ログインThe infected guards slammed us into the cell before I could even curse their names.
Cold metal bit into my wrists as the door hissed shut behind us. The dungeon pulsed with blue underglow from hidden panels, every surface sleek and sterile like some mad scientist's fever dream. Damien hit the floor beside me, spitting blood from a split lip, his eyes blazing.
"Get your filthy hands off," he snarled at the nearest guard, whose skin showed patchy scales
The energy barrier exploded in a shower of sparks, and the hybrid beast burst into our cell like a nightmare given teeth.I scrambled back against the wall, chains rattling, as massive wings snapped open, scraping sparks off the ceiling. Scales gleamed over thick wolf fur, claws gouging the metal floor. Damien shoved in front of me, fists up despite the restraints."Back off, you ugly freak," Damien yelled, voice steady but edged. "Avery, talk to it if you can. That's your thing, right?"The creature snarled, hot breath filling the cell with a mix of smoke and wild musk. Its yellow eyes locked on me, too intelligent, too familiar. I reached out with my mind, that old telepathic thread I used on pack bonds, pushing past the dragon rage."Hey, easy," I said out loud at first, then deeper in my head. "I feel you in there. The wolf part. Talk to me. What's your name?"Damien glanced sideways, keeping his stance wid
The infected guards slammed us into the cell before I could even curse their names.Cold metal bit into my wrists as the door hissed shut behind us. The dungeon pulsed with blue underglow from hidden panels, every surface sleek and sterile like some mad scientist's fever dream. Damien hit the floor beside me, spitting blood from a split lip, his eyes blazing."Get your filthy hands off," he snarled at the nearest guard, whose skin showed patchy scales and wild, fevered eyes. "You call this security? Bunch of rotting puppets."The lead guard, taller and more twisted with bulging veins, laughed low and wet. "Save your breath, traitor. Lady Lila wants you alive for the show. Wolf boy and his new friend. How touching."I pushed up to my knees, chains rattling. "Damien, you okay? They came out of nowhere in that lower corridor."He wiped his mouth, grinning fierce despite the swelling
The alarms screamed through my skull the moment Ezra's fingers flew across his portable rig."Got us a backdoor," Ezra muttered, eyes glued to the glowing screen in the dim service tunnel. Sweat already beaded on his forehead under the flickering neon bleed from above. "Palace security's layered thick, but nothing I can't peel back. Give me thirty seconds."I crouched beside him, pulse hammering. "Make it twenty. Lila's goons are probably sweeping every level by now. Kenji, you watching the corridor?"Kenji pressed against the wall, pistol low. "Clear for now. But hurry it up, tech boy. We need eyes on the inner grid before they lock us out completely."Jax shifted behind us, scanning the shadows. "This feels off. Too quiet after what we saw upstairs.""Quiet is good," Ezra shot back, typing faster. "Their firewalls are old empire standard with some fresh patches. I'm slidi
The palace corridors hummed with danger the second we slipped past the outer gates. One wrong glance and it was over.Neon lights from the capital bled through high windows, casting sharp blue and violet streaks across marble floors that looked too polished for the blood about to spill. I tugged at the stiff collar of my dignitary robes, the fabric heavy with fake medals and embroidered lies. Kenji moved like smoke beside me, his hand brushing my arm once to steer me left down a narrower hall."Keep your head down, Avery," he whispered, voice tight. "Guards change in three minutes. We need to hit the inner court before then."I nodded, heart slamming against my ribs. "You sure this disguise holds? We look like we stepped out of some trade delegation from the outer islands.""Exactly the point," he shot back, flashing a quick grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Nobody questions rich foreigners throwing around credits. Just follow my lead and
The dragon's scales cracked like thunder splitting a tree, and suddenly a man stood where the beast had been, eyes locked on mine with zero warning.I froze mid-step on the beach, tools still in hand from patching the yacht. Avery spun beside me, half-shifted with claws out. The crew scattered behind us, shouting questions, but this guy just raised his hands slow, like he knew one wrong move meant death."Easy," he said, voice smooth but edged with exhaustion. "No more fire. No more fighting. I am Prince Kenji of the Eastern Empire. That test is over.""Test?" Avery growled, stepping forward. "You nearly roasted us all yesterday. Call that a test? Start talking before I finish what I started on your wing."Kenji nodded, brushing sand from his dark hair. He looked young, maybe late twenties, with sharp features and tattoos that glowed faint gold on his bare arms. No clothes after the shift, but he didn't seem to care. "Fair point, S
The stars exploded into view the second we hit that hidden clearing, but nothing prepared me for the way Avery looked at me under them."Damien, you seeing this?" she whispered, her voice low and rough from the day's chaos. The hot spring bubbled softly ahead, steam curling up like an invitation we couldn't ignore. Our boat sat half wrecked on the beach, crew already patching what they could, but right now it was just us slipping away."Yeah, I see it," I said, stepping closer. The water glowed soft blue from some underwater glow, lighting her face. "After that dragon mess, this feels like the island's way of saying sorry."She laughed, short and real. "Sorry? More like a trap. Look at us, stranded here. You think the crew will miss us?""Marco's got them busy with the hull. They'll be fine for a couple of hours." I kicked off my shoes, toes sinking into warm sand. "You gonna stand there all night or join me?"Avery pe
The dim glow of flickering bulbs barely cut through the damp underground tunnels as we dropped through the hidden grate, boots splashing in shallow water."We are not surrendering," I said, voice echoing off the concrete walls while I caught my breath. "Victor sold us out but w
The doors to the grand hall burst open with a heavy thud that echoed off the walls like a gunshot.Victor Blackthorn rolled in slow, wheelchair creaking under his frail frame, looking like a ghost of the man who once ruled this territory. My blood ran hot seeing him there, aliv
The thunder of heavy boots and roaring engines hit the Blackthorn estate like a declaration of war at dawn.I bolted from the kitchen table where Ezra and I had been sharing coffee, my pulse spiking hard as I reached the front windows. Golden armored guards stretched across the
The front door slammed behind me as I raced through the mansion halls, boots pounding the wood."Ezra!" I called out, voice cracking with everything I had held back during the chase. I pushed into his dark bedroom, the curtains drawn tight, only a faint lamp glowing on the nigh







