Fuck. Where was Kadence?
A gaping hole in the ceiling was his answer.
Oh, bloody hell. He shot to his feet and raced down the corridor. The portal. The dragon had Kadence, and more importantly, knew what she was.
If he didn’t stop her, she’d whisk Kadence off to somewhere Lok couldn’t follow.
Unless he claimed his wings…
Can’t.
Must.
The past and the future warred inside him. To transform would mean death. But to remain here doomed Kadence to be the prisoner of a crazed dragon.
He sprinted through the tunnel and spotted them. Tasi made for the portal, which was inched open. Just enough to make it through.
Fuck.
There was no choice. Lok roared, his spine cracking as two wings burst forth from the scales cascading across his skin. His body elongated, clawed feet replacing his limbs.
The dragon jerked around, hissing at him. “You.”
Apparently, even in this prison she’d heard about him.
Yeah, gotta love that fucking notoriety.
“Release her.” As he spoke, the hive mind of the other dragons slammed into him. A thousand voices buzzed at once. So much time had passed that he’d forgotten how to drown out the blast.
Grimacing, Lok tried to silence the voices, but every one of them exclaimed at his presence. Each snarled and howled and promised to feed off his blood.
Yeah, good times ahead.
That didn’t matter. It would take them a while to pinpoint his exact location, which meant he could get Kadence to safety first.
He dared a glimpse at her, but she’d passed out, likely from being squeezed by the dragon’s tail. Tasi didn’t seem the type to play nice with her toys. Kadence might not even survive in her care.
Not that they were going to find out.
“Release her, now, or I’ll end you.” He swiped his claws through the air.
Her silver eyes widened, her gaze passing from him to the portal, as though judging whether she could make it through before he made good on his threat.
She lunged for the portal, but he was faster. Even a century out of practice, his dragon form was formidable. He was larger, stronger, and fiercer than the princess dragon.
His claws pierced her tail, forcing her to drop Kadence as he dragged Tasi toward him.
“Please don’t kill me,” she squeaked.
“Despite the rumors you’ve heard, I don’t murder my kin.” Not even the crazy ones.
Curling his lip, he watched her scurry away. Tasi wasn’t leaving her prison anytime soon. And Han? Well, he’d have to find himself another princess to pine after.
Lok switched his focus to Kadence, who lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious. It was better this way. He could get her somewhere safe, and now, she didn’t require the princess’s blood.
She can have mine.
She’d awaken, none the wiser. Then he’d face his executioners, or maybe, he’d be lucky enough to evade them and go into hiding again.
This time, forever.
He glanced at the diving suits. The hourglass was running out. Within hours, a swarm of dragons would close in on him. Sweeping Kadence into his embrace, he furled his wings around her in a protective cocoon and raced toward the portal. As they crashed through, he wielded his strength to propel them toward the surface, sheltered in the bubble surrounding them.
They breached the surface. Lok didn’t stop there, shooting into the sky. He gripped Kadence in his front clawed feet, carrying her as he flapped his wings and climbed higher.
Every dragon kept safe houses. Private dens no one knew about, where they hoarded their precious treasures. Lok hadn’t visited any of his in ages. Most were impossible to access without wings. Since he could fly once more, he headed straight for his most secure fortress, zipping through the air and blocking out the hive mind.
Even hiding in his safe house didn’t guarantee they wouldn’t discover him. What other choice do I have? None.
He could only pray Kadence would awaken before any dragons found them. That she would reveal the location of her sister and he’d set her on her way. Making one small sacrifice first.
There was only one solution. The cool air condensed around him, clarifying his thoughts. Kadence would never be free from dragons. Not so long as she remained unclaimed.
Lok didn’t trust himself not to succumb as they would. Hoarding her as a prisoner in his vast vault of treasures. So the only answer was…
Enough. He shook his head to clear it and focused on the cave entrance ahead. High on a sheer cliff, the narrow opening was warded against intruders. He hummed a series of notes and the opening shimmered, allowing him passage. After setting Kadence on the pile of silk cushions in the far corner, he strode to the opening.
