Eddie dropped down through the car park’s levels and leapt to the debris-strewn ground. The new attacker had drawn the Nephilim away from him. There was only one person it could be: Nina. Her Atlantean DNA had apparently powered up more than the UFO.

He hurried into the park to see the warriors climbing on to the fortress. No sign of Nina. Hopefully she was being sensible and hiding rather than running towards the fray looking for him—

‘Yeah, right,’ he muttered, knowing full well she would be doing the latter.

The last Nephilim clambered onto the fortress’s hull, and it started to rise. The air trembled with the sheer energy flowing through it.

Eddie hurriedly brought up the launcher, but his firing angle through the broken window was already shrinking. He prepared to take the shot anyway. It was his last chance to bring the bastards down—

Something unexpected held his finger off the trigger.

Metal tore with an echoing screech. A large section of the lower hull broke loose from beneath the fortress’s nose, torn armour plates dangling from buckled beams.

An unearthly light shone within the gaping wound. As the dragon rose higher, Eddie saw its source: a large pearl-like crystal set into its chin.

He didn’t know what it did. But the armour had been there to protect it, so he knew what it was – his new target.

‘Eat this, Smaug!’ he yelled as he fixed the launcher’s sights on the shining jewel – and fired.

The rocket shot from the tube, a small launch charge propelling it a few metres clear before the main booster ignited and blasted it onwards. It took only a split second to reach its target. The warhead’s first stage detonated, punching through the crystal’s skin – then the second, larger explosive charge exploded inside it.

The glowing sphere blew apart.

Jagged shards rained from the fortress, their glow fading as they fell. The light in the surviving crystals within the dragon’s chin also flickered, then diminished. The hovering behemoth nevertheless kept climbing . . .

For a moment.

Then it wavered, losing height—

Heading for Eddie.

‘Fuckeration!’ he yelled, throwing down the empty launcher and running like hell. The fortress swept after him. The edge of its hull clipped the ruined car park – and smashed through the concrete as if it was cardboard.

Debris bombarded the park as the dragon swept overhead, trailing dust. Eddie dodged a hunk of slab tumbling past—

Another lump slammed into his back, knocking him down.

He bowled over the grass as more pieces fell around him. Dizzied, he looked up – to see a section of support pillar as big as a phone booth rushing at him—

Someone grabbed him.