Charred Tears (#2, Heart of Fire) (24 page)

“You healed me,” he said.

“I guess we’re even.” She rolled onto her stomach to see the black lion releasing the downed griffin. It glanced in her direction and licked the blood from its muzzle.

“We need to go,” Chace said, pulling her to her feet. “Mason can’t catch every griffin that comes near us.”

Skylar nodded, no longer able to rationalize what was gong on around her.

A griffin and dragon locked in combat smashed into the ground beside them. The earth trembled under the impact. Mason pushed her with his massive head, his back reaching her shoulder.

The dragon stayed down and within seconds, burst into flame. The griffin stumbled away then spotted them.

The sleek black lion slid past her, snapping at the griffin.

A second griffin landed on their other side. Skylar whirled, backing into Chace.

“Run, Skylar,” he said for her ears only. “Gun will be on the other side of the hill.”

“I’m staying with you!” she insisted.

“No, you’re getting your ass to –”

Something clamped around her midsection and snatched her off the ground. One minute, she was standing before a yelling Chace. The next, he was a shape beneath her on the ground, one that grew smaller fast. Wind roared by her ears

She twisted to see who had her, praying it was her father or another dragon.

It was a griffin.

Chapter Twenty Two

“No!” Chace shouted as Skylar was wrenched out of his grip. He stared, unable to fathom that some creature was flying away with his woman while he was trapped on the ground. “Let me help her!”

His magic ignored him this time. The griffin nearest him swiped at him with a tail then vaulted into the sky, after the one that had taken Skylar.

“Gavin!” Chace yelled as loud as he could. “Gavin!”

He didn’t know if the massive blue dragon fighting for its life was able to hear his cries or not.

The griffin fighting Mason managed to get away before the lion snapped its neck, too, and flew upward, leaving the two of them on the ground. Mason was panting, his eyes on the sky.

Helpless, Chace watched the griffin that had Skylar, willing her silently to use her newfound Protector magic to influence it. Assuming she knew how she’d sent away the other dragons.

The sky was swarming with griffins. Hala, a dark green dragon and Gavin were the only dragons remaining, and the griffins were working hard to gang up on them.

Rage burned within him at the idea that he might be able to turn the tide and rescue Skylar. None of the other dragons were able to breathe fire in the daylight or use any of their other magic. They relied on their agility and strength to outmaneuver and overpower the griffins.

But strength wore down, and agility was little help when surrounded.

“C’mon, Sky. Use the griffin’s magic against it!”

Suddenly, as if compelled towards Skylar, Hala twirled in midair, changing directions fast enough to throw the pursuing beast off her tail. She made a beeline at full speed towards the griffin carrying Skylar and rammed it from behind.

The griffin tumbled a hundred feet towards the ground before catching itself.

Chace’s heart seized, his chest in a vise too tight for him to breathe.

“Don’t be an idiot, Hala!” he breathed. He started forward in the direction of the griffin and Hala. He didn’t think he’d be able to catch anything that fell out of the sky, but he’d do his damnedest to be close to where Hala brought down the griffin.

Mason loped after him with a plaintive cry. Chace ran hard, his eyes on the sky as if his whole life depended on it.

It does. I’m not going to lose her.
He’d violated almost every directive Gavin gave him. If Hala found a way to bring Skylar out of the heavens safely, Chace swore never to let her go again.

He didn’t let himself dwell on her stinging barb about him not knowing a thing about love. He knew he needed her and that he had to save her – this was all that drove him.

Hala rammed the griffin again. This time, Skylar came loose.

“No, Hala!” he cried, his heart dropping to his feet. Chace’s blood roared in his ears, his adrenaline racing hard enough to make him dizzy.

Skylar was falling fast, her arms and legs flailing.

Let me fly!
His magic didn’t respond. Chace had never felt the sense of despair he did, watching Skylar tumble out of control towards the ground.

Suddenly aware of what she’d done, Hala maneuvered away from the griffins, tucked her wings, and dove headfirst towards Skylar.

Chace ran as hard as he could towards the two, knowing there was no way for him to save Skylar but needing to be close, needing to do something to keep his fear from rendering him an impotent mess.

Hala snatched Skylar’s foot fifty feet from the ground, her wings flaring out on either side of her to halt her free fall.

