NovelGoldKyra slows down, reaching into a hollow trunk and yanking out a shirt she throws over her body. A sense of relief
washes over me, knowing | won't have to avert my eyes anymore. Running after my brother is hard enough with
a burning hand and no clothes. The last thing
| need is an erection trying to follow behind the woman. | can't wait to get my hands on.
"Here," she says, tossing a pair of shorts at me.
I look at them, leaning down to slip my legs through, struggling with my useless hand. Before | can even yank
them up my legs, Kyra is at my side, reaching for the other side as she tugs them up my body. | blink at her,
shock written all over my face as she givesa soft smile.
"You know, | could have done it on my own." | tell her before clearing my throat. Why is her simple action making
"But you don't have to anymore." She tilts her head before she takes my good hand and takes two steps
backward, tuggingalong. "Let's move."
I nod, following her lead, trusting her skills as she releasesand starts to move fast again. My speed
increases, though I intentionally give her the space she needs to do what she needs to track effectively. | know
Merikh is alive. | can feel him in my mind from tto time. A sigh here or there, something he is giving me
without needlessly saying anything.
No doubt he is busy arguing with his mate through the mind link while trying to keep tabs on the rest of the pack
and what is happening. But it doesn't ease the growing tension in my chest. If anything happens to him or his
family, | will never forgive myself. How could | when this is all a direct result of my selfish actions? And yet...as |
watch Kyra, | can't bring myself to regret it, not yet anyway.
A roar rips through the trees ahead and my heart skips to my throat as | sprint, moving as fast as | can straight
toward it. Kyra is nowhere to be seen, but | know she is somewhere hidden, watching and weighing options as a
true tracker and warrior would. Not far ahead, | can see a large beast pacing, taking trees out with its massive
frame, as if trying to eradicate the forest.
"You truly think | would have led you to where my children are? Where we shelter those who need it most in
times of war? Cnow, you can't be that dense. Or has it been that long since you have led your kind wisely
that you forgot we protect our people at all costs?" | hear Merikh's voice loud as if he is making sure we can find
him.
The dragon roars, the trees behind Merikh swaying from the ferocity of it and yet he remains unmoved. Instead
of showing any sign of fear, my big brother, my alpha, sticks his hands in his pockets and chuckles. Then he
shakes his head and looks up at him. "I don't fear you or your flames." He grinds out, taking a menacing step
forward. "Do your worst."
Merikh rolls his shoulders back, pride taking over his face as he grins up at the dragon who rears his head back
and releases a stream of unrelenting flames.
"NO!" | roar out, tearing through the trees and trying to throw myself between my brother and the flames.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtA cold wave of water strikesin the face, shootingback as | crash into something soft and warm. |
scramble to jump up but hands wrap aroundand | whip around, ready to fight until the sparks tear through
How the hell did she get here so fast?
"Hayes, I'm talking to you." She hisses, causing Kyra to grab my hand and dragto her and Merikh.
Pain sears up my arm and into my chest, mingling with the pleasure of the sparks of the mate bond. | wince,
looking away, not wanting her to let go all while my insides are screaming for her to do exactly that. She
suddenly releasesand | look at her, worry in her eyes before something catches her attention and she looks
across the destroyed area in front of us. "What?" | ask her and she frowns, eyes narrowing as if she is trying to
focus.
"Something is over there." She whispers.
| try to look but see nothing through the warbling mass of water that is the barrier between the fire from the
dragon and death.
"How can you see anything?" | scoff, and she hums to herself in thought.
"I think it's more of a feeling..."
| don't have a second to question her further as Merikh shoulders me.
"Sweet of you to try to save me, little bro." He winks, and | growl at him.
"Now is not the tto fuck around, Merikh. In case you didn't notice, | don't exactly have a great history with
dragons, so can we kill this fucker and be done with it?" | remind him, lifting my arms to show him the scars that
lick up my side and up into my neck and face. "The longer we wait, the longer war rages back in the pack."
Colette places a hand on my shoulder, cool water wrapping around my bicep as it worms its way onto my hand,
soothing the burns that | know will take at least part of my fingers. | can't help but groan in relief, the pain now
just a dull ache as the nerves grow numb and the water colder. "The deeper she draws the water from the earth,
the cooler it is," Merikh smirks at me.
His smile annoysas | glare at him. Certain death lies on the other side of that wall Colette has created and
yet, he smiles as if he has no fear. His trust in Colette's powers has grown substantially, but that doesn't give
him the right to act this cocky. "What is the plan?" | ask him, and he furrows his brow. "Do we plan to hide behind
Colette all this time, or are we going to actually do something?"
Merikh arches a brow in amusement before he shakes his head.
"What exactly do you suggest we do for now?" He asksand | lick my teeth, my mind spinning as I turn to look
at Kyra.
