And without him, I’ve been slowly falling apart.
Dying.
More Aurora dragons join the fight. I recognize some—the massive bronze form has to be Dorian. The slightly larger gold-tipped dragon fighting alongside him must be Caleb.
Together, they’re unstoppable.
The Syndicate forces realize it, too. Some try to flee. Others drop weapons and surrender.
Within minutes, it’s over.
Operatives on their knees, hands behind their heads. The facility secured. Fires burning but controlled.
Victory.
K stands in the center of it all, still partially shifted. Scales covering his torso and arms, shoulders impossibly wide. Breathing hard. Surveying the aftermath with those burning gold eyes.
Then he turns.
Looks directly at where I’ve stepped into the shadows, out of sight. At least, I thought I was.
He can feel me watching.
He starts toward me.
My pulse races as I watch him approach. Each step brings him closer. Each step makes the ache in my chest ease further.
The scales recede as he moves. By the time he’s standing in front of me, he’s mostly human again. Just hints of gold shimmering beneath his skin. Eyes still burning with power barely contained.
He stops. Close enough to touch. Close enough that his heat wraps around me. Familiar. Soothing.
“You came back,” he says. Voice rough. Deeper than usual.
“Of course I did.”
His hand lifts. Hesitates. Then cups my face with fingers still streaked with ash and blood.
I lean into the touch. Can’t help it.
“You should not be here,” he says quietly. “I told you to stay safe. To—”
“Yeah, well. I’m terrible at following orders.”
Something that might be a smile flickers across his face.
Then his expression shifts. “You are hurt. I feel it. The bond—it has been failing. Because I was not there to—”
“I’m okay now.” I press my hand over his, where it rests against my cheek. “You’re here. I feel better.”
“You should not have had to suffer because they took me.”
“You shouldn’t have been taken because you were protecting me.”
We stare at each other. Both guilty. Both relieved. Both completely unsure what happens next.
His thumb brushes my cheek. “Mara, I—”
Massive forms land behind him.
