Dark Promise by Annika West

50

* * *

Willow

I didn’t mind heights. It was incredible just how much I could see from way up here.

Oz’s wings were almost imperceptible in the roar of wind as we flew over the pyramids.

The ground was a sea of red and orange. The colors of Autumn and Summer.

The pyramid shimmered with magic. Protective magic. Some shields were like gloss over the objects they covered, and the sun reflected off of them.

August, huddled in Oz’s other dragon fist, opened the first bottle.

Black smoke poured out of the potion and filled the air with darkness.

The plan? Create as much confusion and chaos as possible, then secure the secret entrance to inside the pyramid for Aster. She’d have her own problems to fight through, and we were there to make sure there were as little obstacles as possible.

I should be worried, but somehow, the Cut always managed to stumble her way through the finish line, looking stupid as hell.

She’d be fine. As long as we did our jobs, we’d all be fine.

The attacks came soon after, but August already warded Oz with the right protective tattoos. They wouldn’t hurt the dragon, and Alice had given me a few potions to drink that should block a percentage of the brunt of a few spells.

Fear surged through me, a thrill. But I was calm and silent.

August was trying not to lose his shit, but now that he was dumping the potions of smoke, he was more focused. He needed something to do, otherwise he’d lose his edge.

We descended through the smoke, and that’s when the noise hit me.

The fae were trying to keep silent, but their voices still reached us from all the way up here.

Good. They’re already in a frenzy. Let the fucking show begin.

We came through the smoke, and immediately, arrows rained toward us. Most glanced off the magical barriers, but Oz flinched as a few hit home. Those were likely juiced with extra energy meant to pass through wards.

I’ll be really pissed if we all die today. What a dumb way to go out.

We passed over the pyramid and spotted a squad of fae guarding the entrance.

Morons. You’d think they would try to be a little more subtle. For such ancient, incredible beings, that seems short-sighted.

August dropped the rest of the potions directly beside the fae, which was meant to push them out of our range. I covered my ears as the explosion rattled the world.

Energy bloomed outward and upward, sending waves of heat at us.

Oz pulled his feet more inward, shielding us from getting roasted.

But then, we tilted to the side. It wasn’t on purpose, I could tell.

Oz had gotten hit.

“Fuck,” I hissed, bracing myself for anything. Impact, fire, tornados, who cared? Shit was about to go down.

His talons opened slightly, and my breath caught.

We were about to land on the pyramid. It loomed before us. Faery soldiers waited, weapons and magic ready.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

He was supposed to drop me here once the barriers were broken. But he’d gotten hit, and none of the soldiers were knocked out by the gas bomb August had sent them.

Time to fight.

His talons opened, releasing me completely.

August fell with me, and I grabbed onto him like I’d done to Aster the last time I’d been in this position. Only this time, I had to hold August. He might be immortal, but he wouldn’t land on his feet without breaking something.

Only vamps and shifters could handle that kind of impact.

He hugged me, and I clutched him to me as we slammed into the hard stone.

In the very center of our enemies.

Time to fight.

* * *

Aster

All of these thoughts, these foreign Willow memories jolted into me in the span of a second. Just like that, they were there.

Just as I felt my brain solidify into ‘normal’ again, there was another tug on my wrist.

Fuck —

* * *

Oz

Turned out, getting most of your wing blasted to bits hurt like a motherfucker.

I roared loudly. Aggressively. Obnoxiously, even, as I landed on the top of the pyramid.

I was having a terrible day.

My talons dug into the stone, ripping the ugly monument to shreds. On the surface, at least. No one would miss this eyesore, right?

At least I managed to get on the other side of it, so the stone wouldn’t rain down on August and Willow.

August didn’t matter to me. I’d only just met him. Who cared about some pretty boy warlock, anyway?

But Willow was a different story. I had a goal in mind, and that one was to drive her completely nuts.

She was too serious.

I had to break her.

It would be a crime if I didn’t at least try.

Ergo, she had to live. Ergo, this global monument was getting the makeover of its life.

I kept roaring. I needed all the fae to look at me, to assume that I was the main threat, while missing the fact that those two were taking over the pyramid entrance.

