The Warrior’s Broken Mate novel Chapter 88

I was shoved out of the way at the very last second by someone who then took the full brunt of the electric blast, their body flung violently down the hall.

Arthur shouted, his voice echoing through the corridor, and I whipped around to see Kronos lying on the ground as Arthur’s men rushed to surround him.

Mia was already advancing again, lashing out with wild strikes of her magic. But I quickly noticed her fury was making her reckless–she wasn’t landing her hits. Instead, her blasts were smashing into the walls and floor, missing everyone completely.

I didn’t waste the opportunity. I surged to my feet, sprinted straight at her, and tackled her to the ground with full force.

As she hit the floor, I stood up and delivered a vicious kick to her face, then stomped on her chest, forcing the air from her lungs and leaving her gasping for breath.

I stepped back, letting her roll to the side. She touched the blood trickling down her face and wiped it away with the back of her hand, her eyes blazing with rage.

Before she could react, I kicked her hard in the stomach and followed up with a solid punch to her throat.

She stumbled backward, slamming into the wall. I grabbed her by the front of her shirt, yanked her forward, and with one powerful kick, sent her flying down the hall toward Arthur and his men.

They all stepped aside as she crashed to the ground, staring at me in shock, their mouths hanging open as they realized just how much strength I had in me.

I strode toward Mia again. She was staggering, barely able to keep her balance, but I could feel her trying to summon more magic. With every blow I landed, she was getting weaker.

She finally managed to fire off another energy ball, but I ducked out of the way and lunged forward, grabbing her by the shirt. I hoisted her over my shoulder and flung her to the floor behind me.

She hit the ground with a heavy thud and groaned as she pushed herself up, swaying unsteadily on her feet. Arthur and the others stood behind her now, but I held up my hand.

“Stay back,” I ordered firmly. “This is my fight.”

Suddenly, a deafening screech ripped through the air outside the castle. The sound sent a shiver down my spine, and I instinctively glanced toward the window before snapping my gaze back to Mia.

“Arthur,” I asked sharply, never taking my eyes off her, “what the hell is that?”

“That,” Arthur said grimly, “would be the Queen of the Dragons.”

“They have a Queen?” I asked in disbelief.

Mia started to laugh, her bloodied face twisting into a grin. “And their Queen just happens to be a very close friend of mine.”

I turned to Arthur, and his men immediately sprinted downstairs, presumably to try and deal with the dragons, or at least slow them down.

Arthur stayed by my side as Mia glanced over her shoulder at him, then at me, before she suddenly bolted for the nearest window.

I lunged after her, but I was too far away. She leapt out just as I reached the ledge, and I watched in frustration as she landed perfectly on the back of a massive dragon. With a beat of its wings, they soared away from the castle.

“No f*****g way,” I growled, spinning around and tearing down the stairs.

“What the hell are you doing?” Arthur demanded, grabbing my arm as I stormed past him.

“I am not letting her get away again! That b***h dies today,” I snarled, ripping my arm from his grip and bolting down the rest of the stairs.

We burst through the front doors, and my eyes immediately landed on the row of horses waiting outside. I didn’t care that I had never ridden one before.

I was going to figure it out–because I wasn’t stopping until Mia was dead.

I swung myself onto one of the horses and Arthur mounted the one beside me. He quickly started shouting instructions on how to control it, and we galloped off across the field, chasing the dragon as it soared ahead of us.

“She’s got an entire army of dragons at her disposal,” Arthur warned grimly.

“And you’ve got an army of soldiers,” I shot back, glancing north. My eyes widened when I saw a wave of riders approaching on horseback. These weren’t the men we had just left behind–they were Arthur’s soldiers from his castle.

“Holy s**t,” Arthur muttered in disbelief.

“She didn’t kill them,” I said, realization hitting me.

“She must have sent them back to the castle,” Arthur said, his voice tight.

“It was enough of a distraction to give her the upper hand. She bought herself time by sending them away,” I replied.

“Alright, let’s move!” he barked.

We spurred the horses faster, pounding across the field and up over the hill as Arthur’s soldiers closed in behind us, joining in the pursuit.

The dragon was still in sight, wings cutting through the air as it arrowed toward a looming mountain in the distance. A knot of dread formed in my gut–I had a terrible feeling about what was waiting for us inside that mountain. But turning back was not an option.

“Where’s the Queen of the dragons?” I shouted over the wind.

“The black witch is riding her,” Arthur called back. “She’s a shifter!”

“Good to know,” I growled, kicking my horse harder to go faster.

Every stride jarred my body and sent a sharp ache through my stomach, but I ignored it. I wasn’t going to let that b***h slip through my fingers again.

I glanced up and saw Mia staring down at us from the dragon’s back. She could see we weren’t giving up, and instead of looking worried, she was laughing–laughing because she knew we had no idea what was waiting for us ahead.

And she was right–I had no clue. But I didn’t care. I’d face whatever the hell was in that mountain, even if it meant taking on every dragon in existence.

We watched as Mia and the dragon vanished into a yawning cave in the side of the mountain. When we reached the base, we had to abandon the horses–the terrain was too steep and treacherous.

“I really don’t think you should be going in there,” Arthur said, his voice low and grave. “You don’t know how many dragons she has in there.”

“I don’t care,” I said coldly. “This ends today.”

“Think about the baby,” he urged.

“I am thinking about the baby,” I snapped, meeting his gaze. “And its father. And how I’m going to get the hell home.”

Arthur shook his head. “You are a stubborn one.”

“It comes with the breed,” I replied, a ghost of a smirk tugging at my lips. “All werewolves are stubborn.”

“Good to know” he muttered.

As we reached the mouth of the cave, a chorus of roars erupted from inside. The sound reverberated through the mountain walls, making the ground tremble beneath us.

Arthur and his men unsheathed their swords as I stepped forward, Arthur staying close to my side.

We entered the vast hollowed–out heart of the mountain and were immediately surrounded by dragons–hundreds of them, of every size, shape, and color imaginable.

One massive dragon leapt down from the ledge above and landed directly in front of us, its glowing eyes locking on me. I could see the fire building in its throat, the heat radiating from its body as it prepared to unleash its hellfire.

Arthur’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm, but I didn’t move. I stood my ground, staring the beast down, listening to the deep rumble growing in its chest.

Then I stepped forward, one foot after the other, and unleashed a scream as I raised my hands.

The dragon’s hellfire burst from its throat at the same time mine erupted from my palms–our flames colliding and merging into one massive, devastating inferno.