Page 57 of Devoted to the Dragon

Absolutely stupid, I know, but what else could I do but offer myself up to her and beg for mercy?

Now my delusional ass is standing in the center of a circle of snarling wolves and one beast dude while the dragon holds a pointed claw to my throat. My shadows? Useless.

I didn’t see that coming.

The tree-hugging witch standing next to my mate zapped my ass with some purple lightning. Poof. My shadows are frozen in place. I knew dying was a possibility, but I’d thought it was a slim possibility.

I’m a dumbass.

“Who are you?” my mate rattles off. Her dragon’s hiss is so high and loud that I feel it in my toes.

I shrug. I was a lot of things, but none of that matters now. “I’m your mate.”

The beast dude scowls. “We got that. The bond mark on her shoulder is pretty clear.” He looks about ready to make me lunch. Without my shadows, that’s an actual possibility.

We’ve got an audience, but this isn’t for them. I lean into her claw, letting the tip cut into my skin. “We’re here right now instead of in bed like most newly mated pairs, and that’s on me. I’m gonna fix it if you let me.”

My mate’s eyes briefly flash from gold to blue as she searches my face. Her nostrils flare, and her eyes narrow.I don’t know what she’s looking for, but all she’s gonna find is how beautiful I think she looks and how sorry I am.

“What’s your name, serpent?” the one with zappy fingers asks.

I don’t look away from my dragon’s eyes as I answer the witch. “My name is Knox Orm. I’m the fourth child to LadySasha Orm, leader of the serpents’ Western Territory. I’m here to beg forgiveness and offer a treaty with the serpents.”

“And if we don’t want a treaty with the serpents or your apologies?” My little dragon huffs. Literally. Steam and everything. It’s actually really cute despite the murderous intent in her eyes.

“Honestly, I don’t have a plan B. You’re my plan.”

“Sounds foolproof.” Her jaw tenses, and I can’t tell if it's because she’s holding in fire or wants to smile. The glowing throat isn’t a notch in my favor.

I whisper so only she can hear me. “I’m gonna figure out how to prove that even though we started off on opposite sides, there is only your side now. I know you don’t have reason to trust me, and I’m sorry for how things started, but I’m not sorry you’re my mate.”

“That makes one of us.” She removes her claw, spinning away from me so fast it leaves me dizzy.

My mate runs from the circle, shifting into her dragon with a fiery roar before taking flight. The crowd around me is stunned, looking at one another and trying to decide whether that means I die or I’m coming to dinner.

Same, guys, same.

The white-and-grey wolf shifts into the hot-daddy hallway guy and hits me square in the nose, followed by a throat punch that packs enough juice to throw me across the circle. The beast dude takes his turn, and man, can this guy throw a punch.

I’m useless without my shadows, but that's fair, considering the forest and what the three of them faced there. I take my licks until I’m on my ass, a bloody mess. My eyes water, and my throat feels as if it’s collapsed, but it’s the broken ribs that sting like a bitch.

Hallway Daddy stands over me, his big form menacing and his wolf wild in his eyes.“That’s for bonding her without asking.You’re lucky you’re not fucking dead. You’ve got two options: you can leave, or you can be her prisoner. Take your pick.”

“I do love to be tied up,” I mouth off, spitting blood. It’s a tic, I swear. I get pushed and all I can speak is snark.

“The less you talk right now, the better.” Hallway Daddy yanks me off the ground by my neck. “Vandera, can you rig up wards outside? I don’t want him in her lair, even if he is a prisoner.”

The witch nods. “Take him to the cabin by the lake. I’ll meet you there.”

See? It’s gonna be fine. A vacation even. Now all I have to do is figure out how to win over a dragon they aren’t planning to let me get near.

“Hold up.”

The wolf dragging my ass doesn’t stop.

“Seriously, can you wait just a minute?” I choke out, my throat burning from his too-tight grip.

He snarls.

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