Thank god!
Chace’s hope began to rise now that Hala had Skylar.

Hala started towards the hills, intent on dropping the woman to safety. Chace saw the griffin barreling towards dragon and woman before Hala did. To his horror, a griffin snatched Skylar in its mouth, right out from under Hala.

The dragon bellowed a challenge, altering her course to pursue the griffin. Another smacked into her, and Hala toppled out of the sky, landing hard on the ground not far from Chace.

Mason bolted past him to the dragon. Hala was still, but she didn’t burst into flames, indicating she was still alive, if unconscious.

Mason leapt over the dragon into the air, snatching the wing of a griffin that meant to finish off Hala. The great cat dragged the beast to the ground and killed it.

Chace regained his balance and sought out the griffin that had Skylar. He shielded his eyes against the sun and saw Gavin. The massive blue dragon was struggling to stay afloat, one of his wings bent at an unnatural angle. Dillon didn’t look much better off; blood coated the griffin, and his response time to Gavin’s attacks was slow.

“Hang in there, Gavin,” Chace said. “Your little girl needs you.”

The green dragon was in pursuit of the griffin that had Skylar. Larger in size than the griffins, it was tearing through them, using speed and strength to clip and slash wings with its talons.

Chace flinched as it smashed into the griffin in midair.

Suddenly, the griffin was gone. Completely disappeared.

He stared, not believing it possible, until he caught a flash of gold in Skylar’s hand. The lasso was like a tail of gold behind her as she fell.

She’d successfully used the lasso.

“Good girl,” he said, what she’d done dawning on him. “Stay alive, Sky.”

The green dragon dove to snag her, but a pair of griffins doubled teamed it, sending it reeling across the sky. Preoccupied with the two griffins and catching its equilibrium, the green dragon was retreating, staggering.

Skylar was falling too fast.

Chace tried again to access his magic. There was a trickle of warmth then nothing.

“Hala!” Chace shouted to the dragon nearest him.

Mason was done wrestling down the griffin and crouched, tail switching as he waited for his next victim to get close enough.

Hala was unresponsive.

Beginning to panic, Chace cursed loudly, running again in the direction where Skylar was falling out of the heavens.

“Skylar!” his scream was lost in the roar of a dragon.

Gavin sailed far over Chace’s head. Chace shadowed his eyes against the sun to see what direction the great dragon was going.

Gavin dove, fast and hard, towards Skylar. He tucked his wings completely, and Chace held his breath.

With Gavin’s size and speed, there was no pulling out of a dive that close to the ground.

Chace watched with a combination of hope and terror as Gavin flew at breakneck speed towards his daughter, whose death was assured if she hit the ground.

Just when Chace thought it was too late, Gavin snatched her in midair and rolled, tucking her against his body and wrapping both wings around her.

Seconds later, Gavin hit the ground hard enough to make the earth buck. Chace landed on his backside while Mason sprawled on all fours.

The great cat recovered first and tore off towards the two, followed closely by Chace. His emotions scattered, Chace could only pray Skylar survived. Legs and lungs burning, he reached the large dragon just behind Mason.

Dazed, Skylar was alive, sliding off the chest of the blue dragon. She seemed disoriented the focused on the creature that saved her.

Chace heard her strangled cry of dismay and pushed his body faster to reach her.

Gavin’s wings fell away from his body, and the great creature went limp and still.

“Skylar!” Chace exclaimed, reaching her. “Come away!”

She fought him, trying to reach her father.

“He’ll burst into –“

Gavin’s body exploded into fire that singed Chace’s face and eyebrows. He grabbed Skylar and twisted away to shield her. She was shaking hard, her breathing ragged and features pale.

Chace moved them away from the dragon’s burning body, holding her close. Skylar clung to him, and he struggled to catch his breath at the mesmerizing flames. Regret and sorrow sank into him at seeing Gavin burn, along with a sense of pride that made his eyes mist over.

The great blue dragon had a heart. He’d exchanged his life for his daughter’s. Chace suspected he’d misjudged the depths of Gavin’s emotions or that maybe, Skylar was the only thing Gavin really cared about. His sacrifice opened Chace’s eyes even wider to his own selfishness. Gavin gave up everything for Skylar, when Chace had simply given her up.

