Page 8 of Dragon Flames
The instant her silver eyes lock on mine, I know I’ll do everything in my power to have her in my bed. “What’s your name?”
Her reply is a husky laugh, and I can’t help but lean closer, drawn to her on an elemental level. She tips her head coquettishly, a tiny smile curling her lips, and my cock goes from hard to beyond painful when I spot her dainty little fangs.
Fuck! I can already feel them nibbling on my skin.
“Go home, kid. I would hate to see you get broken.” Then the girl turns away and pretends like I, and the rest of the men in the room don’t exist.
It’s like every spark of her personality disappeared into an iron vault.
Only then do I notice the collar around her neck, the nasty burn marks underneath, and the cruel shackles biting into her delicate wrists.
A low vibration rumbles in my chest, my dragon just seconds away from throwing a temper tantrum and ripping apart everyone in this misbegotten venue who would dare treat our mate in such a way.
The glass in my hand shatters. Scales from my dragon bubble up from under my skin, battling against the need to shift and claim our mate before anyone can harm her again.
Needing to gain control, I indulge in one last look, noting every bruise, every scar, while a stream of smoke seeps from the corners of my mouth. Shaking off the shards of glass that pierce my palm, I spin on my heel and search the room, determined to find Elias.
Because no matter what else happens today, I will either return home with my mate in my arms or kill anyone who gets in my way.
Chapter Three
FELICIA
Iwatch the handsome young man turn away and ignore the pang in my chest his departure causes. There’s something about him that makes the beast inside me go still. She’s filled with a yearning for something we will never be able to claim, and I quickly crush it.
That way only leads to impossible dreams.
Giving in to fantasies is a weakness—a distraction—I can’t afford.
When the fantasies fall apart, as they always do, they will destroy me like nothing else, and I refuse to give anything that kind of power.
No, I have much bigger problems.
Like the fact that the father of the man I killed is determined to finish what he started and finally get his revenge. I have no doubt that he’s the one who sent me to the maximum-security prison without a trial and who regularly pays the guards to beat me mercilessly.
He must be absolutely furious to learn I’m still alive.
He’s finally found a way to get to me by having me presented at a debutante ball. He will purchase me, and I’ll never again see the light of day.
If he’s anything like his son, death will be a mercy.
No, if I want to survive, I need to figure out a way to escape before I’m sold.
* * *
ELIAS
Iglance down at the old man who says he found something of interest. The last thing I expect him to show me is a woman.
Granted, the woman is stunning in a way that I find extremely hard to resist, but I don’t have time for dalliances.
The dragon line is dying out.
Preston was the last dragon born, and that occurred more than a hundred and thirty years ago. There are less than a dozen of us left on the planet, and if something isn’t done soon, we will become extinct.
Or hunted.
Or both.
