Page 16 of Dragon Flames
I battle the urge to rip off my flesh to get away from the heat, but the touch of my hands only makes it worse.
It isn’t my touch that I need—it’s theirs.
They each take a step toward me, their eyes darkening with concern, but I hastily jump back. Then heat flares through me, and I arch my back when it becomes too much. A giant monster roars in triumph, rattling the room…and my own beast roars in reply.
Fire crackles in the air around me, my own screams echoing in the room. When I catch my breath again, I look up, startled to see giant-ass wings made completely of fire flaring behind me.
As my vision darkens, I see both men charge toward me, and I’d swear I can hear them whisper in my ears.
Dragon.
Mate.
Chapter Five
DARIUS
Istare down at the girl on the bed, barely able to contain the rage coursing through me.
Every scar, every mark on her skin is a failure on our part to protect our mate.
“How the fuck did this happen?” I bark at my two flight mates. “Every shifter was supposed to be tested at birth, then again when they go through puberty. How could we have missed her?”
“She was never tested.” Elias’s short blond hair stands on end, like he’s run his fingers through it a dozen times or more. For a man who prides himself on perfection, the rumpled hair proves just how troubled he feels about the situation. “She was convicted of murder before she could be tested. After her incarceration, no one saw the point. She fell through the cracks.”
I lift my attention from the goddess resting in my bed and shoot Elias an incredulous look. “Fell through the cracks? And how many others have fallen through the cracks over the past few decades?”
As the information expert, it’s Elias’s job to keep track of anomalies like the woman who lies so still beneath the covers.
The thought that I very nearly lost my mate before I even had a chance to meet her, much less claim her, chills me to the bone.
I don’t believe in coincidences.
“Someone tried to steal our mate.” I glance at the other two men, terrified to take my gaze off the woman for even a second. “How many other mates have been lost over the years?”
“What do you mean?” Preston fusses with the bedcovers, barely able to keep himself from touching her every few seconds, like he’s still making sure she’s real.
I understand the impulse.
“Think about it…selling women is a multimillion dollar-a-year business. If people can find their mates without the center’s help, they would lose millions, if not billions of dollars.” Against my will, my eyes are drawn back to the girl on my bed. Even from a distance, her delicate pheromones call to me on a visceral level, and I battle the urge to lay claim to her like the others.
Mine!
The only thing stopping me is my refusal to steal any more choices from her.
So, I keep my distance, knowing that if I even attempt to touch her, I will take that choice away from her.
Bonded to her or not, she is mine.
“We have no proof. And if you’re right, they will kill to keep that secret quiet.” Elias glances longingly at the girl on the bed, then his expression shutters, and he turns to face me. “If we try to expose the truth, we could lose her.”
Before he could answer, the movement on the bed captures my attention, and I watch as the girl’s eyes flutter open. Hypnotic silver eyes seize my attention, and I’m a goner.
With just one look, she captures my soul.
And when she opens her mouth, my world shatters, leaving nothing behind but pure rage, and my determination to do whatever it takes to keep her safe becomes my sole purpose for existing.
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