But when I look for her, she isn't there. Panic gripsas | search the ground and don't find her. It bringsa
tiny amount of relief until | see her signature red head, blurred from the moving water on the back side of the
dragon.
"What the fuck is she doing?" | mutter to myself, taking a small step forward.
"Trust her," Merikh whispers from next toand | shoot daggers at him with my eyes.
"Trust isn't the issue here. What if she needs me? How am | supposed to save her from all the way over here?" |
hiss at him. "She is unprotected while we hide behind this wall of water."
Merikh frowns at me, looking back at Colette before he shakes his head.
"Do you want to attack, then?" He asks. "I am ready to fight when you are brother, but form your hand and how
you weren't in your lycan form, we assumed you needed tto recuperate."
"lI am fine," | tell him, eye forward as | crouch, preparing to launch into my lycan and take chunks out of this
asshole.
"Do you know how to kill a dragon king?" Merikh asksand | furrow my brows, confused by the question. Is he
insinuating there is sother way to kill a king other than the usual way a being dies?
"Removing one's heart usually does the trick, | would think." | grit out and he exhales, crouching next to me.
"Then | suppose | will distract him and expose his underside for you?" He asks and | nod. "Colette, regain your
strength and be ready to extinguish what you can."
"Yes, Alpha." She responds, but | can hear the emotion in her voice that is telling him to be safe, even if it's
useless to speak the words.
Merikh leaps through the wall of water first, his body transforming mid air as he reaches out and tries to catch
him in the eye. The dragon drops his massive head, barely avoiding the razor sharp nails before he jolts his neck
upward, his strong snout colliding with Merikh's massive chest, throwing him high into the air.
The dragon stands on his hind legs,
mouth opening as if he will try to catch Merikh with his teeth and I lunge forward. My claws glance off his old,
thick scales, but I continue to swipe across them, feeling the skin slowly giving way. In desperation, I roar in
anger, grabbing his attention as | sink my teeth into the one large scale and yank away as if | were a rabid dog
fighting over a scrap of meat.
He slams his front feet back down, joltingas kpull away, scale stuck in my mouth as | shake my head, trying
to back away. But before | have the chance to get very far, he drops his weight down, catching my
hind leg with his hard scaled body. A whimper of pain tears throughas | feel my bones protesting, the heavy
creaking more painful with every passing second as | try to wiggle free.
There is a large splashing sound and | hear Colette calling out to Merikh, but I can no longer see her, or Kyra. |
growl out as | throw all my strength into wiggling, the damn scale stuck in my fucking teeth as It free myself. To
my dismay, the bastard rolls toward me, a sharp thud shaking my leg as | feel my blood drain from my face and |
swallow deeply.
The pain is slow to cas he stands again, the blood coursing to the area that had been cut off bringing with it
a pain so deep it leavesunable to make a sound as | lay there. My leg is broken, not just my leg but my
femur, snapped in two and my knee shattered. Merikh comes into view, draggingaway with a grunt as my
lycan retreats and tries to healthe best it can. Merikh jumps back at the dragon and | notice Kyra helping
him as | lay useless as | was when Leandra died.
Anger rises in my chest, bringing with it the sour taste of bile as | try to convince myself to move. | rise on one
leg, huffing as | work myself to breathe through the pain that makes my vision hazy.
"Hayes, look out!" Colette Screeches at me, her hand outstretched as if she can touchas a massive tail
slams into my chest launchingacross the splintered trees and into a pile of leaves.
"Fucking hell," I cough, ignoring the blood that comes with each stabbing pain to my side. It would seem Kyra is
right. In all my ttrying to die, | have developed an affinity for finding myself in the wrong spot at the wrong
time.
So Instead of standing again, | watch Merikh as he stealthily lands strikes at the opening I provided with the
scale | dislodged. Blood pours out of his one spot, a deep gash there, but it's nowhere near deep enough to get
to his heart.
And that's when | find myself distracted, my head tilting as if | am seeing things, but then | realize | know what
Kyra thought she saw earlier. A little toddler boy rushing toward his momma.
He has grown since | saw him last, a whole hour ago, but there is no denying it is Tiago. Kyra spots him and her
lycan stutters in its step. Shit, she is distracted now, which means she is in danger.
My head says to stand and rush to her, save her from the hit that is coming her way, but as the tail swings in her
direction the dragon king takes a step backward, not looking and his massive foot moves directly for the little
child with outstretched arms with a happy grin on his face.
| force myself to stand, pulling up witha thick stick, gripping it with as much strength as | can and | sprint
toward them, each stride is one of pain as | use the stick in place of my leg that drags along behind me.
My heart pounds in my ears as | look up at Kyra and she sees me, her eyes growing wide with hope as | pass her
by and tackle her son out of the way.
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