He never will again.
Because I have a Dragon now.
And as I move behind my big, terrifying, beautiful mate—scales glowing in different shades of purple to the lightest that glitters like molten lavender and gold in the storm light—I don’t feel one single sliver of guilt.
Not one goddamn tear for the piece of filth about to get incinerated.
My heart is pounding, but it’s not fear.
It’s adrenaline.
It’s awe.
It’s something primal and raw and right.
Zeke growls low, and I swear the ground trembles. The wind picks up. The sky opens above us with a thunderous boom like the universe itself is giving permission.
Lightning streaks overhead.
And then—rooooaaaarrrrr.
The blast of fire is blinding.
Hot. Pure. White-gold and furious as it engulfs the car and the monster who haunted my every nightmare.
It’s not a scream that leaves Michael’s mouth—he doesn’t have time for one.
Just a flash of stunned disbelief.
Then silence.
Fire.
And ash.
Just like that.
Poof!
Gone.
The flames dissipate into the air, rising with the last breath of a life that never deserved to be lived the way he chose to live it.
All that’s left is a scorch mark on the asphalt.
And me, standing barefoot in the rain, chest heaving, eyes wide.
Zeke turns his massive head toward me, eyes glowing like twin amethysts, smoke still curling from his nostrils.
And I smile.
I’m not afraid of him.
I never could be.
Because this Dragon—this fierce, ancient, magnificent creature—is mine.
He loves me. Protects me.