Every time Luke’s body jolted from one of their attacks, I hunkered lower, bracing myself against the trembling earth. I couldn’t see anything—not through the grass or the massive shadow he cast over me—until thick globs of blood began falling.
Black blood splattered the ground, landing in heavy drops around me, seeping into the soil.
My stomach lurched.
Tears stung my eyes as dread wrapped around my chest like a noose. He wasn’t fighting them—he’d transformed just to shield me. He could’ve taken them on easily if he’d let me die.
And he was bleeding for it.
A frantic urgency crawled under my skin, making my hands slick with sweat. He couldn’t last forever. The second they broke him enough to knock him unconscious, I was dead.
“Just fucking kill them!” I screamed, my voice cracking under the weight of fury and helplessness. Hot tears slid down my cheeks. The rage that filled me was too much. Uselessness was a wound I couldn’t bear. I wasn’t built to cower—I needed todosomething.
Luke needed a distraction.
I started crawling forward—but a massive paw slammed down, blocking my path.
Don’t you dare.
The command rumbled through my skull—his voice, low and lethal, inside my head.
My chin trembled as I held back the sob caught in my throat. I wiped my face roughly and pressed my forehead to the warm grass.
I’d never doubted he was my marked mate. But now…Ifeltit in my bones.
Be patient.
They’ll give me an opening.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I muttered, voice shaky but stubborn.
Then Ifeltit—in the next breath.
The sweet, wondrous return of my power.
But relief never came. Rage slammed into me like an avalanche.
Ifaded, reappearing in the air directly above Harvest. He sensed me instantly—but I was faster. My blade materialized as I dropped onto his back and drove it into his neck until only the hilt remained.
Harvest roared.
Hmm, I thought his hide was impenetrable. Apparently, scales were no match for a furious woman.
He thrashed mid-air, claws swiping at me. Luke’s wings burst open as he leapt skyward, but I was already gripping the hilt. Twisting the blade deeper. Then I ripped it free—only to stab again.
“I thought my siblings said you and your dragons had thick hides,” I hissed. My voice was pure malice. “You lost your chance to kill me again.”
With a deep dive, Harvest flung me from his back.
I faded—and reappeared beneath him, slamming my sword into his underbelly. He screamed. His claws caught me, tearing at my face before he flung me aside like a rag doll.
Stunned, I couldn’t fade. Before I hit the ground, Luke caught me in his talons, his massive wings buffeting the air. I blinked past the pain in time to see Nadine soar toward Harvest. The second she reached him, they winked out of existence above us.
The fury was like a thunderclap.
He got away.Again.
We could’ve had him. I could’ve taken his head clean off andkept it off,stopped the regeneration before it started. I knew it was possible. His neck was torn to shreds.
