Something had saved her.
She looked out the window to see a gigantic metallic dragon peering into the car. Its bright, jade-green eyes were surrounded by reddish, iron-hued scales that ran in long rows down a long neck onto a huge body with glistening reddish metal wings.
“You okay?” It was Magnus’s voice, only a hundred times louder, as the car rumbled from the sound.
Completely stunned, the best she could muster was a nod.
“See? I told you. Dragon,” he said as he put the car down, using one claw to rip the door off like it was a toy.
He helped her out of it, carefully reaching one long, razor-sharp claw toward her and holding it there so she could use it to cut the ropes on her wrists. Then she took her gag off and looked up at him.
The dragon that could only be Magnus towered over her like a majestic, monstrous metal beast.
Her jaw dropped. He really had been telling the truth.
Not that he’d ever given her any reason to doubt whatsoever. It was just, well. It was the stuff of fairy tales and legends. Yet here he was, standing on all fours, with fangs and a tail and wings and everything.
Her awe was interrupted by an equally huge figure slamming into Magnus at full speed, crashing him into the side of the building as rubble cascaded down the side and dust kicked up in a thick cloud.
As the dust cleared, she could make out what had to be another dragon. It was an eerie mix of bright and dark silver, with steely scales and a long row of sharp spikes standing up from his back. His eyes were dark and soulless.
Lindy ducked behind the car, knowing this fight was out of her hands.
At least she had been able to help Magnus, though. She hoped finally being brave enough to tell him her feelings somehow made up for how she’d left him earlier.
She meant what she’d said. She wouldn’t leave him again.
Magnus the dragon pushed back on the mercury beast and breathed out a wide cone of white-hot fire. She could feel the heat of it as warm air blasted past her.
The slightly smaller mercury dragon ducked to the side, kicking up a thick cloud of dust, obscuring her vision even more, as he lashed out with his long, spiked tail. Magnus blocked it, then head-butted his opponent in the side, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground with a thunderous thud.
The mercury dragon got to his feet, hissing, and Lindy felt terror in her veins as its dark, black eyes trained on her.
She saw its mouth open, and black fire, hideous and corrosive-looking, jetted toward her. She saw Magnus look over, and a second later, all around her, cars and junk and metal flew from their heaps to right in front of her, moving like magnets attracted to their opposite poles, forming a giant wall of metal. A moment later, she heard the black fire connect with the wall, and she saw the metal shield melt and deform at the corners but hold steady.
“Dirty move, Mercury. I’m going to make you pay for that,” Magnus growled, making the earth beneath her tremble at the rumbling sound.
“Where I come from, there’s no fair or unfair. Just winners and losers,” Mercury spat.
Lindy tiptoed to the corner of the melted metal heap and looked, not wanting to put herself in more danger but unable to take her eyes off the two titanic beasts circling each other.
Real dragons.
Without further pause, the two dragons clashed in a horrific melee, breathing fire, slashing with their powerful claws, going for each other’s necks with their long fangs. Lindy couldn’t help but feel worried, until several moments in, she saw a wrecking ball hanging from a huge metal crane move on its own, as if pulled by the same magnetic force that the junk that had moved to protect her did. Not seeing it, the ball crashed into the mercury dragon’s side, knocking him over, as Magnus grabbed its neck and yanked him hard onto the ground with a loud impact.
Then before her eyes, she saw both dragons disappear into glimmering dust as she saw the figures of two men on the ground where the towering giants had once been. The one on top was Magnus.
She rushed up to them, jogging across the yard as the paler man with dark-gray hair struggled weakly, barely conscious, unable to escape.
“Try your disappearing act now!” Magnus said, holding him in one one hand and pummeling him repeatedly in the face with the other until he was unconscious. When she got closer, he looked up, throwing one more punch, then stopping.
There was a metal dumpster nearby, and he dragged Mercury to it and tossed him in, then sealed the metal cover over it carefully so he couldn’t escape.
The minute he was done, Lindy ran over to be in his arms, throwing herself against him, not caring about the dust or the blood.
He held her back, looking over her, jade-green eyes narrowed in concern. When he was satisfied she was fine, he nodded, pulling her in against him and wrapping his strong, comforting arms around her.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said. “I’m sorry I got us into this mess.”
“You didn’t,” he said. “I brought the dragons into your life somehow. I still don’t know why he was taking over Roscoe’s shop or what he did with Roscoe. I don’t even care. That’s for Aegis to figure out.”
“What’s for Aegis to figure out?” a cold voice said from behind them, and they both turned around to see the blond-haired man Lindy had met at the mansion walking toward them, several men behind him.
One she recognized as Citrine, with his silky brown hair and gold eyes, and another she didn’t recognize had short dark hair and eyes like an ocean. The third was the oddest of all. He had a long, blond braid that hung down his back and icy-blue eyes that were fixed on them.
All three were giant.
They stopped in front of her and Magnus, and the one in front with short blond hair and a green tee shirt raised an eyebrow. She thought she remembered his name being Aegis.
“What should I figure out again?” Aegis asked impatiently.
Magnus bit his lip. “Uh…”
“Why Roscoe targeted this shop and what he did with the others, and what’s going on with Mercury’s master plan, I’m guessing,” Citrine said helpfully.
“Are you all right?” the one with the long braid said, stepping forward.
“I’m fine, Titus.”
“We were right there, waiting to see if you needed us,” the one with short, dark hair said.
“Thanks, Liam.”
“Looks like you had it, though,” Liam responded with a grin.
Magnus beamed. “Of course I did. Iron dragon.”
They fist-bumped, and Lindy watched in confusion. “Something human males do to celebrate victories.” Liam clarified for her.
She laughed, putting an arm around Magnus. “Very human indeed.”
“Introduce us to your mate, idiot,” Aegis said impatiently.
“Fine,” Magnus said. “Lindy, this is Aegis, the gem dragon assigned to watch out for us in the modern world, and Citrine, his pet.”
“Excuse me?” Citrine scowled.