make them all pass out. I haven’t quite succeeded and maybe Ican’tkill them this way, but I’ve done enough to get myself the hell out of here, and that’s what matters.
My detour is over.
I slip off my heels, gripping them in my hand as I sprint toward the glass foyer, navigating it as fast as I can before reaching the elevator.
The doors open far too slowly for my liking.
Behind me, the Scorn are starting to move.
I dart into the elevator and turn back to the room. The unmarked Scorn are still down on their knees and several appear unconscious, their bodies crumpled on the floor, but the marked ones are rising to their feet—despite the fact that I’m still holding on to their blood.
The doors finally close and I shut down my power.
I need to conserve my energy for the fight with Tyler.
Exiting the elevator when it reaches the level of the dance floor, I race across the staff-only corridor and through the side door out into the service alley beside the club.
The moonlight is dull, the sky is covered in clouds, and the cobbled alley is dark. It’s exactly the kind of night that dragon shifters would have welcomed when they were burdened with dragon shadows.
Releasing my wings, I shoot toward the rooftop, aiming for the eastern side.
I’m only halfway up when the service door below me bursts open and the nine marked Scorn pour into the alley. Niah and Gordon are at the front and they both look up, quickly spotting me.
The sound of beating wings within the alley reaches me just as I land on the rooftop, but it isn’t the threat from below that concerns me now.
I hurry to the center of the flat space and take a moment to place my heels onto the ground. As I crouch, I glance at the far corner of the rooftop, where the nearby buildings cast darker shadows.
My armored belt lies there, where I left it earlier. It rests beneath an inconspicuous piece of canvas, which looks like nothing more than rubbish that wafted onto the building.
I sense the gold waiting for me to call it, and it gives me courage. So does the knowledge that I may not be able to see or sense them, but my family will also be making their way outside the building and will be prepared to fight the moment I need them.
As for now, the back of my neck prickles, my chest compresses, and ice trickles down my spine. A freezing wind moans around me, a low, droning sound, as a dark cloud spills across the sky like soot.
Ash floats down in front of me and it’s like the sky is already on fire.
