A Dawn of Strength (A Shade of Vampire #14)(40)

Caleb’s hand slid to the base of my throat. He bent my neck gently back against his shoulder. Pressing his lips against mine, he kissed me slowly and tenderly.

His voice was hoarse as he whispered into my ear, “I’ve never felt prouder to be your man, Rose Novak.”

Chapter 33: Derek

After Corrine disappeared with Rose, the powers I’d seen in her kept replaying in my mind. In between focusing on heading off the black witches, I tried to figure out how on earth she could possess them. Soon, however, I didn’t have any concentration left for Rose.

Rhys disappeared for a while, but when he returned, it was with a crowd of reinforcements. The battle intensified tenfold. Soon the witches assisting me—including Ibrahim, who’d returned after failing to find Mona—and I were simply no match for them. Their gushing of water put out more fire than we could keep maintaining, and their hurling of curses became more violent and abundant.

As much as I hated to do it, I was forced to yell, “Retreat!”

Ibrahim ran up to me and vanished with me from the spot. We all traveled about two hundred feet away where everyone gathered around me. “Head directly for the mountains,” I whispered.

“But Derek—” Adelle protested.

“Do as I say,” I hissed.

We all disappeared again and reappeared in the clearing outside the entrance to the mountains. We were failing spectacularly at trying to head them off in the forest. They’d figure out eventually that our humans were being kept in the mountains—if they hadn’t already—so we might as well be waiting for them there. And in the meantime, we could do our best to prepare.

As everyone huddled toward me, I was surprised to see Corrine approaching us. I’d expected her to stay with my daughter. I hurried over to her and gripped her shoulders. “Where’s Rose?”

Her face was covered with sweat and ash. “Derek,” she said, her voice filled with trepidation, “d-dragons have arrived on the island. The beach, the Port, the forests around it, everything’s been completely torched—”

I shook her. “Where’s Rose?”

“She forced me to let her go. She said only she could stop the dragons. I’m sorry, Derek. She was so determined, I didn’t know how to argue with her.”

“Let her go where?”

“To seek out the dragons herself. Her powers, she—”

Goosebumps ran along my skin.

“Where’s Sofia?” I asked.

Corrine shrugged, tears beginning to well in her eyes. “I don’t know, Derek. Heck, I don’t know where half of our army is now. The dragons’ flames are eating up the island as we speak. I was barely able to see through the smog when I neared the Port.”

My stomach flipped.

It felt like I was being torn in separate directions. Seek out my daughter. Search for my wife. Stay here and help the others protect the entrance to the mountains that housed my pregnant sister and all our other humans.

Perhaps it was good for my sanity that I didn’t need to make the decision, as a pair of giant wings appeared in the skyline over the trees in the distance, followed soon after by a monster of a dragon. As soon as the first one appeared in the sky, dozens followed immediately after it.

I gaped at them, their gleaming eyes fixed on us as they circled overhead. I spread my legs, preparing to unleash a storm of fire.

“Wait, Derek!” Corrine yelled.

I paused, staring at the witch in confusion. She was staring up at the largest dragon.

“It’s Rose,” she gasped.

The dragons dropped lower and lower until they touched down on the ground in front of us. There was she was, looking fierce as she rode atop the mightiest of the horde with her boyfriend sitting behind her.

My girl.

No matter how much I tried to keep her out of danger, she always found a way to run right back to it.

A Novak if there ever was one.

Chapter 34: Rose

My father gaped at me as we descended in the sky. I jumped from Jeriad’s back and touched down on the grass. Running up to him, I flung my arms around his shoulders.

“Rose,” he whispered into my ear, “what is going on?”

I drew away and looked back at the dragons. “I’ve talked the dragons into cooperation. They’re going to help us fight the black witches. In return, we need to just… uh, let them stay on this island and romance all the single ladies.”

He stared at me incredulously. “What?”

“Yeah… You heard that right.”

He spun round to face the dragons before turning back to me and running a hand through his hair. “All right,” he muttered. “Dear God, this night can’t get any stranger.”

A snapping of twigs came from across the clearing. My heart hammered in my chest as we all whirled around toward the source of the noise. Could it be the black witches have arrived already?

My fear turned to relief as my mother emerged from the trees followed by a group of vampires. Xavier was alongside her, Kiev and Yuri immediately behind. Then came Ashley and Landis. Abby and Erik. Gavin and Zinnia. Matteo and Helina. Trailing behind all of them were the two ogres, Brett and Bella, hauling along two barrels filled with what appeared to be guns. My stomach plummeted when they were the last two figures to exit the woods.

Where is everyone else?