The three people I love in danger.
Panic clawed at her throat, but then her training kicked in.
Assess. Prioritize. Act.
“Draven!” she shouted, pointing at Corin.
But before her king could turn, the sharp crack of a gunshot split the air. Corin screamed, clutching his leg as blood bloomed across his pants. A second shot shattered his gun hand, sending the weapon skittering across the stones.
Gerri stood twenty feet away, a smoking pistol in her perfectly manicured hands and murderous fury in her blue-gold eyes.
“Nobody threatens my clients,” the matchmaker said with deadly calm.
Draven moved like lightning, scooping up Corin’s fallen weapon and training it on the wounded man. “Stay down,” he growled.
Lila tilted her head back, watching in horror as her family dangled from dragon claws high above the ceremony. Her mother’s terrified face was visible even from this distance.
I won’t lose them. Not today. Not ever.
Together, Draven said through their telepathic link, his mental voice fierce with alpha determination.We shift together. I’ll take Marvin—you handle Veyra.
Let’s end this.
The transformation hit her like wildfire in her veins. Bones cracked and reformed, muscles expanded, and scales erupted across her skin in waves of crimson power. Within seconds, her dragon launched skyward on powerful wings.
Draven’s obsidian dragon rose beside her, a force of nature wrapped in midnight scales and golden flame.
His massive form barreled toward Marvin with strategic precision, using his superior size and experience to outmaneuver the younger dragon. Marvin twisted desperately in the air, trying to maintain his grip on Liam while defending against Draven’s relentless assault.
A powerful blow from Draven’s wing sent Marvin tumbling, his claws loosening just enough for Liam to break free andplummet toward the ground. Jarek’s blue dragon appeared from nowhere, catching her brother mid-fall and spiraling down to safety.
One saved. Now for Mom.
Lila banked hard, her crimson wings catching the thermal currents as she closed the distance to Veyra. The emerald dragon was larger and more experienced, but fury gave Lila speed and desperate cunning.
She dove low, then shot upward, her claws finding purchase on Veyra’s sensitive tail. The emerald dragon shrieked in pain and surprise, her grip on Lila’s mother loosening.
Lila struck again, this time managing to grab her mother from Veyra’s claws. She spiraled downward in a controlled dive, depositing her safely in Gerri’s waiting arms before wheeling back toward the sky.
Veyra’s telepathic voice was a snarl of rage.You little bitch! I’ll tear you apart piece by piece!
The emerald dragon dove at her with the fury of someone who’d spent eighteen years plotting revenge, only to watch it crumble in a single morning. Claws raked across Lila’s flanks, drawing lines of fire across her scales.
She’s stronger. More experienced. I’m going to lose.
Veyra’s next attack sent Lila tumbling through the air, her wings struggling to find the air currents. Pain lanced through her shoulder where emerald claws had found their mark moments ago.
I’m not strong enough.
But then Draven’s obsidian form slammed into Veyra like a battering ram, his roar of protective rage echoing across the sky. The force of his attack sent the emerald dragon spinning, her surprised shriek cutting through the air.
Nobody threatens my mate.His telepathic voice was pure alpha dominance, eighteen years of patience finally snapping.Nobody.
What followed wasn’t a battle—it was an execution. Draven’s dragon moved with the lethal precision of a king who’d finally had enough. His claws found Veyra’s throat, his fangs sank deep, and his fire burned hotter than anything Lila had ever felt through their bond.
Veyra’s struggles grew weaker, then stopped altogether. Her emerald form went limp in Draven’s grip before plummeting toward the volcanic ridges below.
It’s over. Finally, it’s over.
