Knowing that he would have to shift into his beast, Pyrran didn’t even dress.
This has to be the way.
He quietly left the room and entered the hallway. It was carved from the same black volcanic stone as the rest of the mountain. Veins of gold ran through the walls and ceiling, glowing faintly with their own light.
Treasure lined the corridors—coins spilling from chests, jewels scattered like carelessly tossed pebbles, ancient crowns resting on pedestals.
This was their home. Their kingdom. And now it was hers too.
Within the hallways, theNethralwere waiting. The beings stood along the walls—tall, thin creatures with smooth skin that came in shades of deepest black, pure white, or burning red.They had no hair or eyebrows. Only sleek bald heads and sharp, intelligent eyes that watched everything.
They were servants, loyal to the dragons, and bound to them by ancient magic and older oaths.
When Pyrran stepped into the hallway, every single one of them dropped to the floor. Foreheads pressed to stone. Arms spread wide in supplication.
"Sire," they whispered in unison.
Pyrran walked past them without slowing. "Prepare two rooms at the castle. Guest chambers. I'm bringing visitors back."
"Yes, sire." Their voices echoed down the hallway. "Yes, sire. Yes, sire."
He kept walking through the corridors. Down the wide stone steps. Past more treasure. More Nethral bowing as he passed.
He didn't stop until he reached the cavern.
It was massive. A cathedral carved into the heart of the mountain. The ceiling stretched so high it disappeared into shadow. And in the center of it all was the lake—dark water that reflected the golden veins in the stone above.
Pyrran stood at the edge and took a breath.
Please. . .let this work. I can’t be so close to Sol and not touch her. She’s my mate, just as much as she is Korin’s.
Then he began to shift.
It started in his bones.
A crack.
A stretch.
His spine elongated, vertebrae multiplied as his body grew to an enormous size.
His skin rippled and then scales pushed through the flesh.
His hands twisted and expanded. Fingers lengthening. Huge claws erupting from the tips—curved and wicked-sharp.
His face reshaped itself. Jaw extending. Teeth sharpening into fangs.
Wings tore from his back. Massive. Membranous. Each beat sending gusts of wind across the lake.
And his beast’s cock swelled and hardened as the shift completed.
Heavy.
Aching.
Ready.
His beast yearned to go in there and take Sol’s body with no permission and no mercy.
