“My beauty,” he said, and meant it. She was glorious, and she was his. His heart swelled with an intensity he’d never thought possible. There was no desperation, no fear that this would end because she was human. Piper was one of his kindnow.
Piper gave another snort, then lifted her head to stare at something over his shoulder. He turned to follow her gaze. The distant sight of a retreating SUV made him suddenly grin as he looked back atPiper.
“What do you say? Are you ready to fly?” He stepped back and stripped out of his clothes, his dragon rushing to the surface as hetransformed.
* * *
Piper staredat the dark green dragon. He was beautiful, and she knew him. He was hers. Her dragon wanted to dance and nuzzle against him. But the sight of the car—Mikhail’s car—driving away grabbed her attention. That car needed to bestopped.
Her mate nudged her shoulder with his snout, urging her to follow. He took a running start and leaped skyward, his wings flapping hard enough to create a small windstorm. Piper ignored the flutter of nerves at thinking this was her first flight; even her dragon was nervous. It had been asleep for so long. But she did exactly what she’d seen Mikhail do. There was a second of gut-wrenching panic when she lifted into the air, and then she was shooting even higher, her wings catching the wind, and she wasflying.
Their wings pulled them forward through the night air like twin bolts of lightning, until they were alongside the retreating vehicle. Mikhail angled his wings, making a sharp turn back toward land, and she copied him. They flew toward the car, and Piper flew ahead of her mate, drawing her mouth open. Fire exploded from her jaws as she swooped in front of the SUV. The car skidded to a halt, dust mixing with the flames she released. The pair landed on either side of the vehicle and watched closely as the man in the car stumbledout.
“No!” Conrad shouted, his arms already beginning to bulge. “It’s not possible! I killedyou!”
Piper sensed the coming transformation. Fury took over. Her tail lashed out like a whip and slashed him across the chest, sending him crashing into a large rock fifty feet away. He didn’t move. The scent of blood reached her nostrils, and she hissed, satisfied byit.
Piper prowled up to Conrad, nudging his body with one clawed front foot. The wound to his abdomen was deep. He still didn’t stir, and there was no heartbeat. His neck lay at an impossible angle, limp as a ragdoll. She turned to look at her mate andfroze.
On the horizon, silhouetted against the setting sun, were more dragons. She tensed and made a low growl. Mikhail also noticed them and put his body in front of hers as they waited for the others to land. There were six of them, all deep red incolor.
There was a long moment of silence. The new dragons stared hard at Mikhail and Piper. Then they started to shift. Piper cocked her head, amused at the parade of naked men who now bent over to open small duffel bags of clothes that had been roped to their back legs. She saw no threat from these men, especially not while they were in humanform.
Next, Mikhail transformed back to his human form, and she grew nervous. Wanting to protect him should the others try to harm him, she started to push him back with her front foot, but he shushed her and patted her neck. Then he caught something one of the men tossed to him, and he started todress.
“We were afraid we wouldn’t reach you in time. My father knew Sinclair from the old days and said he was one nasty dragon to battle with. We thought you may need additional assistance,” one of the men said. “But it seems you handled the situation on yourown.”
The dragon part of her didn’t recognize the man, but the human certainly did. Randolph Belishaw. Had he brought theothers?
“We’re fine. How did you even know we needed help?” Mikhail replied, embracing the otherman.
“I was afraid you didn’t get my message. It’s my fault Conrad found you. The bastard drugged me and got it out of me. He had some serum that kept mefrom—”
“Transforming? He used that on me too,” Mikhailgrowled.
“But…you were in dragon form just now.How?”
“It’s a longstory.”
Belishaw looked at Conrad’s corpse with a scowl. “It seems we missed out on the pleasure of ripping him topieces.”
“I’m afraid my mate was quite upset with him. The bastard didn’t stand a chance.” Rather than showing horror at her actions, Mikhail soundedproud.
“Thisis Piper?” Belishaw stared at her, eyes wide. “How is thatpossible?”
“I promise to explain it all to you overdrinks.”
“And I look forward to hearing it. You’ve found quite a mate, Mikhail. I envy you.” Belishaw approached Piper, but she sensed he was teasing her by the way his eyes glinted. He knew who she was, but she couldn’t get her dragon to calm down, not after her first transformation. Not after her first kill. The beast was edgy and still full ofenergy.
Mikhail chuckled and stroked her frill, which lay flat back against her neck. She shivered in pleasure at the ticklingsensation.
“Come now, little dove. It’s safe. Come back to me.” He continued to run his hands down the edges of the sensitive frill. Her nerves and fears evaporated. Before she could stop herself, her body was changing. Suddenly she was being held in Mikhail’sarms.
“Anyone have a spare set of clothes?” heasked.
The men around them chuckled, and Piper flinched. She was completelynaked.
“Here.” Belishaw threw a long black peacoat to them, and Mikhail helped her into it. She shivered, but she wasn’t as cold as she expected tobe.