Next, to cover his trail. His tricks wouldn’t fool the dragons for long, but they might buy him a few hours. Lok gazed out at the cloudless sky and focused on condensing the particles in the air. A strike of lightning flashed across the blue, which was gathering into darkness.
Lok sent out more bolts, soon filling the sky with their crack and boom. The electrical interference would skew his location. It wouldn’t throw the dragons off once they were close, but until then, it would help.
Purple and gray clouds lit up against the flickers of lightning. Sighing, Lok sank to his knees and hung his head. A century of hiding, gone to waste. With his death, his den mates’ true killer would remain unpunished. Lok’s thirst for vengeance would never be quenched.
His sole consolation was that Kadence would be free. Her sister would have justice. He snorted. A century ago, he never would have given up his life to save a human’s.
Somehow, she had become everything.
***
Grunting and thunder filled her ears. Kadence lifted her head, blinking and yawning. A damp musk greeted her nose, darkness blurred her vision, and cold stone surrounded her. She was curled on a plush cushion, but this wasn’t a five-star hotel. Far from it. A roar pierced the air, chilling her blood.
What was that?
She held her breath, squinting through the pitch-darkness. A whisper for Lok’s name lodged in her throat. The last thing she recalled was the dragon princess, whisking her off. Is this my new cell?
As quietly as she could manage, she rose and crept along the wall. Ahead, a flash of lightning illuminated an opening. A way out? Her heart pounded, pumping hot blood through her veins and searing her chilled muscles like an icy burn.
A feral snarl vibrated from one corner, followed by another outside the opening.
Uh-oh.
She grabbed for the knife she kept stashed in her boot, but her hand came up empty. Yeah, she’d removed it before she’d donned the diving suit. Dammit. The lightning flared again, revealing a glimpse of a long, spiked tail inside the cavern.
“You can’t hide in there forever, Lok. They’re coming. For you.” The threat came from outside.
A low rumble echoed off the walls. Where was Lok? She scanned the cavern, but the only being she’d spotted was the one with the tail…
Hell, no.
It couldn’t be true, could it?
Growling rippled through the cavern, and as the flares outside struck again, Kadence spotted him.
A dragon.
A…Lok dragon?
Outside, a creature slithered across the opening and paced to match Lok. Another dragon? “You never should have shown yourself.” A sneer. “Some of us even believed you dead. Now, you’ll wish you were.”
Okay, Lok’s kindred? Assholes.
Kadence inched forward, trying to spy another glimpse of Lok. This was too insane. In the blackness, she crept forward, edging one foot in front of the other. A clink echoed as her foot kicked aside a metal object. Crap.
Both dragons whipped their heads in her direction. Extraordinary hearing, remember? Hell.
“What…” The dragon outside sniffed, its nostrils flaring crimson and its glowing e
yes widening. “It cannot be. A flaming—”
“Kadence, get back!” Lok lunged for the opening. A whistled, lyrical tune vibrated the walls. The other dragon had somehow figured out a way in, its clawed foot slicing through the shimmering wards.
Kadence scrambled backward, but tripped on a stone and crashed onto her ass.
“Pearl.” She froze as a dragon hissed above her, its warm breath fanning across her face. Lok? Or the other one? It was too dark to tell them apart.
He stroked her cheek and a warmth filled her being. A glow illuminated the space between them, coming from… Me? As he bent forward to stroke her cheek with his claw again, something knocked him off her. On the floor, he let out an anguished howl.
Kadence raised her head and gaped at the two large beasts wrestling on the ground, flipping and clawing and fighting their way…
To me.
One dragon snarled and kicked out at the other, shoving him toward the edge. He snapped back, but the other barreled forward, and they both tumbled off the ledge.
