Page 54 of Tears of Gold

Pissed might be an understatement. My enhanced dragon senses drink in the adrenaline pouring off him, the burn of his qi, and his delicious wildness. A hot, electric energy flutters to life in my chest. Fuck me; he smells so good saliva trickles across my tongue, and my body throbs with fresh energy.

A chuckle whirs through my lungs. “Alright, we'll do this the hard way. If you can beat me now, I'll talk Erritt into letting you go.”

His eyes narrow, and he lowers into his fighting stance. He doesn't even protest the point that I'm in dragon form. Well, he's armed, and I'm not—so long as we aren’t counting my teeth and claws— so it's not completely unfair. Harper makes the first move, slicing toward my eye with ruthless precision. I barrel roll and knock him over with my front talons, teeth bared in a feral grin. He's not going to hold back.

This should be fun.

Harper reverses one knife and surges up to kick my front leg out from under me in a surprise attack. I lurch, and his blade slices the edge of my nostril. Instead of flinching, I trap his arm in my mouth and shake it, trying to dislodge his grip without crushing his bones to powder. The blade falls from his hand, and Harper punches me under the chin, forcing me to drop him. My jaw aches. He used qi to strengthen his blow. Looks like he's really growing.

I chuckle.

His face turns a darker red. “Is this just a game for you? This is my life, Skye!”

I rumble deep in my belly. “I was only laughing because you've improved a lot.”

He has to know he can't beat me, right? During all our training underwater, he hasn’t been able to fight me off, even with his life on the line. Maybe he thinks he has an advantage on dry ground.

I can't help but admire his fierce resistance anyway. That’s who our rogue is, a guy who throws himself against the odds with no hesitation.

Harper lunges again, and I summon a qi barrier to deflect his blades. My senses bring back the echo of the heavy force he applies. Harper doesn't workout every day for no reason.

I slap him with my tail, but he dives under, slicing at me with those pesky blades. I stomp on him, my claws flashing against his pink shields. He grunts with the effort as I shift more weight onto him. The rogue swears and pushes his shielding up, rolling free.

My foot thumps against the ground as the resistance vanishes, and the green scent of crushed grass adds to the battle's blood and sweat aroma. Harper jumps up and swings again, and I dive sideways to avoid his deadly flashing blade. The air pops as I summon whips of water to beat him back. I lick the air, tasting the salty tang of his sweat and the testosterone pouring off him as his breath hisses through his teeth.

Quick as a blink, he leaps for me, using my leg as a stepping stone and balancing one hand against my neck as he stabs hard. I'm a bit slow deflecting with my shielding, and the blade cuts deep. A flicker of hesitation chimes through our skin contact, and I laugh.

Straining hard, I twist and take him in my teeth. He yells as my fang pierces his shoulder, and I savor the taste of his hot, coppery blood coating my mouth, my inner beast roaring in triumph. I throw him to the ground, and he bounces and squeaks as the air abandons his lungs. I trap his squirming body under my front claws and yank away his blades with water whips.

“Had enough?” Adrenaline sings through my veins, and my cock twitches with interest as he writhes in my grip. He would swear till his voice gave out if he knew what I was thinking. I satisfy myself by drinking the intoxicating cocktail of him through my sensitive nose.

Harper hammers his fists on my claws, and when I answer by pressing down harder, he groans, swearing. After a few more wild flails, he stills, glaring at me. Blood pools under my claw from where I bit him.

“Are you made of concrete or something? You’re fucking heavy!”

I grin, baring my long fangs. “That happens when you’re my size.”

“Are you going to crush me to death?” he wheezes. Now I’m in contact with his skin, I can feel the deep pain running through him, not from the bite in his shoulder, but the agony in his heart. Despite being hard to read, it’s overwhelming enough that his messy mind can’t hide the anger steaming off him, mixed with frustration and an aching heartbreak. I squeeze tighter, wishing I knew how to calm him down better.

“Are you going to hear me out now?” I ask, staring at him, willing him to submit.

His wild fury fades a few notches, but he catches sight of Vanrey when his head flops back, and his fists tighten around my claws. The Elite elemental backed up when we fought, but he’s still within earshot.

I chuck my muzzle in his direction. “Hey, Vanrey, do you reckon you could give us more space?”

Vanrey frowns at me. “You have five minutes. If he escapes, you’ll end up locked up with him.” He disintegrates into vapor, and I see him a second later in the distance between us and the portals.

I shake my head. Yeah, yeah, love you too, Van.

I transform into my human self, straddling the rogue to keep pressure on his shoulder wound. “I’m impressed, you know. You almost made it to the gates, Harps!”

“Get off me, you pervert!” he growls, sucking in deep breaths.

Most of the time, losing my clothes during a shift is annoying, but today I enjoy the loss. I could summon a spare set, but Harper’s discomfort as he squirms, trying not to look at my bare body, is too delectable.

He’s unique looking, with his caramel skin and curly brown hair. I smile down into his dark-brown eyes with plenty of lashes. And fuck, his scent gets me every time! I could totally do him right now or do Ava pressed between us. I groan. That would be a sandwich to die for.

Leaning over, I brush my cheek against his and whisper, “Don’t you remember what I said dragons do after fighting?”