The wind howls through the jagged spires, cutting across the sky like a blade drawn by unseen hands. Xaden's dark figure moves swiftly ahead, relentless despite the burn in our lungs. I catch a flash of violet hair whipping in the chaos as Violet stumbles to a halt, panting hard.

"We can't run forever from that dragon," she gasps, voice raw from exertion. Her gaze flicks skyward, where wings slice through clouds, a storm given form. "He'll tear this place apart."

My chest heaves with the force of each breath, rage simmering beneath the surface. I curl my fists until my knuckles scream. "I won't let him."

Xaden turns sharply, eyes blazing like embers on the verge of a wildfire. "You are not going out there again, Y/N." His voice is low, commanding, edged with a desperation he refuses to name. "You are the one he wants, and every dragon within these skies will die to protect you."

The weight of his words presses down, but I refuse to buckle. My spine stiffens, defiance coursing through my veins hotter than dragonfire. "I don't need defending from a dragon."

Silence crackles between us, thick with tension and unspoken truths. The wind carries ash and ruin, but beneath it all, my resolve hums louder than any storm.

Xaden drags a hand through his hair, his forehead creased with the weight of too many battles fought—and far too many losses carried. "I know, Y/N," he says, his voice fraying at the edges. "But I can't let you die."

Before I can protest, he reaches out, his grip firm but not unkind as his hand closes around mine, grounding me. The warmth of it cuts through the chill seeping into my bones. "Not while I'm still breathing."

There's a rawness in his words, a truth bared and bleeding between us. The wind tugs at his cloak, but he stands unyielding, a wall between me and the storm.

My chest tightens at the sheer gravity of what he's saying, but defiance flickers just beneath the surface of my resolve. "You can't protect me from everything, Xaden," I whisper, though my voice carries steel.

His jaw clenches, eyes fierce and unrelenting. "Watch me try."

Xaden doesn't waste another word. His grip tightens, and before I can brace myself, he drags me up the remainder of the steep, winding staircase, my legs burning with every step. Violet and Rhiannon are right behind us, their breaths ragged but determined.

We burst into my room—a sanctuary made strong by layers of magic, every seam pulsing with wards to repel even the fiercest attacks. The air hums with protective energy.

Violet collapses onto the nearest bench, her silver-tinted hair tangled and wild as she rubs a hand through it. "We better get our own dragons," she huffs between breaths. "They'd be helpful right about now."

Before I can respond, a thunderous roar splits the air, rattling the warded windows in their frames. The sound is raw, primal—desperate. My heart lurches.

I whirl toward the window just in time to see Tairn pinned beneath the gleaming talons of a monstrous dragon, scales dark as obsidian, its eyes gleaming with savage hunger. My breath catches. Tairn thrashes, smoke curling from his nostrils, but the beast's weight holds him firm.

"Skye!" I gasp, terror twisting my voice.

Then a blur of brilliant sapphire streaks across the sky. Sgaeyl dives with ruthless precision, her wings slicing through the air as she collides with the larger dragon, tearing it away from Tairn with a ferocious snarl. Her claws rake through scales, and the enemy dragon screeches, the sound splitting the sky.

Relief wars with adrenaline as Tairn shakes himself free, smoke curling in angry spirals. He's bruised but unbroken. Sgaeyl circles above him, regal and fierce—a guardian who will never yield.