14

He looked down at her face so calm and peaceful in sleep. She looked so tiny in his claws, just one squeeze and he would crush her. Because of that he held her so gently he feared she was going to drop.

Ace beat his wings in the frigid air. He couldn't flap his wings too much for fear that he would be discovered so he relied on the stiff air and when he dropped a few feet below he would flap again to gain altitude.

Mrs. Klavan had invited him for the excavation exercise but he had two reasons why he didn't want to go. First, he didn't need proof to know that he existed, secondly, he was worried he was going to see Sarah Dragenar and here she was asleep in his talons after that nasty fall. He was suddenly glad he had come after all even though he had arrived late. The image kept replaying in his head. The tomb they were heading for held a locked noble dragon which thankfully was still asleep. Bringing the crystal dragon to such a place would definitely awaken any sleeping dragon. All dragons' power source was the crystal dragon after all. Even now in his dragon form, he could feel the power surging through him just from holding her and she wasn't even in her full power yet.

He didn't want to believe it but he couldn't get it out of his head. When he first arrived at the scene he had come in his human form but as soon as the first rumble started he saw the same flash of steel that Sarah had seen.

A blade.

Not an ordinary blade. He wasn't sure but as far as he could tell from the ancient texts he periodically glanced at, that was a blade fashioned against Drakai of any form.

What was Mrs. Klavan doing with such a blade?

And the look in her eyes when she held on to Sarah. He didn't know what to think of it but a nagging feeling in his mind told him he was right to snatch Sarah away when he did.

Now the problem was, where was he going to take her?

He couldn't take her back with him to his apartment even though he wasn't far off. The other exile dragons would feel her presence with them, the sudden change in the flow of power her presence would evoke would make them curious and they would come to investigate and the one thing he didn't want right now was anyone finding out about her.

Why was he protecting her anyway? She was his enemy after all and without her blood her father would never gain his full powers again.

But when with giant amber, serpent eyes he looked down at her face to make sure she was okay he realized why he couldn't take her to his father just yet. She was his mate.

He still couldn't get it out of his head. All these years and the one person so out of reach from him was his mate.

She suddenly moaned and his heart lurched. Her eyelids fluttered but she didn't open them. That was when he noticed the matted hair at the side of her head.

Blood.

Of course she was bleeding after that terrible fall. If he kept flying this high with her the air would get too thin and she might pass out again.

With just one thought in mind, Ace found a place to land and dropped her softly before switching to his human form again. Thankfully he had tied his clothes in a bundle before transforming so he put them on before reaching for her to lift in his arms.

First, he would take her to the hospital and once she was treated he would decide what to do next.

But one thing remained certain. He had to complete his mission.