Page 83 of Israel

He screamed.

His hand was on fire.

With a final burst of will, Ashley broke free of the restrictive magic, and the remains of the necklace disintegrated. Israel fell to the floor, and Ashley the dragon flexed her wings and burst out of the warehouse through the ceiling.

The whole warehouse was burning now—metal, concrete and all, like it had been hit with jet fuel and ignited.

Israel was in agony—he couldn’t move. Suddenly, Enzo appeared at his side in human form, lifting him up and supporting him.

They stumbled out the door and into the parking lot, Israel trying to get far enough away so he wouldn’t fry before he collapsed. The warehouse was engulfed in flames, and Israel felt like his arm was still on fire.

Enzo was holding him up. Somehow, he had clothes on, even though he’d just been in raven form moments before. The two of them managed to go about thirty feet before Israel sank to the cracked pavement, shivering, his clothes reduced to ashes and fluid oozing from the burns on his body.

Ashley was circling overhead, keening.

Enzo knelt down next to Israel and grasped his right arm gently above the elbow. “Let me see it, man.” He looked down at Israel’s hand and went white.

“Oh, shit.”

Israel took one look and almost passed out. His forearm and hand were burned raw, the bones showing through in several spots, the flesh dark red in some places and blackened in others. The ring had melted with the heat of the dragonfire, and molten gold had pooled in his palm, now fused to what remained of his skin. The ring’s central stone was stuck within it.

There was no way shifter healing could come close to fixing this.

“I need to get my phone, man,” Enzo said. “I’ll call the others. Try to hang in, okay?”

Israel nodded. The world was going in and out, and his vision was filled with red spots.

He really might not make it out of this one.

Ashley, he called out in his mind, too damaged to speak aloud. Ashley, I love you. It was all worth it.

He could feel the mating bond, warm in his chest, the only part of him that didn’t hurt. Her keening stopped and she circled lower, coming to rest next to him on the asphalt. She dipped her head down and nosed his cheek, one wing encircling him protectively.

“Okay then,” Enzo said nervously to Ashley. “You take care of him. I’ll be right back.”

Ashley knelt down, curling herself around him. Israel leaned back against the dragon, trying to block out the agony and just feel the love emanating from Ashley, pulsing through their bond.

The pain receded. He was filled with white light, like cool clear water, reaching to every one of his cells and washing away all the hurt, all the fear.

There was only love.

After what could have been a long time, or maybe only a moment, he opened his eyes. He was still leaning against the dragon, her head on his shoulder. He was filthy and covered in soot.

But there was no more pain. His skin was whole and unblemished. He looked down at his right hand and gasped. It had been completely healed.

He opened his hand, turning it over in amazement, and froze in shock. Embedded in his palm was a round disc of gold, flush with the skin, and in the center of that was the ring’s central stone, dark green with black veins.

As he watched, the stone pulsed faintly with light: once, twice, three times. The flames engulfing the warehouse billowed wildly, and Israel felt the downdraft of invisible wings. Ashley drew her own wings protectively around him, while the cloaking magic was swept away to reveal three tall, slender, beautiful men.

Draken.