Page 48 of Sass Me

His kissy face plans matched hers. He pressed her against the tree trunk and mashed his lips against hers, taking her in a soul-deep kiss. The moment they touched a sense of overwhelming joy and rightness to her world flowed through, in and around them both.

She could kiss him forever, except she knew danger was on its way. If they were going to fight itas off together, she needed him to know everything that was in her heart, and heal his. He thought he’d failed her, when in reality he’d saved her, helped her save herself from living a small life.

As much as she didn’t want to, she broke the kiss and pressed her finger against his lips before he could say a word. “The black dragon is coming, so let me say this before the battle.” He sucked the end of her finger into his mouth, but waited for her to speak.

When this was over they were going to spend a long damn time staring into each other’s eyes. In bed.

The thunder and heat of dragon fire filled the air. She had only seconds before the black dragon and his special brand of destruction arrived.

The great tree shuddered and the ground moved beneath their feet. Steele steadied them against the trunk, keeping them both from falling.

Crap. She had a whole speech prepared, about how he was a warrior that has to protect the whole world from the evil she didn’t even know existed until yesterday. That would have to wait. Short, sweet, and to the point. They had a beast to battle.

“Love of my life, you’re badass. But, you don’t have to protect me. I think it’s actually my job to keep you and your soul safe, so you can keep on saving the world.”

Steele shook his head and clenched his jaw. “I am never leaving you exposed to a draft of cold air, much less demon dragons. I can’t, will not, lose you again. It almost killed me to think about those things even touching you.”

The black dragon surged out of the ground, taking half a ton of earth and trees with him and raining it down along with fireballs of rock and lava.

Dragons and wolves scattered to avoid the debris. Oh, no. The Wolfe pack was here. Her friends, the closest thing she had to a family were in danger too.

She and Steele had to stop the black dragon before it hurt any of them.

Fleur grabbed Steele’s arms and saw the wounds that weren’t healing. They matched the ones across her chest.

Both were filled with a black taint, something evil and not of the earth.

White scales rippled across her arms. What was inside of her, the part that she’d never been able to recognize or understand, pushed to get out.

“Trust me, Steele. Together we are stronger, together, we can save Blue Creek from the black dragon.”

It wasn’t only the dragon that Steele had awakened in her, but love.

The antidote for evil.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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