Jared must have felt it at the same time. He twisted around, a look of shock on his face. And when Chiara followed his gaze, her heart pounding with terror, she saw that there, at the entrance of the cave, shadows had begun to gather.
Darkness swirled, like black clouds covering the sky before a storm broke loose.
Then the shadows pulled together, becoming deeper and darker—and at last turning solid.
“Zane,” Chiara breathed in horror.
There was the shadow dragon they’d escaped once before. Only now he seemed even darker. His scales pulsed with a dark energy, a black so deep that in the light of the cave, it seemed almost an oily purple.
The dragon opened his jaws and roared—and Jared grabbed hold of Chiara’s arm, pushing her behind him.
“Search for the door. That’s our only chance.” Hastily, he pulled his amulet free and dropped it into her hand. “I’ll keep him distracted for as long as I can. Hurry!”
A second later, he shifted, the powerful griffin spreading his eagle’s wings to shield her.
Her fingers trembling, she clenched them tightly around his amulet. She was terrified—she’d seen what the dragon could do, and how would Jared defeat a monster like that?
They had to find a way through this wall. They had to—or they’d both die here.
Through the mate bond, she could feel Jared’s own terror. He was afraid—but not for himself.
Jared was afraid for her.
That realization broke through the shock that had settled around her until she was numb with horror.
Suddenly, focus returned. Her heart still pounding, she felt as if time had slowed down. Behind her, she could hear the dragon’s roar, and the griffin’s answering cry of challenge.
But all she had eyes for now was the wall.
Sh
e ran along it, trying to find an opening in the wall—anything out of the ordinary that might give her a hint on how to get it to let them pass.
But there was no hidden doorway, no cleft in the wall.
Grinding her teeth in frustration and trying not to listen to the sounds of giant wings beating behind her, she ran her hands over the wall as she hurriedly made her way back into the other direction.
There had to be a door somewhere! They’d made it so far!
We’re meant to be here. And there’s that damn prophecy.
She pounded the crystal with her fists. “Let us in, damn you!”
Behind her, there was the terrifying sound of large claws on rock.
Again she pounded the wall. “Wake up!”
If that fifth dragon was so powerful, why the hell wasn’t he helping them?
Behind her, the dragon roared again. All of a sudden, the lights in the cave seemed to dim.
And then a griffin screeched in pain.
Her head whipped around in horror.
Jared was hovering above her—but there was a cloud of darkness swirling around him. It was drawing tighter and tighter until it almost looked as if he was wearing chains of darkness.
They hurt—she could feel his pain through the bond.