“I have to go,” Lila interrupted as the shower shut off. “Draven’s finishing up. We’ll figure out a plan soon, but Nyra? Thank you. For all of this.”
“Just keep him safe, Lila. And yourself.”
The communicator went dark just as Draven’s voice called from the bathroom. “Lila? Is everything alright out there?”
“Fine!” she called back, forcing lightness into her tone. “Just wrapping up.”
She needed air. Fresh air and space to think without Draven’s protective instincts picking up on her emotional turmoil through their bond. The back door of the cabin opened easily, revealing the dense forest that surrounded their hideaway.
How do I tell him that the woman he’s trusted for years orchestrated his parents’ deaths to isolate him? How do I explain that she was planning to poison him after using him for his crown?
The pine-scented air should have been calming, but her mind was racing too fast for nature’s peace to penetrate. She walked toward the tree line, needing the movement to help her think.
We need proof. Solid, undeniable evidence that even the council can’t ignore. And we need to?—
The attack came from behind, fast and brutal. A massive arm wrapped around her throat. She managed one sharp cry before she was yanked backward against a wall of muscle and rage.
“Should have minded your own business, little human,” a voice growled in her ear.
Lila drove her elbow backward as hard as she could, connecting with solid ribs. Her attacker grunted but didn’t release her. Instead, he spun her around and slammed her tothe ground, her back hitting the forest floor with enough force to drive the air from her lungs.
Marvin. She recognized Veyra’s nephew from the council meetings, though she’d never seen him look this feral. His eyes were wild, and his hands were already shifting—fingers elongating into claws.
“Nothing personal,” he said, his voice distorting as his dragon pushed closer to the surface. “But Aunt Veyra needs the king focused on his grief, not cuddling up with his pet therapist.”
Lila scrambled backward, but Marvin was faster. His transformation began in earnest—bones cracking, muscles expanding, skin taking on the telltale shimmer that preceded a shift.
Where is Draven?
She could feel his alarm through their bond, his sudden shift from relaxed contentment to blazing fury. But the cabin was fifty yards away, and Marvin’s dragon was already lifting off the ground with his claws closed around her waist.
EIGHTEEN
DRAVEN
Draven was buttoning his shirt when Lila’s scream tore through the morning air outside. The sound hit him with devastating force, and her raw terror mixed with panic blazed through their mate bond so intensely it nearly drove him to his knees.
Where is Lila?
His dragon roared, fire flooding his veins as he bolted through the cabin and burst through the back door. The sight that greeted him ignited every predatory instinct he possessed. A blue dragon lifted off into the sky, his massive claws wrapped around his mate’s waist.
“Oh, hell no.”
His shift began before his feet left the porch. His bones cracked and reformed, his muscles expanded exponentially, and his consciousness merged with his dragon’s primal fury. Within seconds, his massive obsidian dragon form launched skyward, his wings beating with devastating power as he gave chase.
The blue dragon was fast—younger and more agile—but Draven’s rage fueled him beyond normal limits. Through their strong bond, he felt Lila’s terror transform into fiercedetermination, and pride swelled within him even as murderous intent consumed his thoughts.
That’s my fierce mate. Fight, Lila. I’m coming for you.
The chase led toward the volcanic ridge where a small cabin nestled among the volcanic rocks. As they descended, Draven watched Lila twist in her captor’s grip. She drove her elbow into sensitive spots between the dragon’s claws, making him loosen his hold.
She dropped from the dragon’s grasp, hitting the ground hard enough to make Draven’s heart stop. Even from his aerial position, he could see her favoring her left ankle, but she was alive and moving.
The blue dragon landed and shifted back to human form, revealing Marvin—Veyra’s ambitious nephew whose arrogance had always grated on Draven’s nerves.
“You made a grave mistake, boy,”Draven’s voice thundered telepathically as he circled overhead like a predator sizing up prey.
Marvin’s human form looked up, his expression shifting from cocky confidence to dawning fear. “King Draven! I was just?—”
