Exton

Stoney tells the dragon that time is running out. Alise is losing strength and the water is sapping what little she has left. The dragon nods once and focuses on the water below. It lets out a shriek, startling animals on the ground. A chorus of sound calls back. Their shifters are closing in on a small stretch of stream from all angles.

Hold on mon amor. We are coming. Stay very still, conserve your strength. Open your mind to me. Let me see what you can see.

He can see the water, the gnarled roots of the tree where she is hunkered. There is a flash of green in the water, a ripple that is suddenly moving back upstream and closer to the opposite shore. Across the stream, Jean-Marc searches the ground for any sign of her. He edges closer to the edge of the water, rearing back at the last second as fangs snap centimeters from his snout. The snake is under the water and out of reach before Jean-Marc can retaliate.

We are close mon Chaton. Raina's Viper will not let him in the water, and it is too wide for him to jump. Je'taime, Alli... I am here!

There is a roar from above and two very angry creatures dive through the trees at Jean-Marc.