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Oh, I would dare, all right.
Harlon thrust out his hands, conjuring a spell. But either his magic didn’t apply to engines or he was too slow, because a moment later, he dove out of the way. Angelina jumped clear too, so I spun the wheel and rammed the side of the Range Rover instead.
The impact nearly made me face-plant into the steering wheel, but heck. The adrenaline rush was worth it.
Hooting like a banshee, I took another shot at Angelina, then sped through a U-turn and raced toward the ranch. Harlon was raising his hands in another spell, and something told me to get as far as I could.
Furious, boiling clouds packed the rearview mirror and spilled over the edges, reflecting on the inside of the windshield. I wasn’t even halfway down the hill when rain — no, hail — began to spatter, then pound the pickup’s roof. Hurricane-force winds roared, jostling the vehicle as much as the bumpy road. Tumbleweeds raced past, faster than my poor old Chevy, and—
Crack!The rear window exploded, piercing my ears with sound, if not glass. I screamed and ducked, making the car spin out.
A second bolt of lightning struck the ground, even closer than the last. Clearly, Harlon was angry. Well, so was I. Even more so when the engine quit and refused to restart.
I looked around. I couldn’t sit there helplessly while Harlon hurled an entire weather arsenal at the car — lightning, thunder, maybe a landslide…
I pushed the driver’s side door open and told myself,On three. One…Two…
A bolt of lightning speared down, shoving me back.
After a deep breath, I threw myself out the passenger-side door. Lightning bolts followed me like machine-gun fire. I sprinted toward the cliffs, carving sharp turns all the way like a skier.
Boom!A lightning bolt fried the prickly pear cactus to my left. The next torched a juniper on my right. It sizzled despite the downpour that plastered my hair and clothes to my skin.
I ran on with a single goal in mind. The vortex.
What exactly I would do once I got there, I had no idea. But instinct screamed for me to get there, and fast.
So fast, I would have slammed into the cliff face if I hadn’t thrown my hands up in time. My left hand slapped down an inch from the spiral symbol, and I yanked it away. Sensing another blast coming, I cringed and closed my eyes.
Lightning flashed inside my eyelids, and every hair on my body stood. I spun around, staring.
Harlon stood on the rise, gesturing madly, throwing everything he could at me. A line of hail accumulated inches from my feet, and a residual breeze bit through my soaked clothes. But whatever Harlon tried, he couldn’t invade this safe haven.
Meanwhile, an aerial battle raged beyond the perimeter of that compact storm. Five dragons whirled and gushed fire, creating their own fiery tempest. One screamed, then plunged toward the ground in a blur of flames, wings, and a desperately whipping tail.
Then,boom!Bone and sinew crashed, making the ground shake.
My heart leaped to my throat. Was that Nash?
Then I exhaled. Nash was still up there, a flash of determined bronze battling his remaining three foes.
Myfoes, actually. I turned back to Harlon, ready to put an end to this. But how?
I cowered against the cliff face, watching Harlon gesture and fling. Dragon roars filtered through the noise of the storm, and I looked up. Another dragon had just arrived, circling those locked in combat.
Really bad had officially gone over to worse now. And where was Pippa? We’d agreed to meet at the vortex while Abby took Claire to safety, but she was nowhere in sight.
At least the horses had broken out and scattered. I prayed they hadn’t injured themselves in the process.
Beside Harlon, Angelina pointed so furiously, I could picture her shrill commands.
Get her! Get him!
Harlon flashed a sour look, and his lips moved, grunting something along the lines of,You said you would take care of the dragon.
I threw a grateful look at Nash. I had no idea how he’d broken free of Angelina’s hold, but he’d done it. And boy, was he mad.
And he wasn’t the only one.
