The floor quaked beneath her as its bulk slammed down, massive talons digging into the wooden floorboards like razors through silk. Smoke and dust billowed outward, swallowing the dim light, filling the air with the sharp scent of burning wood and charred stone.
And in the center of it all, a dragon. Massive. Living, breathing scarlet fury.
Not just a dragon.
Vector?
Raven’s breath hitched as the monstrous creature lifted its massive head, serpentine neck arching, molten emerald eyes scanning the room.
He was colossal. A beast. A true monster of legend, just as the men had tried to tell her.
Wings still partially unfurled, their massive span blocking the moonlight spilling through the gaping hole where thewindow used to be. His scales were a stunningly beautiful array of scarlet, ruby and dark blood red, glossy and perfect in some places, slashed and battle-worn in others. The long, sinuous tail whipped once, knocking a chair across the room as he exhaled, sending out a low, guttural snarl that vibrated in her bones.
Smoke curled from his nostrils.
The two Guild operatives went dead silent.
For one breathless moment, the only sound in the room was the crackling of fire somewhere outside, the distant shouts of dying men in the fog.
The dragon’s emerald eyes locked onto her.
And Raven knew.
It was him.
It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t possible.
But those were Vector’s eyes.
And that was Vector’s snarl of raw, untamed fury—because he wasn’t looking at her like she was prey.
He was looking at her like she was his world.
Like she was his.
Her breath came in short, ragged gasps. Her pulse pounded in her ears.
The Guild operatives moved.
The dragon turned on them.
Raven flinched, instincts screaming run, hide, survive—but she couldn’t move, could only watch in stunned horror as the massive, obsidian-scaled beast unleashed hell.
One of the men scrambled for his weapon. “Shit.”
The dragon exhaled.
A column of red fire engulfed them.
The entire room lit up with the fury of it, magical flames pouring over their bodies, their screams barely lasting a second before they were reduced to nothing.
The fire raged, licking at the walls, at the ceiling, before Vector cut it off with a snap of his jaws. The heat disappeared as fast as it had come, leaving nothing behind but blackened, unrecognizable ash.
Silence.
Raven’s hands shook.
Her pulse hammered.
