by Lila Jean
A hand grabbed her and spun her around, pinning her to the boulder. She struggled, surprise and the shock of a sneak attack shaking her concentration enough that she lost connection to her magic. A strange man snarled at her, a scar across one eye, his grip tightening around her neck. He watched her, his eyes heavy with lust and desire, and he pressed his body against hers.
Shit. Using her magic also meant enthralling everyone around her, and she had forgotten that in the heat of battle. This guy now wanted her in more ways than one, and this wouldn’t end well.
As she gasped for air, her fingers clawing at his hand around her throat, she saw Anthony in the knee-high lake struggling to fight off a dozen men as they swarmed him. But as his eyes met hers, his form shimmered with an impending shift.
Every one of these men had threatened her, and every one of these men would die.
Black and white spots danced in Tina’s vision as the stranger suffocated her, but she wasn’t about to sit back and let him do it. She reached into her waistband and grabbed the dagger hidden in the folds of her dress, stabbing the man in his neck before he could so much as blink.
He yelled, though through all the blood, it was more of a gurgle as he staggered backward. Tina’s hands were drenched in seconds, but she didn’t care. She yanked her dagger out of his body and kicked him backward, letting him stumble and fall into her lake.
Not far off, Anthony shifted into his massive black wolf. The men around him shimmered as well, and she suspected they were about to change into dragons. One aimed a gun at Anthony’s exposed back as he morphed.
“Anthony! Look out!” Terrified at the thought of losing her wolf, Tina froze with fear.
Anthony snapped at the man, tearing into the stranger’s arm and drawing blood. The attacker screamed, and Anthony tore into the men as they swarmed him. In seconds, Anthony decimated them. Blood stained the crystal clear lake, pooling like dark ribbons beneath the surface. Bones crunched, and despite the chaos above her, Tina couldn’t rip her eyes away from the carnage.
“Tina!” Zane shouted. She spun to find him running through the lake, his clothes already drenched as he kicked up water. “We need to find cover!”
“But Anthony—”
“I’m fine,” Anthony said from behind her. She turned to find him naked, bloody, and beautiful, dripping wet as he ran toward her. “I thought—I thought you … Thank the gods.” He pulled her close, cradling her head in his hands as he studied her face, as if looking for injuries.
Tina held him close as dragons screeched overhead. This wasn’t over yet, but she was so grateful her wolf was okay.
With a deep sigh, Anthony looked at the cat shifter wading toward them in the lake. “Zane, keep her safe and take her to the forest line. If she’s hurt in any way, I swear to God I will—”
“Don’t you threaten me,” Zane interrupted, the edges of his mouth curled in a snarl.
Anthony glared at the cat shifter briefly before squeezing Tina’s hand. He kissed her quickly on the cheek and ran out into the lake, shifting midstride.
“Let’s go,” Zane said, taking Tina’s hand.
“I can help, Zane. I’m not going to just—”
“I know,” Zane said softly, a gentle smile on his face. Though his voice sounded calm, his wide eyes betrayed his worry. “They’re expert warriors, Tina, and we’re vastly outnumbered. These dragons are after you. Let me protect you while they finish this battle.”
Frustrated and disgusted at the concept of running, Tina glared up at the sky as Draven sank his teeth into another attacker. Maybe if she got to cover where she couldn’t be surprised again, she could do a better job of taking down some of these dragons who had dared attack her home.
“Fine,” she finally conceded.
“Thank you.” Zane kissed her forehead, and despite her anger, his touch left a delightful buzz behind. “This way.”
They ran into the water in the opposite direction Anthony had gone, the peaceful day interrupted by terrifying growls and the beat of wings. A torrent of fire blew past them, and Tina ducked the onslaught with only seconds to spare, the fire hitting the water around her with a startling hiss.
Zane lifted her to her feet and guided her toward a row of trees planted along a nearby garden wall. They reached the small forest seconds later, his arm protectively curled around her as they hovered out of sight.