No, Lok! Kadence shot to her feet and raced toward the opening, peering over the edge. It was too murky and noisy to detect anything. A flap caught her ears. She raised her head. There. In the distance, two dragons clawed at each other. The blue one flapped its large, slender wings, while the green seemed to float in the air. Which was Lok? She squinted. It had been too dark in the cave to get a good look at him. Their thunderous growling echoed as she watched them battle, helpless.
How could Lok be a dragon? She shook her head. I have to help him. Her gaze dropped to her hands. She’d experienced something when the dragon had touched her. A familiar yet unrehearsed knowledge. Was this what Lok had been talking about, when he’d asked her to search inside herself?
Did she possess some kind of power she didn’t know about?
Only one way to find out. Kadence exhaled and concentrated on her hands. The two dragons knocked each other around, but neither seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Since she definitely didn’t want the other one to win, she had to help Lok.
Okay, powers, do your thing.
She frowned as nothing happened. It was like striking a match with a dud. Try as hard as she might, all she mustered was a faint pop and sizzle.
Maybe her powers couldn’t be harnessed alone. She’d never utilized any special abilities. Never experienced anything until that dragon had touched her.
Almost as if…she needed a spark.
She needed Lok.
In more ways than one.
She whipped her focus to the wrestling dragons. The green one slashed its claws across the blue one’s flank. He howled and twisted, his limbs and wings flailing. The verdant dragon slashed its spiked tail into the azure one’s exposed belly.
Kadence gasped. The blue dragon roared, its wings going limp as he tunneled downward.
The green one zoomed toward her. She scanned the cavern, but there was nowhere to hide. Here’s to hoping he’s Lok.
Biting her lip, she braced for his landing. He skidded to a halt, cocking his head and sniffing toward her.
“Lok?” Her question came out as a squeak, so she cleared her throat. Even doing that didn’t calm the tremors in her hands.
A chuckle rippled through the air as the dragon shimmered into human form. “You may call me Master.”
***
Lok grimaced as blinding pain sliced through his middle. The air whooshed around him, cool mists breezing past his face. The vaporous drops condensed into an image. Kadence. Her eyes sparkled at him, a smile playing across her sweet lips. He blinked, wincing and forcing himself back into consciousness.
He was…falling? Dropping like a weight into the ocean. Nearing the surface.
If he struck the earth, he would die.
Did it matter?
He was as good as dead anyway.
But she wasn’t. Kadence. Thoughts of her slashed through the fog in his mind. Must save her first.
He wrenched open one wing, the force twisting him to the side. Whipping out his other wing, he spiraled until the flapping slowed enough to shoot upward. He zoomed into the sky, straight for the cavern. Xur was a motherfucking asshole. Even before Lok had fallen, the bastard had wished him ill. Whereas Lok’s race manipulated the skies, Xur’s kindred—the Jiaolong Dragons—ruled the seas. As such, they didn’t possess wings like the Shenlong, but rather more closely resembled their namesake—crocodiles. Xur’s flying ability stemmed not from wings, but other magic.
No matter what, he couldn’t let Xur claim Kadence. He would tear her sweet, innocent soul to pieces.
And delight in every second of her torment.
Lok targeted Xur and crashed through the opening, tackling straight into him. They tumbled to the ground.
“Lok!” Kadence’s cry held both relief and fear.
He longed to turn to her, to shield her in his arms, but first, he had to kill this sonovabitch.
Seizing every last ounce of strength, Lok faced off against his enemy. Flames flickered from Xur’s nostrils as he morphed into dragon form. “Come back for more, have you? Can’t you just die, like your pathetic, heartless den mates?”
His skin bristled, but his mind snagged on one word: Heartless.
The one who’d murdered his family had torn out their hearts—which were never recovered.
Blood trickled down his leg. The gash in his belly was deep, and he’d bleed out soon enough. But not before he faced Xur and heard his confession for himself.
Lok raised his head and glowered at his enemy. “It was you.”
A satisfied gleam crossed Xur’s features. The bastard wanted him to realize this—murdering his den mates and framing Lok had been his true intention all along. Yet it hadn’t been fulfilling until now.