Two young immortals against five elite fae soldiers. Not the best odds, but there’s not much I can do about it. Gods fucking damn this, my wing hurts. I really didn’t see that spell coming.

Thankfully, the attacks that were coming now were manageable. I could handle a few hundred arrows in my flesh, but they’d slow me down eventually.

I know you said we shouldn’t kill the army, but fuck that. I’m not sitting here like a useless pigeon waiting to get stabbed to death.

Blue fire poured over the army in vicious waves. I made sure to make my hottest flames. Chances were, the soldiers were warded in some way. A few of them would die. Most would probably survive.

Faeries were like pretty little cockroaches, weren’t they?

Let’s see how much heat they could take.

* * *

Aster

I think I smiled.

I mean, it’s really hard to tell when you can’t technically feel anything but your bleeding gut.

Okay, fine.

I imagined I smiled. That was good enough.

Because this was stupidly bizarre. Here I was, dying, and now some weird shit was pulling me into the minds of my friends.

Delirium. That’s probably it.

Near-death delirium. I’ll coin the term. Leave a little bit of a legacy behind before I —

* * *

Huxley

What is he thinking? He’s already deviated from the plan, so why does he feel the need to burn the entire army?

It was difficult to see Oz through the haze of smoke from August’s potions.

And then I saw the tattered remains of his wing.

Here’s to hoping that Willow and August are okay. Oz was supposed to keep to the skies and distract the fae forces, but now it’s clear that this is his only choice.

Even still, he didn’t have to cook the army, did he?

I was carrying Aster’s parents, and their job was to drop exploding acid in critical points around the army, blocking them in strategically. That way, Adair’s forces could attack head-on and Aster’s path to the pyramid would be clear.

The entire plan was about diversion.

As the potions released and hit the ground in rumbling booms, I hoped that Aster was already safely inside.

It didn’t take long for the explosions to do their work, cutting off the leadership of the enemy army and leaving the path clear for Adair’s forces to take control without too many casualties.

That was when I felt the tether.

Aster is in trouble.

A sheen of red covered my vision, my thoughts, my intentions. All plans were now replaced with one command: find your mate.

Her mother shouted at me as I quickly changed directions. We were supposed to stay in the air until victory was secured, but this was the price of a shifter’s mating bond.

Fae or not, my dragon core was in control now.

I wasn’t even remotely interested in fighting it.

Find your mate.

Find your mate.

Find your mate.

I climbed higher and higher. Oz, still clutching to the pyramid, was enough to cover me as I landed at the pyramid’s entrance. There was blood everywhere, but that wasn’t my concern.

The moment I was in my human form, I ran into the pyramid. The tether pulled me in her direction, leading me to her.

Forcing August to create a tracking tether for all of us had been the best decision I’d made since keeping Aster in my employment.

The tether was meant to locate, yes. But also, to alert.

Yet I couldn’t’ help but feel as though I was already too late.

* * *

My mind floated in and out of consciousness. Had it been days since I was stabbed? Or seconds?

I couldn’t really tell.

Even the thought of chocolate fudge didn’t rouse me.

Huh. I must be really, truly fucked. I mean, I know I’m dying. But it’s just weird to see how much I don’t give a damn.

There was just too much pain to care. Right now, I was scared shitless but seriously hoping that I didn’t have to endure this agony anymore. Anything to help.

Anything.

Another tug on my wrist.

I would have been irritated, but in the next moment, my body was forcibly flipped over.

A broken cry fell from my lips as my ruined stomach pulled and bloomed with a fresh hell. Again.

“Sorry. I’m so sorry.” A hard, rough voice pounded against my ears, even though I was certain he’d spoken in a whisper.

Something hard pressed in between my teeth, and liquid poured down my throat.

Healing potion, I told myself. It tastes like a healing potion.

The next words were curses.

I cracked an eye open to see…

Yes. Of course it’s him. He’s the one that came for me.

Hux didn’t look okay, though. His eyes weren’t glowing their normal amber.

They were red. Fiery, hellish red.

His lips moved, but I couldn’t hear them.

Water dripped down his cheeks.

Tears. He was crying.