Wings of Fire (Godstone Saga 4)

But the first problem was finding a place to set Caelan and Adrian safely on the ground. He couldn’t worry about them clinging to him while he battled another dragon.

Drawing in closer, Drayce dodged between Takahashi dragons and circled the outer wall, searching for an opening. The Omari dragons took one look at him and Haru and sent up a triumphant cry, while the Takahashi dragons retreated slightly, seeming confused and maybe even a little intimidated by his new flashy wings. Oh! He needed Caelan to take his picture after this was over so he could see his wings.

Focus, Drayce! He mentally snarled at himself. Pictures later. Bashing in Takahashi heads now.

With the Takahashi at least temporarily distracted, Drayce headed straight for the nearest building and lightly set down. Adrian immediately slid off and crumpled to his knees on the roof tiles. Caelan clung to him.

“I want to stay with you!” his lover shouted.

Oh, the temptation was so very great. To storm into battle with Caelan on his back and all the fury of the gods around him. That would be so epic.

But the danger was too great. He’d fought dragons in the air before and it would take two seconds for Caelan to fall to his death.

With a growl, Drayce released his hold on his dragon form, quickly shifting to his human body and dumping Caelan on his ass.

“What the fuck!” Caelan shouted.

Drayce turned and extended his hand to his king, helping him up. “Ride ends here,” he joked, offering up a weak smile.

“I want to stay with you.”

“It’s too dangerous and you know it. If I’m tangled with a dragon and you fall, I won’t be able to save you.” Drayce leaned in and bumped his forehead against Caelan’s. “You know you can cause so much more damage here on the ground anyway.”

“Bastard,” Caelan muttered, and Drayce fought down his own crow of triumph. He knew Caelan so very well.

“Don’t worry. If you want to ride a dragon into battle, I swear we’ll figure it out before we take on Safa and Zyros,” Drayce promised.

“Drayce!” Adrian shouted over the sounds of fighting. Drayce and Caelan pulled apart to see Adrian wave toward the chaos. “Crash course in dragon warfare?”

Yeah, he could do that. He knew his father, knew exactly how he thought. And Drayce felt like he was starting to get a good handle on Omari Nori as well.

Drayce led the way over to the edge of the roof closest to the front gate where most of the human fighters were gathered. “Masaru will be going after one of three chokepoints for the Omari. They need to capture or kill Nori or Haru’s sister Megumi as the leader and likely successor to the clan. Nori is likely to surrender if Megumi or possibly even Haru are captured. They are family and high within the clan.”

“The other chokepoint?” Adrian asked.

“The rookery,” he replied with a cold finality. “The children of any clan are its future. Any dragon not old enough to fight will be gathered there. It’s at the back of the clan grounds. Masaru will send humans for stealth while dragons are kept toward the front to occupy Omari dragons. If Takahashi gains control of the rookery, Omari will break.”

Caelan nodded and turned to Adrian. “Find Eno and Rayne. Tell them what Drayce said and all three of you go straight for the rookery. Keep it safe.”

“What about you? I’m supposed to be protecting you,” Adrian argued, but there wasn’t much heat behind it. Drayce figured the guard had learned that there were times when you just couldn’t keep up with the king.

With a wicked smirk, Caelan winked at Drayce. “We’re going to be teaching the Takahashi they shouldn’t have fucked with our clan.”

“Uh-huh. And after this is over, you get to explain to Eno and Rayne why my ass isn’t fired.”

Before either of them could say anything, Adrian dropped over the edge of the roof and started to expertly work his way down to the ground as though he were part monkey. Huh. Guess he really might have been a master thief.

Drayce grabbed Caelan by the back of the neck and crushed their lips together. The kiss was quick, hard, and so very like their first one on that soaked rooftop in Sirelis. When he pulled away, he smiled at Caelan’s crooked smile. “Do me a favor. Don’t die.”

He then ran to the edge of the roof and leaped off. The second his feet left the tiles he shifted into his dragon, fiery wings stretching out and catching the wind just as easily as his old ones. Caelan’s disgruntled shout followed him into the air and Drayce laughed. Oh yeah, finally got a taste of his own medicine.

As he flew over the main gate, he strafed the ground with a burst of fire at the Takahashi fighters. They were all fireproof so it did little other than annoy and distract them, creating an opportunity for the Omari to gain some ground. He wheeled and gained altitude. Several dragons took one look at his wings and gave him a wide berth. But Drayce wasn’t going to let them run.