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Dristan had gathered a group of soldiers far more quickly than I had anticipated. In total, there were ten dragon warriors with us, as well as five high fae males that I'd never met before. All of the strangers emanated raw power. I could sense their magic, smell it, even though they weren't using it. The rancid, sweet smell of magic that always made me wrinkle my nose, was even worse now that I was in my Fae form.

I sat atop Dristan's dragon, at the crook of his long neck and spiked shoulders, as he flew through the chilly skies. Each time we passed through a misty cloud, my hair and clothes would dampen, causing me to shiver uncontrollably. I'd wanted to fly lower, to avoid the frigid temperatures, but the dragon's insisted upon staying above the clouds. We had to stay out of sight.

To my left, Andromeda and Torryn flew in their dragon forms. To my right was Warrick.

Because our destination was the northern forests, which was wolf territory, we decided to bring Sylvie and Marrok along with us. They'd gained enough of Dristan's trust that he felt confident that they wouldn't betray us.

Sylvie rode on Warrick's back, and Marrok rode on Torryn's. The wolves both looked quite uncomfortable as they clung to the horns, which protruded out of the dragon's shoulders, but they never complained. Five of the dragon warriors flew in front of us, keeping guard in case there were any threats ahead. The five Fae warriors were perched atop the other five dragon's, as they trailed behind us to defend our flanks.

If the Fae were uncomfortable, riding on the backs of dragons, they did not show it. They rode dutifully, their faces blank and backs straight. Their eyes scanned the skies around us, their attention's always on high alert.

I would've been in awe of Andi, Warrick and Torryn's dragon forms, were I not so worried for my father. Still, despite my anxiety, I couldn't help but glance to my sides now and then to stare at them.

Dristan's dragon was of solid black, with hints of silver, but he was mostly colorless. I hadn't seen such colorful dragons before. I knew that their wings had been lovely, but I hadn't been prepared for the sight of their dragons.

Millions of glittering, purple scales, shimmered like diamonds all over Warrick's body. The scales themselves were the darkest shade of purple, like the skin of sweet, summer time plums. But when the sunlight hit them in just the right way, I realized that they were packed with every shade of purple that could possibly exist. I'd even catch glimpses of other colors when the sun glinted off of them at the perfect angle. Brief flashes of green, yellow, and orange seemed to appear in a split second with each roll of his muscles, but they'd be instantly replaced with purple again as the light shifted over them. He was absolutely stunning. A graceful, soaring body of living, glimmering amethyst.

Torryn's dragon reminded me of the forest. He was beautiful, yet someone dark and daunting. His emerald scales gleamed in the buttery sunlight, and as his muscles shifted with the beating of his wings, flashes of rich gold would appear throughout the shades of deep green. He was like a vast field of lush, verdant grass, littered with thousands of bright, golden daises. He was both glorious and wicked, all at once, just like nature itself.

But Andromeda's dragon was by far the most eye catching. She was covered with vermilion scales, which sparkled like rubies beneath the sunlight. Her crimson skin was startlingly bright against the colors of the other dragon's. The gorgeous, bright highlights of silver throughout her body made her look even more like a living precious stone, as if she belonged inside of a massive treasure chest, rather than the sky. Her huge, slitted, amber eyes gave her a menacing appearance, despite her impossible beauty. She was like a drop of blood, smeared against an ordinary, black and white painting.

We'd been flying for several hours. Every second that passed seemed like an eternity. Would we get to him in time? I pulled the mirror from between my breasts and checked it again, this time finding him hiding beneath the upturned roots of an overturned tree. I could tell that he was trying to sleep, but the furrow of his brow, and the sweat covering his body, told me that his injuries were causing him too much pain to do so.

I leaned forward, laying my torso against the length of Dristan's neck. I gently wrapped my arms around the sides of his throat, and rested my palms against his Dragon's massive jawline. "We have to move faster, Dristan." I whispered, knowing he could hear me.

I felt his answering grunt rumbling through his body beneath me, reverberating into my bones. He let out a sharp, shrill cry, and as he did, he and the other dragons began moving even faster. I clung to him tightly, my eyes widening, as we shot through the sky.

I turned to the side, locking eyes with Marrok, who looked just as terrified as I was, as his legs clamped tightly to Torryn's sides. "How much further?!" I shouted out to him. My voice was nearly lost to the roaring of the wind around us.

"Thirty minutes!" He answered, cupping his hand around his mouth so his voice would reach me.

I glanced down. All I could see was white mist. "How can you tell?!" I shouted back.

He tapped the end of his nose with his index finger. "I can smell it!" He yelled.

I furrowed my brows. How could he possibly smell the forest from all the way up here? Curious, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply through my nose. The clean scent of the damp skies filled my senses, along with Dristan's pine needle and earthy scent. I inhaled again.

This time, I detected something else. It was so faint, so subtle, I hardly noticed it. But somewhere, I could smell trees, and rock, and something else... Fur? Animals, perhaps. As the minutes dragged by, the scent became more noticeable.

I counted to one thousand in my mind, clinging to my mate's dragon form all the while, as I focused on breathing in and out. Soon. We'd get to him soon...

