Kael bugles again, and I glance down at him to see that he’s gaining on my captor, his movements in the air agitated. His wings flick and pump, eyes furiously whirling like twin black galaxies. I hold my breath, watching him approach. Funny how I’m rooting for a dragon at this point. It’s just that…it’s Kael. I think if I can survive whatever fight these two have, I know I can make his eyes go gold again. I can deal with Kael.

The scarred dragon swoops low, gliding down toward the ruined streets at the outskirts of the city. We skim along the roads, dodging between buildings, and at one point we scrape so close to the ground that I haul my legs up, terrified I’m going to be nothing but a smear on the pavement. My stomach is roiling and sick at all the twisting and turning.

Then he gives a small hopping hover, and the new dragon lands, perching atop an old city bus. With one foreleg, he clutches me against his scarred chest, clearly not about to set me down. I hear the enormous thud of Kael landing on the nearby ground a moment later.

The gold holding me roars an angry challenge.

Kael bugles a furious cry, his tail lashing side to side, scattering broken cars. He drops to all fours and begins to stalk forward, smoke pluming from his nostrils.

The new dragon bellows a rush of flame in warning, and I bite back a scream, because it’s not safe to get either dragon’s attention.

I am so much toast right about now.

KAEL

My mate.

Fury throbs hot in my mind, mixing with the all-too-familiar madness.

Clau-dah is my female. Mine. I’d had her in my arms, her soft body smelling of arousal, her flesh pressed against mine. I’d been so close to claiming her as my own, only to have her snatched away by a rival. The big male drakoni that took her probably claims this territory as his own, but I had no choice. The humans had put her in danger with their stinging weapons, and her terror had bit at my mind until I feared I would lose myself to madness again. So I’d taken her away from my own territory to keep her safe. I know I am strong enough to challenge any other male. I have battled many times before and won.

But I’ve never had a mate, and never one as vulnerable as Clau-dah is. I’ve never had to worry about her safety or think about how another drakoni might conspire to steal her from me. This new drakoni had likely scented her on the wind and followed the trail to see what the delicious smell was. He’d probably scented her desire—and the lack of my claim in her blood—and known that I had not anchored our bond. He knew my female was vulnerable and ripe for the picking.

And so he took her.

I roar in outrage, my cry of fury so loud it makes the nearby structures shake. Birds flock to the skies, fleeing. I do not care. This rival has sought to take Clau-dah away from me. She is fragile, vulnerable. If he is not careful with her, he could harm her. The fear of that is greater than any anger I have. I cannot stop seeing him grabbing her in his claws and hauling her away, her small body tossed about as a leaf on the wind. Clau-dah is small and not as sturdy as a drakoni female. He must be careful with her. She is more precious than life itself.

I stalk forward, eyeing the big, scarred male closely. I cannot attack him outright, because my precious mate is clasped to his breast. I will not risk her safety for anything. I must wait, then. If the male wishes to challenge me, he will have to set Clau-dah down. Then we will fight, and I will make him regret touching my female.

I will not allow him to live. Not after touching Clau-dah. Not after putting her at risk. He will die violently and with great pain.

So I wait, seething. My mind is a furious jumble of rage. I welcome the darknesshungerkillanger thoughts. Not even the pleasure of my Clau-dah penetrates my volatile mind. I am lost to the murk of madness once more, and I am glad for it.

I will take my mate back, I warn him, reaching out with my mind and sending a stabbing bolt of thought to him. I will take my mate back and you will suffer.

She is not yours, the other dragon responds. You have not claimed her. There is no fire in her blood. I will take her for my own!

Mine, I snarl. My Clau-dah. My mate. Not yours. Incensed, I drop to the ground across from the male. I might have known his name once. The drakoni were once a close-knit people. Now, it does not matter. He is an interloper. A mate-stealer. He is going to die for touching my Clau-dah. For frightening her. Even now, I can smell her fear, sharp and thick in the warm air. Her lovely scent is sullied by the pungent stink of my rival—young, heavily scarred from fights, and about to die.

He will not win. Never. I bare my teeth in a feral snarl as he blows out a plume of flame in challenge. Too close to Clau-dah and her cloud of soft hair. Does he not realize how dangerous our fire is to her? Furious, I raise my head and bugle my acceptance of his challenge.

We shall settle this between us, the male declares. I will have the female as my mate.

You will have to destroy me first.

Then come!

I tense as my rival uncurls his claws and sets Clau-dah down. She collapses to her knees, her hair falling in front of her face. I growl low in my throat, waiting for her to get up. To get out of the way. To get to safety. After a long, tense moment, she gets to her feet, legs wobbly. Her face is stark with fear as she looks over at me, then takes a few steps backward, retreating.

The moment she’s out of range, I spring, slamming my weight into the body of the other male.

My opponent never stands a chance. Though the younger male is heavily scarred and has obviously survived many battles, it’s clear that I will win. He knows to snap with his powerful jaws, but he’s not nearly as fast as I am. When his teeth lock onto my forelimb, I counter with a heavy swipe of my tail to his head to set him off-guard, and then claw at his remaining eye.

It’s almost too easy.

The male bellows in pain and immediately backs off, hissing. He retreats a few steps, tail lashing in anger and pain, and spreads his wings as if to fly away. He is already done with the fight.

But I’m not about to let him go free. He threatened Clau-dah, and for that, he will pay with his life. I go after his wing, my claws shredding the thick fibers from bone. My opponent screams in pain, and his head thrashes wildly. He lashes out at me, but his blows are glancing.

I move in for the kill, my jaws latching on the soft underside of his neck. With one fierce, exuberant move, I rip out my opponent’s throat. Blood pours into my mouth, and with it comes the madness. Darknesshungerkillanger—