Cassie gaped at her friend. “What are you talking about? Manu and I are friends.” Her gaze sought out the fallen dragon. “Is that Hone? Watch out!” she screamed.
The jade dragon swiveled its head, big glowing jade stare turned in her direction. They blazedwith fury. The creature landed gracefully and prowled toward her, tail swishing in rapid beats.
Cassie backed up rapidly. Run.Run!She turned to flee and flames rushed past her, near enough for the heat to sear her skin. The grass and a tree danced with sparks.
A black dragon landed. Fingers grasped the waistband of her trousers.
“Cassie.” Jack shoved her behind him. Emma stood at his side and both of them fired at the jade dragon.
“Stand. Out. Of. The. Way.” The jade dragon roared. “Give. Her. To. Me.”
Emma and Jack kept shooting. Bang. Bang.Bang.
The jade dragon screamed and tossed its head. Blood splattered to the ground, but the beast didn’t hesitate. It smirked, long, sharp teeth protruding from its jaws. Cassie couldn’t rip her horrified gaze away. Scary beautiful. The beast snorted, drew in a deep gust of air.
“Don’t do this, June. Don’t hurt Jack. I love him, and this will be murder,” Emma shouted.
“Move. Away.” The whispery words emerged separately. Menacing. Determined.
Jack fired, shooting high to miss. Cassie thought it was a warning. “No, June. You’ll have to kill us to get to Cassie.”
Cassie gasped. This was because of her. What had she done? Wait. They’d said June was angry. She hadn’t realized the depths of the woman’s fury.
The dragon sucked in a huge breath. Smoke curled from her nostrils. The surrounding air sizzled as flames shot to their right.
Oh, god. This dragon—June—was sending her own warning.
“We’re not moving,” Jack shouted.
Tension radiated off Emma.
The hostility emanating from Jack went off the charts. “Fire,” he shouted.
Cassie flinched. Unable to help herself, she peered past Jack’s shoulder. One by one, the dragons landed behind June. Two of the black dragons muscled another away. Angry snarls filled the air.
June, the jade dragon, sucked in another breath. “Last. Chance.”
Fear paralyzed her, and Cassie couldn’t move. The red dragon struggled to its feet and staggered closer, but the black one turned its head and snarled ferociously. Without warning, light glowed around his shadowy body and a very naked Manu stood in the dragon’s place brandishing a sword.
Cassie clapped a hand over her mouth. Jack and Emma didn’t budge, holding their united front.
“Don’t do this, Ma. Cassie didn’t do anything wrong.”
June—Cassie had accepted this was June—dragged in more air. Smoke whooshed from her nostrils and she let rip with flames.