Finally, we began to decend.

Lower, and lower we glided, until we broke through the mist of the clouds. I huffed out a breath of relief as the ground came into view, and I realized we had indeed finally reached the northern forests. Miles and miles of nothing but trees stretched in every direction below us.

We leveled out, about two hundred feet above the canopies, and drifted smoothly through the air. I inhaled again, letting my lungs fill with as much oxygen as I could manage, trying to pick up the slightest scent of my father. I would know his scent anywhere.

But all I could smell was forest, and fur, and decay.

"Keep going!" I shouted, my eyes searching the vast expanses of green.

Where are you, where are you, where are you....

Ten minutes passed with no changes. He could be anywhere in this forest. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack. How would we ever find him?

Just as I began to lose hope, a new scent intruded my senses. A scent that made my gut turn over, and the hair on my arms stand on end.

Blood.

My eyes shifted back and fourth between Marrok and Sylvie. Both of their eyes were wide, their mouths set into thin lines.

They could smell it, too.

And then, my unease grew even more unsettling. The scent of crisp cedar, paint, and hickory smoke tickled my nose. My father's scent. I'd almost missed it. It was nearly undetectable, beneath the thick layers of blood.

"He's here!" I shouted, pointing down toward the tops of the trees. "He's hurt! Go, Dristan, go now!"

Dristan barked out a shriek, and I held on tight as he nose dived toward the forest floor below us. I gasped in surprise, my stomach rising into my throat, as the weightlessness lifted my insides. I squeezed my eyes shut as the cries of the other dragons sounded around me.

We broke through the treetops, and shadows danced in front of my closed lids as the sun disappeared. The scents of the forest grew stronger, along with the scent of my father and his blood. And something else... Like a wet dog, but more intense.

Filth, and moisture, and death.

As Dristan landed on the forest floor, the force of the impact traveled through his body, rippling up, through my bones. I nearly fell off of him trying to keep my balance. Loud thudding thundered around us as the other dragons landed.

I lept off of the Dragon Lord's back without a second thought. I rolled on my shoulder, and then righted myself, before taking off into a full on sprint through the trees. It should've hurt, but my new body was strong. My legs should've barked at the force I was using to propel myself through the forest, but they carried me effortlessly.

"Brenya, stop!" Dristan's voice commanded from far behind me. I hadn't seen him shift back, but it didn't matter.

My father was out here. Bleeding. Hurt. In danger. I most certainly would not stop. I was going to find him, before something else did.

If it hadn't, already...

I kept running, ducking beneath branches, leaping over upturned stones and roots, twirling around tree stumps. Every detail of the forest was sharpened through my new eyes. And I was fast. The world was a blur of green and brown around me as I flew through the trees, hyper aware of every obstacle in my path.

My breaths came deep and even. My feet were sure and agile. My legs were strong and swift. I was not afraid of this forest, or anything that hid inside of it. Not anymore. It was me, now, that the forest's inhabitants should fear.

For I was no longer a flea on it's back. No... I was a part of it.

Several sets of footsteps sounded behind me as my comrades ran in my wake. I didn't slow down. "Brenya, wait!" Warrick's voice echoed.

I pushed harder. I urged my legs on, pumping them faster, pushing my toes deeper into the earth as I propelled myself forward, surging toward the scent of my father like a flying arrow. I wasn't sure that I was even visible as I breezed through the forest.

"She's too fast!" I heard Torryn yell.

"We'll need to fly to catch up!" Andi shouted.

"No, the trees are too close together! Just run!" Warrick answered.

"Damnit, Brenya, you don't know what's out there! Stop!" Dristan growled, his voice closer than the other's had been. He was faster than the others, but not faster than me.

My father's scent grew stronger. And so did the smell of wet fur, and blood, and magic.

I broke through a treeline, leaping over a boulder, and then stopped dead in my tracks. My fists balled at my sides as I beheld the sight before me. I bared my teeth as I realized exactly what I was looking at, and a low, guttural growl escaped my lips.

I was in a large clearing.

My father was on his knees, facing a large, bloodstained tree. His torso was pressed against the rough bark, his body bound to it with thick rope. His arms were stretched above his head, his wrists also bound and tied around the massive tree trunk.

Bright, crimson blood trickled down his ruined back, pooling around his knees, as he sagged against the tree, limp and unconscious.

A large group of wolf Chimera turned to face me, their sharp teeth glistening, their ears flattened against their skulls, as they realized an intruder was amongst them. My eyes darted around, counting them, pinpointing their positions.

There were five males surrounding the tree my father was strapped to. They held sharp, curved knives in their clawed hands, which dripped with his blood.

There were more of them, scattered around the treeline, some hidden behind rocks, or vines. I glanced up and realized that there were several more of them perched among the trees.

Ten, twenty, thirty...

I couldn't count them all.

We were outnumbered. Badly.

The largest male stepped forward, a cruel smile spreading across his face, as his eyes traveled up and down the length of my body. A trickle of fear went down my spine as I strained my neck back, looking up into his eyes. He was fiercely handsome, and quite possibly the largest male I'd ever seen.

