The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate-Chapter 73: The Tongue Was WHAT the Fuck

"Are you alright?" Dex asked, voice different than his own.

He moved towards Serena, who was still on her knees panting from the lightning that just cracked through her magic.

"I’m fine," she answered, not looking at him, pushing herself up. Her insides were still burning and she was not ’fine’ in the slightest.

Dex was inches from her now, and clearly was about to pull her into his arms.

This was hard. Did she want him to hug her? She did. Fuck.

A water dragon dropped from the clouds, directly behind them, saving her from whatever terrible decision her concussed brain was about to make.

He looked up just as its mouth opened.

"Halt," he called. It froze along with the two storm dragons still on their right and left, who evidently needed reminding.

Lightning, hail, and rain were blowing horizontal. The weather was unquestionably getting worse as time went on.

Serena ran and jumped onto closest storm dragon.

It roared immediately in defiance.

Why would anything go smoothly today?

She fell to her hands and knees, attempting to shove gold magic into it. But it was considerably denser than the other ones. Her insides seared hot, trying to reach it with her magic.

Dex: Channel ice with it, Serena.

As soon as she had ice, it started jerking, swerving, and doing everything it could to flick her off of it. She pushed her magic into it not gently. Zero fucks were given at this point.

She slid down its side, catching herself with one hand on its spike.

Dex and Velkaris moved to catch her.

Lightning from the clouds came straight at her. She screamed, rolling to the side to avoid being hit.

Electricity zapped the storm dragon instead, inches from her face.

It roared in anger trying even harder to buck her off.

"I didn’t do that! You did," she snapped annoyed.

The dragon’s opinion on fault remained the same.

Two water dragons approached them. Both probably trying to kill her. She gladly swung herself onto one.

A cakewalk in comparison.

As soon as she landed, she surged gold magic into it.

The rain and sleet were so dense she couldn’t see anything.

Serena: Water dragon’s ready. I need immediate cover.

Dex: No visual.

Hale: No visual for us either.

She was bucked off before the others had a chance to respond. Her scream bled through the mindlink.

Just as she was about to make a parachute for herself, she landed on something with a thud. She coughed, pushing herself upright, only to see she was on a storm dragon.

To her horror, its rider was there too.

Of course. Today just kept getting better.

The rider snapped his head in her direction. His black eyes were in the shape of an insect’s. He stood slowly, double blades forming in his hands with black flame at the end of each.

Instincts kicking in, a gold sword formed in her hand with flame at the end.

The issue with killing this fae was the blast.

He tilted his head watching her, then gave a smile. A black, split tongue rippled out of his mouth like a serpent’s, smelling the air.

The sight was so disturbing, Serena screamed before she could stop herself.

Holy shit. Nope. No. Absolutely the fuck not.

On the ground, Fin Shadowclaw went rigid. He could feel her fear, her adrenaline, spiking through their matebond.

His eyes shot to Hyran, flashing gold.

"Something has her trapped," he ground out. "I think one of the riders."

Another wave of her fear hit him. Fin pushed Xeon down again. There was nothing he could do. Whatsoever. And it was absolutely killing him.

Above, the dark fae lunged. She deflected his first sword and twisted out of the way of his second.

Serena fabricated multiple orbs in succession around him, but he walked straight through. It was as if her magic didn’t affect him.

Cool. Cool cool cool. Magic-immune nightmare creature. Perfect.

At that time, King Tiberon’s mindlink came through.

King Tiberon: Status.

The storm dragon roared under her.

Serena: Thrown off water dragon onto hostile storm dragon with rider. Cannot disengage without pursuit. Attempted orb containment. Target is walking through my magic like air.

King Tiberon: Any unit have visual?

The dark fae was trying to slice her in half, coming at her in unnatural jerk motions, slicing the air where she had just been.

She fired rapid fireballs at it, attempting to knock it off the dragon.

They hit. But to her horror, she saw white light come out of its chest before it was fully blasted off.

Her scream bled through the mindlink, then cut off abruptly.

Every bracelet vibrated.

She was thrown into the underground chamber of the library.

Not hitting any rune nicely like the others. No. Physically thrown fifty feet, twisting and turning in the air.

She skidded across the lake a few times before landing. Broken rib, wind knocked out of her, lip busted.

Her eyes stayed shut for a moment underwater, disoriented. She was unaware of the light that flared behind her when she entered or the mini shockwave that rippled in the underground chamber, blasting everyone.

All cuffs continued vibrating. She didn’t notice.