Until Lok learned the truth.
Xur snorted. “Took you long enough.”
“Why, Xur?” The pain of his grief pulsed through him. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“Why not?” Xur scoffed. “Their hearts have sustained me far beyond my wildest expectations. Made me stronger, faster, fiercer.” He lunged forward, slashing his tail toward Lok.
Lok lunged backward, dodging the blow. “You’re a fucking cannibal.”
“And your timing couldn’t be more perfect. Everyone will be quick to blame you for the deaths of another den.” He smirked. “I’ll have the power to sustain me for another century.” His sneer passed to Kadence. “Or longer, since you’ve also brought me such a sweet treat.”
Fucking hell, no. Fury and vengeance pulsed in his veins. Lok roared, surging forward to slash his claws against Xur’s throat, but he was too fast. Xur cut to the side, and Lok slammed into the cave wall. He slumped to the ground, blood gushing from his wound, weakening him.
“Pathetic,” Xur snarled. “Our kindred will be here by morning. By then, I’ll have fed off another den, you’ll be to blame, and I will possess the pearl.”
“The hell you will.” Kadence bolted to Lok’s side and extended a hand toward him, but drew back at the last second. Brows drawn, wariness gleamed in her eyes.
He yearned to reach out, to stroke her cheek, and reassure her, but his limbs were too heavy, his eyelids sliding shut.
“No, Lok. You don’t get to leave me.” She pressed her palm against his cheek.
His instincts surged forward, clawing for that connection. For his pearl. Soothing heat swept over him, sealing his wound like a fire branding the gash shut. Energy zapped through his veins. His eyes shot open and he blinked at Kadence’s lovely, glowing face.
“Come back to me.”
“Always,” he murmured, raising his claws gently toward her cheek.
“No! She’s mine!”
Kadence jerked into the air, dangling from Xur’s tail. Her glow flickered, then brightened again, this time not a soft golden radiance, but a harsh blinding light.
“I’ll never be yours.” She pressed her hands together as though molding a ball of light and shot the bolt straig
ht into Xur’s open mouth.
Spasms rocked his body, jolting his limbs, and his tail, which opened to drop Kadence.
Lok flew forward and caught her, cradling her against his chest as he backed away and shifted into human form.
The electric jolts didn’t stop pulsing through Xur, intensifying with each beat, until cracks of light split his hide like protruding veins. Shrieking a heinous roar, Xur cracked into a thousand pieces and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Kadence shuddered and buried her face against his chest.
Holy shit.
Kadence was far more powerful than anyone could have imagined.
Yet she still would never be his.
Kadence swallowed back a sob, clutching Lok’s chest. Xur was gone. She’d killed him. Somehow, a force inside of her had ignited when she’d touched Lok.
The match had struck, no longer a dud.
She shuddered, envisioning Xur’s eyes. Madness had twisted those green depths. An insanity like she’d never witnessed.
What if Lok hadn’t returned? She squeezed her eyes to block out the horrific image of the torment-filled future that had flashed before her.
He had come back. They’d beaten Xur, together.
But in no way did she feel safe.
Lok is a dragon. Holy hell.
Though his skin was warm against her fingertips, he wasn’t human. Kadence stiffened. “Please, put me down.” She forced strength into her voice.
Lok set her on the ground, taking one step back.
He might be a formidable creature, but so was she. Too many questions swirled in her mind. “You’re a dragon.”
“Guilty.” His lips quirked.
“Can I see you?”
In answer, a shimmering glow rippled over him, transforming Lok the human into Lok the dragon. She gasped and took a step backward, studying him. He stood as tall as an elephant, his azure-hued scales glistening along his serpentine body. Glowing sapphire eyes fixed on her from within his feline-like head. His body was long and agile, graced by two enormous, leathery and paper-thin wings, four clawed feet, and a spiked tail.
Matching Dragons Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 6 Page 6
