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‘I know, Firebird. I know. I come,’ my dragon groaned. But neither of us said the other thing we knew. She couldn’t help.

Shock and pain made my stomach sick. Fear chittered at my back. But I’d heard him.

‘Koa… he said they can’t touch us with the power if we love?’

Koa screamed and the air around us shifted. The earth trembled as she drew closer, but she and Kham would give us space until we called them in. I could feel my dragon’s desire to intervene, to bring her flame to my aid.

It wasn’t the Cruors that made my heart chill in fear.

The pain. My body’s weakness… Those frightened me to my bones.

‘Your love makes a shield,’ Koa offered. I could feel her struggling for words, and then she showed me.

Voski and I standing with her and Kham at our backs. Their wings flapping and creating such a wind that our enemies were blown away. The four of us together, bound in strength.

Normally, I would have laughed at the visual of the dragons so easily throwing off our human enemies, but the pain was so intense, I worried I would vomit—which would hurt more.

So, I clung. To her. To Voski. And to the Creator who’d given me both of them.

‘Koa… I’m frightened,’ I admitted. ‘He said not to fear. He said they can’t touch us if we don’t fear—but I’m afraid.’

‘You fear future. Do you fear the woman?’

She gave me an image then of Voski, who’d positioned himself between me and his mother and was facing her down. And I wasn’t afraid. I was furious. I felt his sickness, his rage, his desire to end her—and his protectiveness. His confidence. His willingness to take anything else she’d throw at me.

‘I want to help him.’

For a moment, I thought I might. I opened my eyes and tried to put a hand to the earth to push myself up—but cried out with the pain.

“No. No, don’t move! You’re bleeding.”

The voice was breathless and frightened. Then she leaned over me, and I blinked in shock. I’d forgotten about Cali. She knelt in front of me, looking under my robe, checking the torturous binding they’d put around my belly, and even the slightest brush of her fingers made me groan.

“Blood, too much damned blood!” she hissed, as if she were angry at the injury.

“I need… help. I need to help him.” It hurt to speak. I couldn’t even raise my head.

I was so angry. So scared. So… everything.

I grimaced. Tears seeped out from under my tightly closed eyelids. Why, God? Why would you let her do this? We were so close!

Then Cali leaned down, so close I tensed. But she whispered in my ear. “I can help you. I will help you. If you’ll allow it.” She leaned back and I opened my eyes to meet hers.

My head spun. I didn’t trust my thoughts. This was Cali. The woman who’d already betrayed my mate once. But something pressed me forward. I swallowed.

“Why?” I croaked.

“He is the Dominus now. Serving him is important. And his mother… I want to see her lose to him,” she said bluntly.

I blinked. ‘Koa?’

‘No shadows in her words,’ Koa said, but her tone was uneasy. ‘She speaks true.’

I looked at Cali as the world began to tilt and my body felt like I would soon start to float. “Are you trying to trick me?”

She shook her head. “I can stop the bleeding. I can make it stop hurting. It won’t heal you, but it will give you time.”

I swallowed. “Anything else? Will you leave anything on me or—”