Page 121 of Hoarded By the Dragon

I struggle not to scoff at his words. As if presenting me the head of one creature is going to stop me from taking my due from Lorenzo.

“He must have been too nosy,” Ben mutters. “They must be hiding something.”

That tracks, but it won’t save them.

“You are very confident that I’m going to just hand over the ownership of the fae gate to you,” I say.

Lorenzo laughs, but it sounds shrill. “We have powerful allies that want this gate. Even if you kill us and ensure the death of your mate, they will keep coming for it.”

There’s truth in that accusation. The gate will always be a target for those who want it, while being too dangerous to entrust to anyone else.

The air takes on my deadly intention, and the shifters in the clearing start to cast glances at each other, sweating.

“You may have allies who have pushed you to this point, but did you really think I wouldn’t find out that you don’t have my mate?” I ask.

There’s a flash of alarm in Lorenzo’s eyes.

“Get the dragon,” Lorenzo calls out to his men. “We need him for the gate magic. Kill everyone else.”

I laugh, the shackles of my cool demeanor falling. I wouldn’t have minded dealing with the trouble of striking first, but that Lorenzo has taken that burden is a gift.

I grip the wild, vengeful part of my soul, and the transformation rips through my body. The pain that has become commonplace since I’d first separated from my beast is no more than a pleasant warmth as I accept what I have become. What I’ve always been.

The world shrinks before me as my height grows. Shiny scales buffer against bullets and fire spells from the scurrying bugs that are Lorenzo’s people.

I whip my tail around, careful of the people I brought behind me, and flatten Lorenzo’s men. They go flying, smacking against the SUVs and each other. A few have shifted into lions either on purpose or out of fear, and once their animals see that they are outclassed, flee into the woods. The magic users fare much worse with some spells going haywire in the confusion and impacting teammates with magic fire.

Fools. Attempting to use fire against a dragon.

My throat heats in satisfaction as the spikes on my tail sink into an enemy or two. The sound of their screams causing a sick sense of joy, but I pull my instincts in enough to keep present.

These men are only fodder for the real perpetrator. The risk to Katarina.

I pick out Lorenzo easily, plucking him from where he’s attempting to climb into an SUV to flee the hell he’s called down on his own people, pushing his son out of his way to escape. His screams and begging when my talons grasp him are a sweet song to my ears.

Mercy is a weak and modern concept in this moment when Lorenzo’s sobs are the whistling woodwinds and the crunch of bones under my teeth the percussive conclusion to this saga of frustration. By the end of Lorenzo Leonid’s existence, my bloodlust is barely quenched.

Once their leader falls, the ants scatter. One SUV manages to reverse away, driving erratically. I release my fire on the rest of our enemies to keep any more from escaping my wrath. Death by dragon fire is more humane than what I wish for any who stand against me, but it is the quickest.

I do not wish to eat them all.

The taste of blood and fire leads to a silence. There are only the dead and those that I still protect with my body... and the hum of fae magic.

I rear up and face the fae gate. The reason my family is at risk. This structure is a thankless thing. Something that will only cost us in the future.

For Katarina, for our daughter, this must be dealt with.

I move toward the gate, each heavy step causing the earth to shake, as if the magic of the gate knows I’m coming. No one has been known to be able to destroy one, but that will not stop me.

“Kalos! Stop!” Ben’s shout is distant. “It could kill you!”

He’s right that there’s a risk, but I will not allow our lives to be influenced like this again. Let anyone who dares come for what is mine know the extent of my power.

The stone arch crumbles between my teeth, and the magic burns my mouth. The structure resists, shuddering and sending out a shock wave that flattens everyone who still stands and rattles my bones. I refuse to stop now.

All that I am rises to the occasion. My connection to the earth and the fires brewing there, the power of my rage, and the need to protect my family.

I sense the moment the gate breaks. The arch gives way under my grasp and disintegrates into nothing.

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