Tyson was here. Joy surged through me, and I lifted my head to search for him, not that I needed to. The massive dragon dominated the space, the pillars like toothpicks beside him.
I wanted to shout,Dragon! I’m here!But I decided to surprise him.
He hadn’t seen me yet, his back turned. No one else noticed me either; the dragon held every eye in the room. They all knelt before him. That was good, right? That meant Killian and Tyson had seized control.
I took the moment to revel in the sight of my dragon mate. His sapphire scales glinted, lightning trapped beneath the surface. Along the edges of his massive wings, flames danced, like he’d been too impatient to cool down after roasting whoever pissed him off.
Then I couldn’t hold back any longer.
I shot toward him in a blur, my speed even greater than before. I no longer had Sy to boost my strength, but my goddess power had surged to its peak after multiple rebirths in Hell’s inferno.
Twenty feet. Ten. Five?—
The dragon’s tail swept across the floor. It nearly took me out. I leapt over it, only for him to swing again. This time, I grabbed on and held tight, using my goddess strength to anchor myself.
He stilled, then roared in fury.WHO DARES?
Normally, he’d have sensed me or caught my scent, but the room was too thick with blood and fear.
“Seize the girl! She’s attacking our dragon king!” someone shouted.
“No one touches our king’s mate!” Cassius barked back.
Rock moved swiftly with Archer and a handful of loyal warriors, forming a protective ring around me.
The dragon swung his head toward me, fire swirling around his snout. His molten gold eyes locked on mine before blinking hard, as if he couldn’t believe what he saw. The mating mark—two golden half-circles that pulsed on my wrist as well—glowed brightly on his left temple.
“I dare!” I grinned, releasing his tail. “Hello, hello, Tyson!” Then I peered deeper, meeting the fierce gaze of the chaos heir burning through his dragon’s eyes. “Hello to you too, Killian.”
Mate!Tyson’s joy thundered through our bond, primal and absolute.Mine. Here. Safe.
“She can’t be our new king’s mate!” Whispers rippled through the hall from a cluster of silk-clad courtiers.
“She doesn’t look the part.”
“She’s rather…short,” sniffed a noblewoman.
“That’s the same creature who derailed the murder trial! Who attacked our queen!”
Oh, good. My fan club still remembered me. Maybe it was the bouncing gold curls. No matter what I did, they stayed wild. Frustrating.
“Hush—the former queen.”
“But this girl made a mockery of our customs!”
I understood why those females felt the need to cut me down. Now that Killian had broken things off with the Queen of the Underworld, they thought they had a shot.
Bitches.
I waited for Sy to chime in, to call them cunts and offer to eat a few—only to remember she wasn’t with me anymore. Was she safe? Worry sank deep into my bones. But Sy could take care of herself. I’d find her later, after I’d had my epic reunion with my gorgeous, formidable mates.
Tyson growled, his claws scoring the marble. The court fell silent.
“Of course, dragon,” I said fondly, ignoring everyone else. “I came to rescue you, but it looks like you didn’t need saving.” I gestured at the litter of corpses, not a sight for the fainthearted. “What happened here? Did I miss a lot?”
A lot.His voice rumbled.Mate is safe. Nothing else matters. I will breathe fire. Mark you. Show them you belong to dragon and king.A pause, uncertainty bleeding through.Mate…permit it?
Show them,I replied.A fire bath is just what I need.