Movement caught his attention, and he ducked instinctively.

The griffins were circling, kept at bay by Mason’s periodic leap at whichever one got too close. Aware of the damage the lion had done, the winged creatures kept their distance.

Large cats of different colors raced across the desert from the direction of the hills, led by a tan panther he knew to be Gunner.

The griffins pulled back, unwilling to tangle with the cats. After a few minutes, a bellowing squawk resounded around him.

Chace looked up and saw Dillon limping away in the sky, leading his griffins into a strategic retreat.

Skylar pulled away from Chace. He let her go, trailing closely. She stood at the edge of the heat roiling off of Gavin, staring into the fire. Tears streaked her cheeks, but she wasn’t crying, only watching.

“Skylar,” he called gently.

She didn’t answer, gaze on the flames. Her expression was unreadable.

Chace waited, suspecting she was in shock.

Mason loped a short distance away, the other cats giving the feline king a large berth. Chace watched him, still not trusting him in the slightest.

“Why didn’t you help us?” Skylar’s distraught whisper pulled his attention back to her.

Chace faced her. Skylar was in shock, her eyes glazed and face blanched beyond a hue remotely healthy. She was struggling to stand in place, but her eyes were locked on his.

“Honey …” he started, reaching for her, needing to touch her to know she truly was safe.

She wrenched away. “You’re a dragon, Chace. Why didn’t you help us?”

Her heart wrenching question and raw, distraught emotion killed him. Chace had never felt as humbled as he did, gazing into the eyes of the woman he loved and forced to admit the truth.

“Because I’m broken, Skylar,” he whispered, aching for her. “Because I fucked up and can’t protect you the way I’m supposed to.”

She didn’t respond, simply gazed up at him, her pain in her eyes.

“You’re right, Sky,” he continued hoarsely. “I don’t know anything about love. I’ve never experienced what it means to care for someone so much, you hurt when they do. I’ve never wanted to crawl into bed with someone and never get out. I want …
need
to touch you every second of every day. I can’t get your smell out of my skin, and I don’t want to. But …” He cleared his throat. “I’m broken, Skylar. No matter what I feel for you, I fucked up. That’s why I didn’t help you. Because I
can’t
.”

Her gaze fell.

Chace’s insides were twisting and clenching, his pain as real as hers.

The cats were circling them. Dressed once more, Mason trotted towards them from the direction of the only working SUV that remained.

Chace moved to intercept him, suspicious and protective of the fragile woman behind him.

“You’re welcome,” Mason grumbled, stopping where Chace indicated he should. “I’ve got the only vehicle in any shape to drive out of here. Skylar, if you want a ride, come on.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Chace snapped. “You brought this war to our doorstep.”

“I’ve also got the answers she needs. Or maybe you want to tell her about her mother?” Mason retorted.

“I want you to leave us alone!”

“Stop it!” Skylar said.

Chace turned to face her. She was focused again, though off-balance and trembling.

“You’re father asked me to ensure you didn’t go with Mason,” Chace told her more gently.

“It’s my choice, Chace,” she replied. “I want answers.”

“Sky,” he drew nearer, so Mason didn’t overhear. “You can’t trust him. He was working with Dillon in the past. You don’t know if that’s still the case or not. My gut says he’s hiding a lot.”

“Aren’t we all?” She didn’t look at him. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m getting to the bottom of this.” The words were spoken in a level tone.

“Skylar.” He touched her arm. “Think about this. Please.”

“I have, Chace.” She met his gaze. “You said you wouldn’t keep any more secrets from me. Will I ever be able to trust you?” She blinked back tears. “Because I love you, but I need to be able to trust you.”

“Then trust me now,” he urged. “Don’t go with him. Stay with me. We’ll figure this all out.”

“There’s only one way to figure this out,” she replied. “You walked into The Field to find out what was happening to the shifters. I’m going to do the same now.”

“It was a horrible plan,” he admitted. “You were there to save me.”

“Then you better be there to save me,” she whispered. “I’m going with Mason. If you mean what you say, you’ll be there to catch me when Mason and Dillon drop me from the sky next time. Because right now, I have no one else, Chace.”