Her heart hammered her rib cage. He'd realized she was no ordinary shifter.
Yeah, he'd make a hell of an opponent in a fight.
Screams broke out from behind them, saving her the need to reply.
Aaron swore. He grabbed Hope by the shoulder.
He was going to throw her on the floor and cover her body with his...
A part of her wanted him to. She wanted to feel the hard length of his body against her skin.
Hope wrenched her mind away from those dangerous thoughts. Twisting in a move that took him by surprise, she slid out of his grasp and faced the rest of the room.
The scene was one of utter chaos.
The humans were out cold on the floor. Some of the shifters and vampires had their hands over their ears to block out the psychic noise. Others stayed motionless where they had fallen.
Behind her, Aaron's body was a wall of strength. "What the hell is happening?"
Tension radiated from his coiled muscles.
A sick feeling twisted her gut.
Only one force was capable of getting through the strong shields of shifters and vampires. Only one other species whose psychic force could penetrate her dragon's primary shields.
But it wasn't possible. The Elysians couldn't have reached Bombay. Could they?
The psychic buzz ratcheted up a notch. It was strong enough to knock the breath out of her. Despite her second layer of shields, Hope's ears thrummed with the force.
Aaron growled. The pain in his voice cut through her thoughts.
Heart beating fast, Hope turned to find Aaron holding his head.
Not even an immortal was resistant to the psychic impact of the Elysians trying to get through her shields.
On the other side of the room, a woman dropped to the floor, screaming with pain.
Her boyfriend sank to his knees next to her. He reached to help her, only to double over and grip his head.
Across from them, two girls held on to each other, tears rolling down their cheeks as they sobbed.
Behind them, another psychic blast crashed through the place. Cain gripped the door. His big body jerked. He held on to the frame for support.
The psychic lash whipped through the space, ramming through her and into the back of the bar.
The bottles rattled.
There was a second of silence.
Then the glass shattered, the sound booming out. Shreds of glass sliced the air, pouring over Hope, flying past her to hit an unconscious couple.
A larger shard sliced her arm. Pain cut through her.
As if hunting for its next victim, the psychic whiplash honed in on her.
It battered her second layer of shields. Finding a hairline crack, the force smashed against it, again and again.
She had to act fast.
There was only one way to put an end to this.
Without waiting for Aaron to recover, Hope ran across the floor, jumping over writhing bodies.
She had to get to the source of the attacks and stop it.
6
Aaron
A metallic smell laced with bitter almonds hit Aaron. The next psychic blast crashed over him.
It burned through his psychic shields, heading toward the telepathic network he shared with the other immortal Ascendants. The network served as a channel in emergencies.
Was this attack designed to gain access to it?
Aaron clamped down another shield. He had to contain the psychic force.
Drowning out most of the psychic interference, he staggered in the direction Hope had run.
He was barely able to stay upright on his feet.
Whatever was out there was a potent power. It was stronger than Hope. It would hurt her, and she had headed straight toward it.
Fear rolled down his spine, pushing him forward. Stepping over prone bodies and those still writhing in pain, he reached the door.
Cain scrambled to rise. His face was pale, blood streaming from his nose and ears.
Aaron held out a hand, pulling Cain to his feet. Leaving the shifter to follow, Aaron lurched across the threshold then came to a halt with Cain just behind him.
The scene captured his attention.
Skies heavy with rain clouds filled the horizon. A wave crashed onto the shore that ran alongside the road. The scent of salt was heavy in the air with the incoming tide.
Hope's back was to him. She looked tiny, much smaller than the man who faced her.
The stranger had his back to the beach that stretched out on the other side of the road.
His feet were planted wide apart, hands on his hips.
That man had to be the source of the psychic onslaught.
Even at this distance, Aaron sensed the tension in the stranger’s muscles.
The man leaned forward, his focus on Hope. He was going to attack her.
Aaron made to move toward her.
A guttural cry from Hope stopped him.
She raised her hands, and the air swirled. Flashes of green and violet flames burst from her.
The fire shivered up her chest, twining her arms. Another stream of golden flames snaked over her waist and down her legs. The tips of her hair sparked green and gold. Her clothes shimmered. The flames slithered around her then flared up.
He heard the sound of massive wings flapping.
Where Hope once stood was the most magnificent specimen of a dragon.
Patterned colors were threaded through the scales on the wings. Her wingspan was wide enough to block out the man. So large, they must at least cross twenty feet each.
Solid enough to act as a barrier to any psychic force that may be emanating from him.
The dragon raised her long neck. She hissed like a volcano erupting. Tongues of fire flowed from her—violet and red and blue. The fire was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. And the deadliest.
The stranger swiveled. His gaze swept over Aaron's features.
The flames struck him just as the air around him shimmered and turned silver. He became translucent enough for Aaron to see through him.
The man vanished.
"What the hell?" Aaron swore. "A teleporter with telekinetic energies, able to bring down an entire crowd of mixed species? What is he?"
Beside him, Cain breathed. "I've never seen anything like it."
The dragoness turned her neck. The grace in that movement had him inhaling in appreciation.
Her wings were outstretched, the muscles rippling in anticipation of takeoff.
He couldn't let her leave. Not like this. He couldn't have found hope only to lose her.
Aaron raised his hand to call out to her, to tell her to come back, to stay.
Her gaze locked on to his.
Her eyes were the same emerald-green with gold flecks that he'd seen in her human form. Was she waiting to see what he'd do next?
That's when he knew. He couldn't ask her to stay.
Hope was the epitome of freedom. Of life. Of everything he'd once valued in Zayn. He had to let her go.
"Fly," Aaron whispered.
His voice was soft, but it was obvious she'd heard it.
With a sigh like that of leaves rustling in a hurricane, her wings beat the air. Wind and dust swept up from the street danced over him.
The scent of vanilla and sunshine was laced with burning embers as she raised her head to the sky. With a harsh cry, the dragon took off.
It should have been impossible for someone of her size to take off in a vertical ascent, yet she'd done it.
Beating the air with those gorgeous wings, she kept flying, until she was level with the clouds. The sun caught the scarlet and blue on her wings, and for a second it was as if they were on fire.