Page 49 of Fated for his Flame

“I did. They were standing over you, beating the shit out of you when we got here.”

For the first time, I realized he wasn’t alone. Shi stepped into view of my other eye, Chloe at her side.

“Thank you,” I said. “How did you find us?”

“I saw you leave,” Shi said. “And then Mattias went hurrying off looking far too happy. I knew something had to be up. So, I got Caleb, and we came looking for you.”

“Good.”

Together, the four of us headed for the main hallway. “Wait,” Caleb said as I turned to go to the roof. “We can’t leave yet.”

I looked at him. “Getting Chloe home is my only priority right now,” I growled protectively, pulling her close.

Caleb nodded. “I understand. But what if this is part of something bigger? What if they go after others tonight? We have to warn Father about what happened.”

I stifled a groan. He was right. If Caine was making a move, the entire family could be in danger.

“Don’t worry,” Shi said, patting my shoulder. “I’ll get her home safe. Nobody will catch me.”

Hesitating, I looked between her and Chloe. Shi was one of the fastest dragons there was. She’d proven that before mating with Caleb in several of the annual races. If she said she wouldn’t let anyone get her, I believed her.

But that still meant letting Chloe out of my sight. Which I didn’t like.

“It’ll be okay,” Chloe said, leaning up to plant a kiss on my cheek. My lips were in no position to do much kissing. “Go. I’ll see you back at the house.”

“As fast as you can,” I told Shi.

“I’ll be a blur,” she promised, taking Chloe by the arm and running up the stairs to the roof.

They would get into the air safely, I knew that. The guards on the roof would ensure nothing happened.

“Let’s go,” I said, tearing my eyes away from Chloe’s retreating back. “The faster we warn the others, the faster I can get back to the house.”

We jogged back to the ballroom, my mind racing. Everything had just changed with the attack. That much I knew.

What were their end goals, though? And what was going to happen next? I didn’t know, but we had to find out—and fast.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chloe

“Come on,” Shi said, tugging at my arm.

I tore my glance away from the stairs. Silas and Caleb were long gone, I knew that, but I couldn’t help watching, hoping to see them reappear.

But they wouldn’t. Not yet.

With a sigh, I went after Shi, who was striding across the roof with a confidence of step I envied. Rarely had I felt so outmatched and outclassed, but living among dragons was proving to be more than just humbling. It was unsettling. With my training, including years of martial arts, I was confident I could hold my own or better against any male who lacked equivalent proficiency.

But among dragons, it didn’t matter. I had to depend on Silas—or Shi, in this case—to keep me safe because there wasn’t much I could do for myself. They were just too strong.

“What is it?” Shi asked, already shifting into her dragon form before I could answer. “You’ve got a look to your face.”

I stared up at the golden-scaled snout, the yellow eyes staring down at me with focused intent. “It’s just Silas …” I said, unsure where to go from there.

“You care for him,” Shi said, extending one golden wing out for me to climb up.

I shrugged and started the ascent. Each time I did it, I grew more confident, and in seconds, I was seated firmly at the base of her neck.

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