Page 41 of Sass Me

Lost but not Found

Steele tried to taketo the air, and search the sky and forest for any sign of Fleur or the thing that had stolen her.

His wounds, the crushed arm and broken wing, should be healing. They weren’t. His wing wouldn’t move, much less allow him flight.

He joined the others searching, scanning for any sign of Fleur. Could there be any chance that his flower had found refuge with another dragon or the wolves? He knew in his heart she hadn’t, but he called out to her with his mind anyway. “Fleur. Where are you, tell me you are safe.”

Nothing. Either someone or something was blocking his connection with her, or she was too far away. A deep ache behind his heart pulsed with each second that went by without her.

How could he have let this happen?

She was his to protect and he’d bombed. Some mate he was. The failure burned through him, blistering and scalding him with self-recriminations.

The battalion of his dragon kin arrived too late, and just in time. A horde of demon dragons popped out from behind every tree. The black dragon and Fleur were nowhere in sight.

The dragons fought this new threat, holding the horde at bay, keeping the wolves and their mating ritual safe. Steele threw his fears and frustrations into a killing rage.

One demon dragon after another fell to his teeth and claws. The bastards would die, they would all die, until he had Fleur back in his arms again.

He’d give his entire treasure trove, all his gold and jewels, all his stocks and bonds, to find her and know that she was safe. No, he would give more, he would give everything he could. His fortune, his livelihood, his skills, his sanity.

His life.

An emotion he couldn’t identify, so sweet and bitter at the same time, kicked him in the gut for thinking he could give his life for hers.

Their souls were intertwined, and giving up his life wouldn’t save her. That much he knew. He wouldn’t die for her, he would live for her. Fight for her.

A line of the dark bastards moved toward him, targeting him because of his injuries. Even with his heart torn in two he would still fight to get Fleur back. He tore through half of them with his tail. The last one in the line, he grabbed with his good arm and slammed it into a tree, holding it there by the throat.

“Where is Fleur?”

The bastard squirmed and writhed, trying to push Steele’s claws away from where they were piercing its throat.

“Where is Fleur? Tell me or die an excruciating death.”

“Kill me. Never tell you, warrior shit.”

Fine. Steele closed his claws and ripped the demon dragon’s head from his body, tossing it toward the remaining enemy.

“Steele. Good kill. I can feel the increase in your powers. Who is Fleur and why are you asking these abominations about her?”

Jakob emulated him and tossed a matching demon dragon head at the final two demon dragons still fighting.

---