It’s another gold dragon. Not quite as big as Kael, but far more battle-scarred. From here, I can see a mass of scars and half-healed lacerations climbing the scales of its throat and jaw. The claws that hold me close are covered in older white markings that show that my new captor likes to pick fights.
Why me? Why did he grab me? I think of Kael and his laughing gold eyes. Then I think of his near-constant erection and swallow hard. Things might be very, very bad with this new dragon. Kael is patient and sweet to me, but I don’t know this stranger at all. More than that, I don’t want to get to know him, either.
The dragon twists and spirals higher, and I clutch at his claws, muffling the scream that tears from my throat. The wind is wild this high, and the new dragon spreads his wings, rising on an updraft. He’s flying out of the city, away from the building I’ve called home for the last few days…and away from Fort Dallas.
Not good. Not good at all. I can’t be taken away. I have to get back to Amy.
I look behind me frantically. Kael is close, darting back and forth behind the other dragon. He hangs a bit below him and doesn’t attack. I worry it’s because he’s afraid that the other dragon’s going to drop me. Either way, I’m in double trouble, because Kael’s eyes are a dark, unrelenting black. As I stare down at him, he roars his anger furiously. Once. Twice.
Each roar only makes the new dragon’s claws tighten around me. I push at them, panicking. What can I do? I don’t want him to drop me, but I also don’t want to be pinned between a dragon fight in midair. I won’t survive that. I’m helpless between these giants, a pawn for them to fight over.
The new dragon twists in midair, head turning in an exaggerated fashion to check on Kael, who dogs behind him. The eye I can see is black with dragon fury. As I worry, he tosses me casually between his claws, and a shriek of fright escapes me.
Kael bellows his anger at that move, too.
The dragon’s other foot squeezes me close, and this time I cling to its claws, panting in fear. I don’t care that the act of ‘catching’ me caused my fragile jumpsuit to shred itself. That felt far too much like being dropped. I don’t want to be dropped. The ground is far, far too distant for comfort. So I hold tight, and from this side, I realize this scarred bastard only has one eye—the other is gone, nothing left but a mass of scar tissue.
Kael bugles again, and I glance down at him to see that he’s gaining on my captor, his movements in the air agitated. His wings flick and pump, eyes furiously whirling like twin black galaxies. I hold my breath, watching him approach. Funny how I’m rooting for a dragon at this point. It’s just that…it’s Kael. I think if I can survive whatever fight these two have, I know I can make his eyes go gold again. I can deal with Kael.
The scarred dragon swoops low, gliding down toward the ruined streets at the outskirts of the city. We skim along the roads, dodging between buildings, and at one point we scrape so close to the ground that I haul my legs up, terrified I’m going to be nothing but a smear on the pavement. My stomach is roiling and sick at all the twisting and turning.
Then he gives a small hopping hover, and the new dragon lands, perching atop an old city bus. With one foreleg, he clutches me against his scarred chest, clearly not about to set me down. I hear the enormous thud of Kael landing on the nearby ground a moment later.
The gold holding me roars an angry challenge.
Kael bugles a furious cry, his tail lashing side to side, scattering broken cars. He drops to all fours and begins to stalk forward, smoke pluming from his nostrils.
The new dragon bellows a rush of flame in warning, and I bite back a scream, because it’s not safe to get either dragon’s attention.
I am so much toast right about now.
KAEL
My mate.
Fury throbs hot in my mind, mixing with the all-too-familiar madness.
Clau-dah is my female. Mine. I’d had her in my arms, her soft body smelling of arousal, her flesh pressed against mine. I’d been so close to claiming her as my own, only to have her snatched away by a rival. The big male drakoni that took her probably claims this territory as his own, but I had no choice. The humans had put her in danger with their stinging weapons, and her terror had bit at my mind until I feared I would lose myself to madness again. So I’d taken her away from my own territory to keep her safe. I know I am strong enough to challenge any other male. I have battled many times before and won.
But I’ve never had a mate, and never one as vulnerable as Clau-dah is. I’ve never had to worry about her safety or think about how another drakoni might conspire to steal her from me. This new drakoni had likely scented her on the wind and followed the trail to see what the delicious smell was. He’d probably scented her desire—and the lack of my claim in her blood—and known that I had not anchored our bond. He knew my female was vulnerable and ripe for the picking.
And so he took her.
I roar in outrage, my cry of fury so loud it makes the nearby structures shake. Birds flock to the skies, fleeing. I do not care. This rival has sought to take Clau-dah away from me. She is fragile, vulnerable. If he is not careful with her, he could harm her. The fear of that is greater than any anger I have. I cannot stop seeing him grabbing her in his claws and hauling her away, her small body tossed about as a leaf on the wind. Clau-dah is small and not as sturdy as a drakoni female. He must be careful with her. She is more precious than life itself.
I stalk forward, eyeing the big, scarred male closely. I cannot attack him outright, because my precious mate is clasped to his breast. I will not risk her safety for anything. I must wait, then. If the male wishes to challenge me, he will have to set Clau-dah down. Then we will fight, and I will make him regret touching my female.
I will not allow him to live. Not after touching Clau-dah. Not after putting her at risk. He will die violently and with great pain.
So I wait, seething. My mind is a furious jumble of rage. I welcome the darknesshungerkillanger thoughts. Not even the pleasure of my Clau-dah penetrates my volatile mind. I am lost to the murk of madness once more, and I am glad for it.
I will take my mate back, I warn him, reaching out with my mind and sending a stabbing bolt of thought to him. I will take my mate back and you will suffer.
She is not yours, the other dragon responds. You have not claimed her. There is no fire in her blood. I will take her for my own!