Moments later, Draven released his grip on a dragon’s neck. It plunged to the earth. When it landed in the lake, Tina’s world shook. She lost her balance, almost collapsing to her knees from the impact.
An earsplitting shriek cut through the air and a massive golden eagle flew toward one of the five remaining dragons.
Killian.
He darted through the air like a bullet, almost too fast to see. With another mighty shriek, he struck one of the dragons across the face. Before the dragon could attack, the eagle darted away. Killian attacked time and time again, always too fast for his opponent to hit him back. Every time Killian dragged his claws over his victim, he drew more and more blood.
Not far off, a massive black wolf leaped into the air. His powerful jaws snapped like a bear trap as he fought to grab one of the circling dragons. One of the attacking dragons foolishly flew just out of reach, taunting Anthony.
Big mistake. Anthony kicked off the ground with his powerful legs and dug his teeth into the dragon’s tail, pulling it with him to the earth. It violently snarled the whole way down.
From this angle, Tina could see farther into her gardens and noticed Flynn, who stared into the sky a few dozen yards off and reached into his boot. A glistening dagger appeared in his hand, and he took the briefest second to aim before releasing it into the sky. It landed deep in one of the gray dragons’ chest. The creature shrieked as it fell to the ground, landing with a deafening thud.
Tina closed her eyes, ready to access her magic, when Zane shouted beside her, interrupting her thoughts. “Killian, six o’clock!” Zane yelled into the sky.
The eagle darted left at the last second, narrowly escaping the snapping jaws of a dragon. He cawed in thanks and dove for its head, digging his claws into its neck and drawing a torrent of blood.
Zane’s eyes darted over the melee. “Anthony, tail at three o’clock!”
Another dragon swooped toward Anthony and his prey at frightening speed, but Zane’s warning came just in time. Anthony launched out of the way, and the dragon sailed once more into the air.
Tina gritted her teeth, trying to focus, but there was too much confusion, too much chaos. She didn’t have enough control yet to focus with all the distractions and adrenaline pumping through her body.
“Draven, teeth at—”
Zane didn’t get to finish the sentence as an eighth dragon leaped over the wall at them. This was the smallest of them all, but it snapped at Zane with a ferocity that said it was very much willing to kill.
As it attacked, its tail struck her hard in the head. She fell to her knees, her world spinning from the force. She tried to stand, but nausea burned in her throat.
Desperate to protect her men, Tina reached in her core, frantic for more of the powerful magic that had protected her in the throne room. Energy bubbled within her, boiling and powerful but just out of reach as her nausea worsened.
As Tina fought to control her magic, her vision cleared somewhat even while a blistering headache tore through her brain. She watched in horror as the dragon pinned Zane to the earth. He wrestled with the beast, trying to regain the higher ground as his form shimmered.
In seconds, Zane’s body twisted and morphed into a massive white tiger. His claws came out, and he dug them deep into the dragon's neck, drawing dark red blood. The dragon screamed into the air and chomped at Zane’s face, but he again dug his claws into the dragon’s head to keep the jaws at bay.
They wrestled, coiling over each other as each fought for dominance in a life or death struggle. Tina gasped, horrified, wishing she could do something, anything
at all to help.
The gray dragon kicked Zane onto his back, and the cat shifter snarled up his attacker. The dragon lifted its claws to deal the final blow to Zane’s face. Before Tina could scream for help, a torrent of fire hit the gray dragon like a semi-truck. It sailed backward, breaking several trees as he flew into the forest from the sheer force of the attack.
Not far off, her red dragon stood in the remnants of her garden, wings out as fire burned in the back of his throat. Her black wolf and an exhausted Flynn stood on either side of the red dragon, staring down the last attacker. Killian soared by overhead, speeding toward the dragon who had tried to kill Zane.
All around them, the naked bodies of bloody men lay motionless on the dirt. Tina gasped, bile rising in the back of her throat at the sight of so much death, and she covered her mouth to keep it down. Amy had told her once that shifters returned to their human forms when they died, and it was obvious that none of their attackers had survived the princes’ rage.
