By the dark stars, let it go!Race clenched his teeth.My seed would incinerate her mortal flesh—shatter her soul. Is that what you want?
His feral side quieted, unappeased and brooding.
He didn’t need this now. Not when every damn shadow could hold a spy.
“You feel familiar,” a rough voice cut through his thoughts.
The aggression in it wrapped around him like barbed wire. “Fuck off.”
“You smell of power,” the mofo behind him rumbled, sticking to Race’s ass like a burr as he stalked back into the alley. “The king’s enforcers would pay good coin for one like you?—”
His patience worn thin by his inner turmoil, Race pivoted and drove his fist into the bastard’s face. Bones cracked. A roarexploded, and the cur shifted, his form transforming into a massive slate-blue dragon, scales glinting dully in the gloom.
I smell…a human on you,the asshole projected, his mental voice thick with satisfaction.The highest bidder will want her. I’ll make a fortune.
Race summoned his Gaian sword. The inked mark on his biceps tore free, black smoke spilling and forming in his hand.
He swung hard. The blade caught the dragon mid-turn, slicing across its scaled chest. The creature roared, unleashing a torrent of fire.
Race dove into a recessed doorway as flames roared past, blistering the stone. The air shimmered and walls warped, cracking under the molten intensity. The smell of scorched earth and burning filth clawed at his senses.
The dragon shrieked, the sound echoing off the soot-stained buildings like a beacon, certain to draw the guards. He reared up on his hind legs, his elongated throat glowing red, fire building again.
Not fucking happening!Race summoned his obsidian dagger and hurled it. The blade shot through the heat and buried itself deep in the beast’s throat.
The mofo staggered, shaking his massive head, hacking out smoke and flames?—
Race spun, and with one final swipe of his sword, the blade sang through the beast’s neck. The colossal body hit the ground with a heavy thud, blood spraying everywhere. The dragon shimmered back into his humanoid form, his body slumping amid the smoking heap of debris and gore, blood pooling in a gush of red.
The severed head rolled, clanging against a bin before coming to rest.
Race retrieved his dagger from the slain male and leapt upward, landing on the high rooftop, calling on Gaia’s giftof concealment. The mystical power cloaked him in shadows, shielding him from both sight and spells.
An ability he’d never had to use before in his endlessly long life.
As a Guardian, Gaia had bestowed him more power than most Lemurians dreamed possible. He would need every bit of it to keep Ash alive in this dangerous realm.
At the ruckus below, yeah, the guards had already found the body. While they investigated the sudden death, Race scanned for Ash, sensing she was still in the shop.
His dragon prowled within him, restless.Get her.
Race didn’t move, fighting against the beast’s yearning for that slip of a female.She’s not done yet.
Jaw clenched, he remained invisible in the shadows, watching for danger, waiting for her.
C’mon, Ash, get your delectable ass back here fast.
The faint, acrid odor of slag and oiled leather clung to the air as Ash moved through the dimly lit shop, keeping her breathing shallow.
Everything inside was practical. There were no mirrors or flourishes, just clothing in muted shades of gray, black, rust, and forest green hung in precise rows. Some were rough-woven, others reinforced with scale-backed hide, all built for endurance and, hopefully, comfort.
A few long coats dangled from hammered hooks, their shoulders stitched with dull, patchworked leather.
Yeah. Armored clothing for the people in a world that didn’t fight fair.
Ash picked out two leggings, trousers, a few tunics and tank tops roughly in her size, and other necessities she needed, along with a gray, scaled backpack to carry everything.
A tall, slender woman stood behind the counter, rubbing her palms down her tunic-covered hips. She didn’t speak, but watched Ash with cautious curiosity, as if trying to decide whether she was trouble.