He was pure, tanned muscle. His skin was flecked with silver, crescent shaped scars. Bite marks... There was a long, jagged scar on the left side of his face, which drew in my gaze. It began at the top of his forehead, dragging down through his eye, and ended near his jawline. The eye that the scar marred was completely gray and glazed over.

His other eye was of blackest night, and glittered with violent intent. His wavey, chin length hair, matched the color of his good eye. His lips were full, and a smatter of salt and pepper hair covered his sharp jawline.

"Well, well, well... Who do we have here?" He said darkly.

I hissed, planting a foot behind myself, and crouched forward, ready to lunge for his throat.

His brows rose. "That's not a very nice greeting, youngling. And certainly no way to greet the leader of a wolf pack." He grinned, wiping the blood from his blade onto his pants.

I bristled, flashing my teeth again. A wave of deep growling erupted from all around me, warning me to stand down. I would do no such thing.

"Let. Him. Go." I hissed through clenched teeth.

He chuckled. "First she disrespects me in front of my pack. Now she's defending a human. It seems that this youngling wishes to die today."

The treeline behind me rustled, and his eyes widened as they flicked over my shoulder. I felt the warmth of my companion's bodies as they came to my sides, and didn't bother to look away from the pack leader's face.

Dristan moved to stand in front of me, but I grabbed his wrist, keeping him at my side. I wouldn't let him defend me. I was not weak. I was not a fragile, little human girl. Not anymore.

The wolves stood their ground as I was flanked by Andi, Torryn, and Warrick. I glanced to the side and realized that the other Fae warriors were standing further back, still hidden in the shadows of the treeline. I did not know where the other ten dragons were, but I had a feeling they weren't far off.

"What the fuck is this?" The pack leader hissed, taking a threatening step forward.

Dristan's wings flared behind his back as a deep growl crawled up his throat. The pack leader froze, his eyes widening the slightest bit.

"Dragons?" He whispered. A touch of fear flashed across his face, but it was immediately replaced with an easy grin.

"I thought you were all dead." He murmured, his eyes scanning the five of us slowly. His gaze settled back on me and his eyes narrowed. "And a Fae... Interesting."

"Let the human go." Dristan said smoothly, his tone laced with dark promise. He didn't need to raise his voice to sound authoritative or intimidating.

Laughter erupted from around us. The wolf leader smiled, glaring at my mate from beneath lowered brows.

"I don't follow orders. I give them." He growled.

I stepped forward, pulling on a mask of calm, despite my growing fear. "We don't wish to kill you, or your pack. But we will, if you do not stand aside." I said, my voice strong and unwavering.

He chuckled darkly, rubbing the stubble on his chin. The four male woves came to his sides, ready to attack on his command. They looked as if they were wishing for it, their eyes crazed with bloodlust and carnal instinct.

"Why, pray tell, would I ever want to do that? Do you think we are afraid of you? You are in my forest. You have no power here." He mused.

More laughter echoed through the trees around us, along with growling and snarling. The hair on my arms stood on end, but I held my mask of calm in it's place.

"Fire cannot kill wolves... But I wonder, do you think your fur would ever grow back, once it's been torched to ash?" I asked sweetly, the corner of my lip curling upward.

Torryn, Warrick, and Andi all snarled in unison, their wings flaring and stretching outward. The dark claws at the ends of their fingertips lengthened, eager and ready to sink into soft flesh.

The pack leader's smile fell a fraction. "Why are you defending this worthless human, anyway? I find it quite... unsettling."

"It's none of your concern, dog." Dristan growled, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"Oh, I think it is. I think you'd best tell me, right now, or I'll cut off his gods damned head while you and your friends watch."

A familiar voice sounded from behind me. "Father, do as they say." Sylvie said, stepping through the trees. She walked around me, and planted herself in my path. Shielding me from the wolf leader, who was apparently her, and Marrok's, father.

"Sylvie?! What the fuck-Where the fuck have you been?!" He snarled, taking three, long steps toward her...

Toward me.

Dristan snarled fiercely, grabbing me by the arm and shoving me behind his back. His wings flared, hiding me from view. "Don't take another fucking step!" He warned. His body shook and glowed with a soft, subtle hue of gold. He was close to losing control, close to shifting and burning this entire pack to charcoal.

I pulled at his grip, annoyed at his over-protectiveness, but he snarled again and shot me an icy glare over his muscled shoulder. I stopped struggling, but scowled back at him. He faced forward again, keeping me shielded, his grip tight on my upper arm.

Marrok appeared next, and the wide eyes of the pack leader followed him, as he walked to Sylvie's side. "Do as they say." Marrok said boldly.

"I've been searching for you two for weeks... And now here you are... And you're siding with these lot, instead of your own pack!? What the fuck did these bastards do to you?! Where is Kale?!"

"Kale is dead." Sylvie said, lifting her chin.

Silence fell across the pack as the leader stared at his daughter.

"Who killed him?" He asked darkly.

Her eyes shifted to the side, settling briefly on Dristan, before she looked back to her father. The pack leaders eyes flicked to Dristan, and then back at her.

"Impossible. How? Fire cannot kill a wolf!"