The rest of her men seemed okay, so Tina rushed to her tiger. As she knelt beside him, Zane shifted back to his human form. Blood covered most of his body, and she held his head as he watched her with a dazed expression.
“I’m fine,” he said, his words slurred.
“You are definitely not fine,” she said, brushing hair out of his eyes.
He dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. “Shifters heal quickly. I just need a minute, and I’ll be okay. Really. I’m just glad you’re not hurt.”
“Let me at the treasonous bastard,” Draven snarled.
Tina wasn’t sure when Draven and Anthony had shifted back to their human forms, but the dragon shifter bolted past her in the same direction Killian had taken. In his anger and rage, she could barely recognize the carefree man who had taken her on a ride through the cold sky above her temple.
All of her men had jumped to her aid, putting their lives on the line to protect her. In the end, it was because they all felt she was theirs in some capacity. Despite the contest, despite the fact they were competitors, they had worked as a single team and overcome the odds without even a moment’s hesitation.
That realization only made it harder to choose.
31
Draven
Draven snarled down at the dragon shifter who lay at his feet. The thin man barely had any muscle on his body, and his blond hair was matted with blood. Draven examined the stranger’s wounds. Deep gashes across his abdomen and throat would slow his healing significantly, giving Draven enough time to learn what he needed to know.
Nearby, Killian kept guard in case of reinforcements.
“Talk,” Draven ordered the wounded stranger.
Blood trickled from the dragon shifter’s mouth. He laughed, which only caused another bubble of blood to spurt down his face. “Why should I?”
“You are a dragon shifter. Your loyalty belongs to me, and yet you had the audacity to attack my future mate and me.”
Killian snorted, but Draven ignored the eagle shifter. He had an interrogation to finish.
“She’s too precious to give to one man,” the dragon shifter said.
Draven cocked his fist, ready to flatten this asshole’s face. “She’s mine.”
The dragon shifter coughed violently, and Draven lifted his face out of the range of the blood spewing from the man’s lungs. “We’ll get her first.”
The shifter’s comment confirmed a suspicion for Draven. “You’re with the Turncoats.”
The stranger spat out blood and sneered. “So, you know about us? And here we thought you were too busy fucking anything in a skirt to see the world around you for what it was.”
The Turncoats were a sect of dragons who had rebelled against the crown for the last decade. They stoked the fires of rebellion, coaxed protests, raided businesses, and caused any mayhem they could to turn public opinion on the dragon crown.
They told the public they fought for the people; in all reality, they weren’t trying to free the people. They were trying to install a new monarchy.
The dragon shifter shoved his bloody finger in Draven’s face. “Your days as Crown Prince are numbered. You’ll never be king. We will get Damara, and we will use her power against you and your father. The throne isn’t yours, and you know it. We’ll gut you in the street, with your so-called subjects watching your execution.”
Draven’s eyes blazed with hatred at this man’s gall. His dragon roared for him to shift and run the bleeding man through with the spikes on his tail, but he reined in its anger. “Killian, watch the traitor, will you?”
The eagle shifter nodded. “He won’t move.”
He trusted Killian’s word. Though it would be in a rival prince’s best interest to overthrow Draven’s family, he and Killian had fought beside each other like brothers. The thought unnerved him.
As much as Draven wanted to kill the traitor, he would instead get his phone from somewhere on the battlefield and call his father to come pick up the garbage. He was certain King Edward would quite enjoy spending some time with the Turncoat bastard in the dungeons at Mersarth.
Draven sneered at the pain waiting back home for the asshole. No one threatened his woman and lived.
32
Tina
In the aftermath of the battle, everyone crowded in Tina’s room. Not much of the temple had been destroyed, thankfully, mostly just some unused guest suites.
