He landed and fed, tearing through flesh until the silence of the forest settled heavily upon him again. Morphing back into his human form, Race stalked to the lake and dove into the icy water, letting it scour away gore and rage alike.
Much later, he waded out, braiding back the fronts of his damp hair from his face, the motions mechanical, but his thoughts never quieted. He dematerialized to where he’d dropped his clothes in the forest.
Dressed again, he returned to the cave, the pull to find Ash driving him hard.
He found Attor and Skaldr still seated outside, the former leaning against a tree trunk, eyes shut, the latter chipping at a piece of wood. The pit’s fire was now banked, the roasted hare gone, and his gut clenched at the thought that she had eaten her meal with the whelp. But there was no sign of Ash or him.
Where the fuck were they? Did he take her back to the stream?
His dragon rumbled.She’s here?—
“If you’re looking for the female…” Skaldr continued chipping. “Koal took her inside.” He nodded toward the cave.
“You just have to stir up shit,” Attor grunted, eyes still closed.
Race shut out Skaldr’s jab and strode for the cave’s narrow entrance.
He slipped inside?—
A blinding red rage detonated through him, hot and absolute.
The whelp knelt over Ash, who was spread out, like a fucking offering, on her coat by the fire.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she said, her voice husky.
“I had to,” he responded.
Race saw nothing but the enemy he was about to tear apart.
Chapter
Fifteen
“Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Her.”Each word dripped violence as he advanced, his vision bleeding crimson, his scales pushing beneath his skin, both man and beast merged in murderous fury. “Or there’ll be nothing left for anyone to remember who you are.”
Koal shot to his feet, his gaze downcast. “Apologies, sire. She fell asleep outside, leaning against the log?—”
“Race?” Ash sat up, her face flushed.
His restraint snapped.
Race blurred past and grabbed Koal by the throat, flinging him aside. He hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud.
“Race, stop it!” Ash yelled, leaping to her feet. “You’re shifting—your scales—please!”
Kill,his dragon snarled.He touched our mate!
The urge to do as his beast wanted strangled him, but faced with Ash’s terrified expression, he fought to gain control of himself, his talons digging into his palms, blood seeping free.
She looked so damn beautiful, her hair in disarray and her face sleep-flushed. And she wanted Koal. “We’re leaving.”
“Race, wait. Let me explain?—”
He stalked for the entrance, wanting to ram his fist into the granite wall that he’d let this side of him take over. Dragons were fucking intensely possessive.
But Ash wasn’t his. He had to remind himselfandhis beast of the fact. He’d only marked her to keep her safe.
His dragon chuffed, unhappy.
