JAXON'S POV
I was stuck with no way out.
That's when I heard a voice in my head. Not Mom this time. Someone else.
"Jaxon, can you hear me?"
It was Aria. Somehow, she was reaching me through the pack bond.
"Aria?" I said out loud, avoiding a child's claws. "How are you doing this?"
"I'm using Luna power," she said in my mind. "But I can't hold the relationship long. Listen deeply. The children aren't really possessed. They're drugged."
"What?"
"The Shadow Lord is using a poison that makes them think they picked this. But their real selves are still there, locked away. You have to burn the poison out of their bodies."
"But that could kill them!"
"It's the only way to save them. Trust me."
I looked at the blonde girl who was trying to bite my arm. Deep in her yellow eyes, I could see a spark of the real kid, begging for help.
I made my choice.
I gathered all my dragon fire and prepared to do something that would either save twelve children or kill them.
