I'm flying high above Manhattan and it's weird. Rowan holds on tight to my back, he's not scared at all. Me? I'm terrified.

Do you see anything up there?

In my head I hear him respond back, nothing yet, keep flying.

Relief floods over me at the sound of his voice. What will happen with Rowan and I after? Can his kind be with a dragon? Will I be able to change into a human once this battle is over and I save my kind? Or will I leave this world behind? So many questions. The biggest one being, will we survive?

Portal!

I look ahead at a large orange opening in the sky. Swirls or gold circle around the center. The wind picks up as we get closer.

You okay?

I yell up at him.

Yes, keep going.

There's an uneasy tone in his voice, and I worry that if I go through the portal I'll lose him.

I'm scared.

I think that's the first time I've admitted it outloud. The wind picks up and it's like I have no control over my wings anymore.

You're strong Seraphine, stronger than you know. I sense you'll do great things.

What will happen when this is over? What happens to you?

He's quiet for a moment, but through our connection I hear him laugh.

You can't get rid of me that easily.

I wish we had more time and I hate the feeling brewing in the bit of my stomach - like maybe it's the end. A whirling white wind wraps around me and tugs like a lasso hooking around it's target. Pain ripples through my body, like someone is tugging at my skin. I hear Rowan yell out. I wish I could grab a hold of him, but I can't reach.

His screams are ear piercing and I can't tell if he's still holding on, but I pray that he is. I try to call his name over the noise, but I don't get a response, it's like a lost connection.

Below me the green grass is starting to come into view. The moment I free fall towards the ground I call for him again, and get nothing. I expand my wings and my whole body lifts back up until I can steady myself.

Rowan.

The silence slices through me like a knife. I continue to fly looking all over for him. If he's not on my back where did he go? In the distance is an orange glow in the same spot as it always was.

Rowan.

My throat closes up. I worry about him, but I don't have time to cry, because a shadow suddenly looms over me. It's much bigger than myself and covers a large part of the land in darkness.

Hello Seraphine.

I hate how familiar the voice is. I can't believe my best friend is the one person I'm supposed to destroy. I have to face this head on. If I don't, my whole race could be wiped out. She swoops down and I'm taken back by how she looks. Her half human half dragon face scares me the most. I'm so caught up in her face I don't realize she's about to strike. Her tail whips around and knocks me into a mountain. Pain rips through me. I steady myself and stare back into her glowing demonic eyes. I attempt to blow fire at her, but she holds up her wing and races towards me. Her head collides into me and I go right back into the mountains. Rocks crumble down towards the earth.

Why are you doing this Hailey? I thought we were friends.

Doing what Seraphine? Hailey was never real. She was made up.

I'm angry when I hear her voice. She's right, it's not the same Hailey I knew all of it was a lie. The angrier I get the more I want to win.

I'm about to attack when a huge black dragon flies over. His face is like Hailey's, human and dragon combined. It's her father. I swoop down to the ground and stand on my back legs. I let out a huge burst of fire. The two of them get caught in it, but fly down towards me. I get knocked twice in the head with their tails. I shake it off and fly back up. With their backs turned I whip my tail knocking both of them out of the sky.

Now that they are on the ground I blow fire and Hailey's wing catches. She screeches so loud that it hurts my ear. Out of nowhere talons dig into my scales and I roar out in pain. Her father drags me back, his talons embedded deep into me. Hailey's tail knocks in my head and I'm seeing stars. That can't be good. I'm falling to the ground so fast, it's like an out of control ride.

A roar below catches my attention, but my head is too heavy to lift. Something shifts under me and when I hit the ground it's a soft landing. Underneath me is a white dragon.

Silas.

He groans under my weight and that wakes me up enough to roll off. He's hurt, his wing is bent in some weird way. I cry out loud allowing fire to come out and point it towards the two that are headed in my way.

Seraphine!

I'm relieved to hear Rowan. He peeks his head out from behind two boulders. He looks awful. He's got cuts all over his body. His clothing is torn to shreds and his body is dirty. He limps towards me holding something in his hands. The glistening sunlight shines on it and I realize he has the quartz. I start for him just as the two of them swoop in both digging a talon in. I whip my tail, knocking Hailey out of the sky.

Her father backs away too and I rush for Rowan. I grab the quartz in my talons. It heats up like it's on fire, just like it did that day in my room. I start to spin when her father comes over swooping in over Rowan. He digs his talons deep into Rowan's skin. The piercing scream that comes from Rowan's mouth is enough to send me into a frenze.

LET HIM GO!!!!

I roar so loud that the entire ground quakes from the volume. Her father is unsteady in the sky as he drops Rowan. I scream his name and rush for him as he falls to the ground. Before I reach him a white light bursts out and Rowan disappears. I want to cry. I have no idea what just happened. I don't have time to show weakness, I have two dragons to destroy.

The quartz continues to heat up and as much as I want to drop it I don't. I keep having to duck because they keep flying over low, circling me. The quartz starts to melt in my claws and my entire body is on fire. Red creeps up my scaly arms and all over my entire dragon body. It's like I'm a giant fireball. I roar out in pain as I flap my fiery wings up into the sky towards them.

Hailey and her father look at each other like they have no idea what to do now. I suck in a deep breath as I fly towards them. As I scream a stream of what looks more like lava starts coming from my mouth. It hits her father directly and he goes down first. Hailey moves out of the way and up. She doesn't care that her father just fell hundreds of feet to the ground. A puff of dirt surrounds him as he hits the ground. When I'm sure he's done for I head right for her. Hailey is fast, it's like she never forgot how to fly even from being in her human body all those years.

She comes around and hits me with her tail so hard I start to free fall. I may be falling, but she wasn't expecting my body to literally be on fire. Her tail starts burning and she's trying so hard to blow it out, but she can't. Now is the time to strike. I watch her plummet to the ground, part of me wants to save her, but I have to remind myself; this is not the girl I knew and if I don't do this we're all doomed. The minute I breathe out the lava comes shooting out and hits her directly. As she falls her body starts to disintegrate from the heat of the lava. She screeches so loud that it hurts my ears, but I don't stop. I can't stop, because the moment I do I just know she'll bounce back. Parts of her start to disappear until Hailey is no more. Her ashes fall to the ground.

My whole body is shaking and I think I might just pass out. My head spins and just like it did during my first kiss with Rowan. Swirls of orange and red float around me. The further I fall towards the ground the faster I spin. Stars blink in my vision and I'm finding it hard to hold on. If this is death I welcome it knowing my kind will be safe. I'm so close to the ground, so close to being done. Darkness takes over and I feel like I'm about to crash. My life is so close to ending, but not before a familiar voice echoes in my head.

I got you. You're safe. Stay with me Seraphine.....