A portal tore open. Fin ran through with King Tiberon, Aeron, and Hyran.

At the same moment, Gav, Silas, Edward, and Lunaris were transported, cuffs activated. They were thrown clear of the rune circle, their bodies flying through the air and skidding atop the lake.

Same force. Slight delay. Worse angle.

Everyone who’d already been hit by Serena’s blast got hit again.

The shockwave slammed through muscle and bone. Heads were snapped back, breath ripped from lungs, skin split where the impact hit directly, ears ringing, noses bleeding.

The world reduced to pressure and noise and the sharp taste of copper.

Hale came through a heartbeat later. The blast threw him like a 6’7 cannonball through the air, hitting the lake on top of Serena, who’d already sunk 10 feet below the surface.

Fin didn’t think, sprinting in a blur into the lake. He dove, finding Serena underwater. He grabbed her, pulling her up to the surface.

She opened her eyes.

He flipped Silas, Lunaris, Edward, and Gav over on their backs and dove under, grabbing Hale next, pulling him to the surface.

King Tiberon had just entered into the lake with Hyran and Alaric. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

All sworn to protect Serena on blood oath, and blood oath instincts activating.

Then the strangest thing happened.

King Tiberon felt his bruises on his ribs fade.

He looked down and saw the water had turned liquid gold. He remembered Serena had done that when she and Dex jumped in here the first time.

His head, that had been pounding nonstop, finally stopped hurting.

Fin realized the water was gold at the same moment. He saw Hale’s busted cheek heal in real time, and Hale opened his eyes groggily.

The ringing Fin had in his ears and bruises from the blast faded before he got back to Serena.

Her pain through their matebond started fading as well.

Fin’s arms went under her, pulling her to him, while she lay on her back. He watched her busted lip heal in real time.

Serena knew he was wondering why the water was gold. She grinned, wincing slightly, but couldn’t help it at the look on his face.

"Water sometimes does this when I swim," she answered his unspoken question.

"Why am I not surprised by that?" He shook his head and grinned. He was wrecked with worry but also had the urge to kiss her. Probably not the time or place.

"Well, that went about as bad as it possibly could have," Gav remarked, floating on his back and looking up at the ceiling.

Serena wanted to laugh at that but was still slightly delayed.

The healers hit with the blast seemed to have gotten the memo, because none of them hesitated entering the lake. Slow at first, then most of them just dunked themselves fully in. Their ears wouldn’t stop ringing.

King Tiberon: Serena, Hale, Silas, Gav, Lunaris, Edward transported via cuffs. Status update.

Dex: Velkaris recovered. Kronk and Solara injured.

Taren: Recovered. One broken rib. Zenith injured.

King Tiberon: Kronk, Solara, Zenith, land immediately. Healing teams standing by.

Dex: Sending 1 water and 1 storm dragon to land. 1 hostile rider remaining on storm dragon. 1 water dragon riderless and unsecured.

Serena went under all the way, feeling her headache go away and pressure in her ears dissipate.

She could hear the mindlinks and already knew where this was headed.

She surfaced a moment later and looked toward King Tiberon, ready for orders.

He met her gaze, seeming to be weighing the best course of action.

The calculus was brutal.

The last fae had to be taken. Serena was the only one who could guarantee the shot on the first try, and none of them were willing to risk dark-touched enemy dragons this close to Drakenfell.

Fin was not pleased.

Not with the plan, not with the way she had been pushed forward again and again, not with how casually the risk to her had been accepted.

He wanted to take her home, back to his castle, away from the madness and the sky and the blood. His protective instincts were in full force.

The problem was jurisdiction. He did not have it. Not here.

King Tiberon along with everyone else didn’t like it either. No one said it out loud because they understood there was no other choice.

Serena made her way back toward the shore, water heavy around her legs. Fin was immediately at her back, close enough to steady her if she faltered.

When she stepped out of the lake, the gold left with her.

Instantly, everyone who had been floating in it felt the warmth fade. Groans followed as weight and pain returned all at once. They began pulling themselves toward land.

Aeron stepped forward without a word, touching Serena first, then Fin. Water vanished from their clothes and hair in a rush of warm air. He turned and did the same for King Tiberon.

Only then did Serena let herself breathe. She was fairly certain Aeron had just dried her off before two kings.

All she wanted, suddenly and intensely, was a nap. Preferably one that lasted three days and didn’t involve anyone trying to kill her.

Hyran made a portal. On the other side, lightning flashed and rain roared.

Serena stepped through.