Page 98 of Dragon's Honor

Seeing Finley, Ash shifted into his human form. He needed to really see her. He’d lost her, he was sure of it. He didn’t know how to get Grey out of her. Flashes of her kissing Tristian still infuriated him, but it wasn’t them. It wasn’t consensual for either of them.

“Ash,” she murmured as he approached her.

She ran into his arms and wrapped herself around him. He was exhausted and in pain from the fighting, but having her in his arms, touching her, smelling her, and feeling her body against his soothed his aching soul.

“Are you all right? Is Grey still…”

The cold, hard sting in his abdomen caught him off guard. He wavered a bit before he could fully register the feel of the sharp blade embedded in his torso.

When he looked down, he saw Finley’s face, but cold, dead eyes looking back at him.

Grey.

Fucking dick.

Ash did the only thing he could think of and grabbed his cuff off his wrist and then he grabbed Finley’s hair giving it a rough yank so she was positioned at an odd angle. He shoved his cuff into her chest hard enough the tourmaline would probably scratch her.

Gavin jerked forward when Finley stepped back. Cillian grabbed her and restrained her again cursing as he did so.

Ash fell to his knees, gripping the blade.

“Don’t pull it out,” Gavin warned.

“What did you do?” Tristian growled.

They all turned to see him stumbling toward them. “He’s not in my head.”

Ash glanced back at Finley to see her breathing hard, her eyes looked normal, and there was a tourmaline choker around her neck. Maybe it worked. He fucking hoped so because he couldn’t fight Grey on two fronts.

Ash turned back to Tristian. “I don’t think it’s going to last, Tristian.”

“Then kill me now.”

“No,” Ash said immediately. “None of this is your fault.”

Tristian fell to his knees. “You have to kill me. He won’t stop until he kills you. And I don’t want to kill anymore, especially not you. Please. He’s holding my mate hostage. If I’m dead, she’s free.”

“He’ll kill her anyway,” Finley said.

It was so good to hear her voice.

Tristian knelt in the sand, his hands held out before him like he was praying. “Please end me. I can’t…I can’t do this anymore.”

Having Grey in his head for so long was clearly taking a toll, not to mention all the damage Grey had made him inflict.

Ash clenched his jaw as he stood, holding the blade impaled in him as steady as he could manage.

Tristian squeezed his eyes shut. “He’s coming back. I can feel him.”

“Ash, drown him in the ocean.”

Everyone turned and stared at Syrena.

Ash yanked the knife out of his torso and tossed it to the sand.

“Ash, no.” Finley’s voice barely registered as he lifted Tristian up and dragged him back to the water.

Tristian didn’t fight. Not until they were in thigh deep water. Tristian’s fist immediately slammed into Ash’s wounded side.

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