He breathed a sigh of relief when he glimpsed the Isle of the Dragons’ jagged mountains ahead. Now, if only he could get this infernal creature to land without trying to kill him. His butt hurt, his back hurt, his head pounded with the same cadence as the rapid beat of the creature’s wings, and his arms ached from holding on so tightly. To top it off, he was covered in salty sea spray because the huge bug was flying too close for comfort above the rolling ocean waves. Also, the constant wind was seriously irritating his skin.
As they neared the cliffs, the Adze suddenly changed direction, climbing in an almost vertical flight path up the cliff’s sheer rock face. Ashure uttered a loud curse, wrapped his arms around the dragonfly’s neck, and held on for dear life. He yanked his right arm back when the flying vampire tried to bite him, making him almost lose his seat—again.
They crested the top of the cliff and kept flying higher. It wasn’t until the Adze swerved to the left that Ashure realized it was aiming for a balcony near the top of the palace. He gaped in alarm when he noticed Drago’s tall frame standing in the precise spot where the evil vampire-devil dragonfly was heading.
“Mercy, this beast is trying to kill me,” he muttered a second before the dragonfly suddenly stopped in midair, flipped up its backside, and sent him flying.
For a second, Ashure almost wished he had a way to capture the look of stunned disbelief on Drago’s face. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t have had the time even if he wanted to take a photo of the moment. He imagined his own face reflected the same shocked surprise.
“What—?” Drago hissed as the breath was knocked out of him.
Ashure winced as he collided with Drago, and the impact slid them across the floor. In the few moments before Drago recovered his wits, Ashure debated whether he was grateful for this development. On the one hand, being this close to the enraged King of Dragons would probably not be a pleasant thing; but on the other hand, the fearsome dragon-shifter had softened his landing!
“Hi, Carly!” Ashure greeted, flashing her a smile from his perch on top of her mate as they slid past her and through the balcony doors.
“Ashure?” Carly called in disbelief as she followed them into the room.
Drago loudly grunted when he came to a sudden stop. Ashure looked down at Drago and grinned. He was alive!
“Get off of me,” Drago growled.
“Thank you, my friend, thank you for saving me! I could kiss you for that,” Ashure passionately declared, as he patted his chest over his thundering heart.
“I’d have to kill you if you tried. Now move,” Drago retorted.
This time, he was the one who did the grunting when Drago gripped his arms and roughly pushed him aside. Ashure rolled and hit his skull on the bedpost. Sitting up, he rubbed his head and added the spot to his growing list of aches and pains.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Drago demanded, rising to his feet.
Ashure looked up at Drago, his demeanor suddenly grave. “Nali sent me. We need your help,” he said.
The irritated expression on Drago’s face instantly changed to one of concern. He held out his hand. Ashure gripped it, wincing when he was pulled off the ground with a single swift yank.
“What happened?” Drago demanded.
Ashure looked at Carly before returning his attention to Drago. “It’s the last remaining alien still free. It has found a way to destroy all of our worlds. We need the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms, and we are running out of time,” he cautioned.
“Then it is a good thing that Orion is already here,” Drago grimly replied.
Thirty minutes later, Ashure stood in the Dragon Palace’s great hall. Drago had departed with a gruff comment that he needed to get something and would return as soon as possible. Ashure turned when he caught the sound of approaching footsteps. A moment later, Orion entered the room alongside Theron, Drago’s Second-in-Command.
“Ashure, Theron said you were here on an urgent matter,” Orion said by way of greeting.
He grimly nodded. “The alien is on the Isle of the Monsters. Nali needs our assistance,” he said.
“When did it appear?” Orion asked.
Ashure pursed his lips before he reluctantly answered. “The morning of my wedding,” he admitted.
Surprise swept across Orion’s face before he concealed it. “Tell me everything,” he said.
Ashure explained everything that he could, including Nali’s reluctance to ask for help and what the Goddess’s Mirror had revealed to them. He was finishing the story when Drago reappeared carrying a large round metal hoop.
He raised an inquiring eyebrow when he noticed cobwebs clinging to the other man’s long black hair. Drago impatiently reached up and brushed them away, then held the hoop out to Theron. Ashure frowned when he caught sight of the etchings on it.
“Is that a…?” he breathed.
Drago gave him a sharp nod. “A Time-Space hoop,” he said.
Ashure looked from the hoop to Drago’s face. “Where did you get one of those? I thought they were destroyed by the ancients a millennium ago,” he said.
“So did I,” Orion muttered.
Drago shrugged. “I found it when I was a boy in the ruins of Arkla, the original stronghold of the dragons,” he said in a nonchalant voice.
“You should have left it there, Drago,” Ashure said.
“I’ve heard they were unpredictable, and that is why the Time Wizards destroyed them. Do you know how to use it?” Orion warily inquired.
“Well enough to not get us killed—I hope,” Drago replied.
Ashure shook his head and held a hand up. “Oh, no. I’m telling you, those things are a lot worse than unpredictable. They were created with dark magic that pulls its power from the twisted recesses of a wizard’s soul. I’ve heard tales of young
