Page 47 of To Match A Dragon's Fire

“Whatare you doing?”Lucan cocked his head to the side as he spoke through the familial link in my mind.

“It’s none of your business.”I continued to grow, standing taller as I did. It was a primal urge. To keep her hidden. Out of sight of the predators.

Until she wears our mark.

I stumbled a bit, terrified Lucan’s dragon would see it and pounce on the weakness.

Lucan roared again. His nostrils flared. He of all dragons would know best how to antagonize mine.

“Is this how you’re spending your last days?”He lowered his snout again, sniffing.“Jacking off and playing with humans.”

The tone was teasing, but I didn’t miss the flash of fury in his dragon’s slitted pupils. He was fighting anger at something—trying to control his beast.

“Take to the skies,”I commanded, not understanding his torment, but knowing I needed to get him far away from here. From her.

It wasn’t safe.

She wouldn’t be safe until…

I shook my head to clear it.

Something was wrong with me.

I’d figure it out later, once I handled this threat.

A shudder ran through Lucan’s beast as he sniffed the air again, and he hesitated, trying to look past me.

But I was in my true form now and I issued a challenging roar a dragon could not ignore.

He was breaking natural law. He’d entered my territory and a second more of him standing his ground, he’d be refusing to leave.

Lucan may have been a warrior, but I had the advantage in this fight.

A look of respect crossed his dragon’s scaley snout as he unfurled his wings.“It’s been years since I’ve seen this kind of fire in you.”

I roared again as he took flight, launching myself after. I’d escort him away from here, making sure he knew his place.

She was my mate. This was my home. Those were my humans. And he’d not scare them again.

The little girl’s voice followed me as I gained altitude. “I told you he had dragons!”

15

Ember

Werewolves

“What are we supposed to do with that giant freaking thing outside?” Riley paced the living room of the cabin as she held a meowing Dobby against her chest.

Willow was already dragging out the suitcases from under my dad’s old bed. She bumped into the dusty corner shelf, shaking the urn she’d placed there. “Sorry, Sam.” She righted his ashes. “Harper, start grabbing your toys.”

“We just got here,” Harper whined.

I slid the deadbolt into place and grabbed my side, blinking rapidly as I tried to process what was happening.

He turned into a dragon.

And why was that actually kind of hot?

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