She sat on her bed with Anthony on one side of her and Flynn on the other. Anthony’s hand slipped around her waist, and he leaned in to her, pressing his torso against hers. She welcomed his touch, grateful for the werewolf who would do anything to keep her safe.
Zane stood by the window, furiously thumbing his phone, a frown on his face as he searched for information on the terrorists who had tried to take her. Thus far, he didn’t have much news to share, but he had interrupted a few times with tidbits that might have been relevant. Meanwhile, Killian watched the world outside like a hawk, while Draven furiously paced a groove into her floor.
Ray stood by the door, her chin high. The high priestess was the first to break the silence. “Tina, you need to leave Epara.”
All five of Tina’s princes glared at the high priestess, who faltered somewhat under their glare. Draven nearly growled, a current of smoke escaping his nose as he stared at Ray. “Choose your next words carefully, woman.”
Tina barely suppressed a grateful smile. Her beautiful dragon was fun and lighthearted, but only up until someone threatened her. After that, they would have to deal with fire and fury, and he had already shown he was willing to kill for her.
Ray audibly gulped at the dragon prince’s threat, her eyes wide as she watched the dragon shifter warily, but she quickly turned her attention back to Tina. “I mean no offense,” she added hastily. “I mean only that it’s not safe in Epara. I’ve done everything I could, but I still failed to stop an attack.”
The men relaxed, but Tina didn’t. She narrowed her eyes, careful to watch Ray’s body language as she nervously scanned the princes. For a woman who had failed in her sole duty to protect the only goddess on Earth, Ray didn’t seem remorseful or guilty in the least. If anything, she seemed eager, but eager to do what exactly?
Deep down, Tina’s intuition flared. Though she couldn’t put her finger on it, something wasn’t right about this whole situation. Sure, it had been evident from the beginning that Ray didn’t like Tina. The more time Tina spent with Ray, though, the less she trusted the high priestess to do what was in Damara’s best interest, either.
A surge of agreement shot through her, and Tina knew that Damara was just as skeptical about Ray’s intentions as she was.
“I’ll leave you all to decide,” Ray said, quickly bowing out of the room and shutting the door behind her.
“Where could we go that would be safe?” Killian asked as he rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
“Transportation isn’t safe,” Flynn said at her side, his thumb gently rubbing her thigh in comfor
t. “If we travel, more rebels might come for her.”
“They’ll die trying.” Anthony growled softly beside her, his possessive grip tightening around her waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder, as much to soothe him as to let him console her.
Zane looked up from his phone. “I could find us a safehouse.” He frowned. “We would have to travel there, of course, but we’d be hidden once we arrived.”
“I won’t hide,” Draven said, nearly hissing with anger.
Tina perked up, an idea coming to her. “What if we visit the kingdoms?”
Slowly, each of her princes turned toward her, and each had a different expression on his face. Killian, concern. Zane, intrigue. Draven, contemplation. Anthony, uncertainty. Flynn, excitement.
“We can’t stay here, obviously.” The demigod nodded, almost to himself. “We’ll have an issue with transportation no matter where we go next. But the kingdoms—”
“The kingdoms all have armies,” Draven interjected. “You would be safe there, Tina.”
“But where do we go?” Killian asked, warily looking from prince to prince. “We all want her to go home with us, obviously.”
“It needs to be fair,” Tina agreed with a nod. “We need to visit each one. Zane, I’ll need to work with you to ensure travel is safe.”
“You’re right, Tina,” Anthony said, his hand possessively brushing her back, and she leaned into him as his sultry cologne lured her closer. “Besides, it’s important that you like your future home.”
“Exactly,” she said with a smile.
Flynn rubbed the back of his neck. “Usually when we travel, there are guards. Security. Intel making sure that wherever we're going is safe. That would take coordination and collaboration across the five kingdoms that I’ve never seen before.”
Tina tilted her head, apparently confused. “What do you mean?”
Killian answered for Flynn. “When shifters and demigods meet with each other in person, we don’t travel to each other’s kingdoms. We always convene in a neutral area.”
