Page 123 of Centaur Bolt

A wave of affirmation from both my monster and my beast had my heart hammering. I looked over her head and met the Centaur’s eyes.

They glared inky blackness back at me. No sign of brotherly sharing there. Then Fang scampered up my arm to my shoulder.

“She—Fang—is your pet?” Riley’s voice trembled. Had she felt it too? Or was it just the sharding pheromones at work?

“Yeah.” I backed away and then turned to resume my trek. The bushes for the next thirty feet lost both leaves and branches as I crashed through ‘em. Silence from behind me, and then, I heard her follow.

A short time later, the trail forked, and I paused. Dragons were sensitive to energies, but Watchers hid themselves well. We needed directions if we were going to find this Witch.

I could only hope she was what we needed. And that I could bargain for my freedom with the Isobitch’s location.

I thought I detected a tickle of life essence that didn’t blend with the surrounding wildlife—and took the left fork toward it. Likely not the Witch, but maybe someone who knew where she was. I’d flown over this area many times and never sensed anything of her.

But I hadn’t been back here since Ace died. Maybe the Witch was new.

“So, where’s this town?” Marcus, sounding both exhausted and angry.

“There’s one not far from here,” I replied.

“So you keep telling us. Just how far?”

“I have never come at it from the ground,” I growled as I took another curve in the trail. “We’ll get there when we get there.” I glanced back to him, but his eyes were predictably fastened on Riley’s ass. She was one feisty female, and she’d tear a strip off him if she knew.

As I pulled my eyes off him, I caught hers. They gleamed at me, a mix of her own green and Dragon amber. Woman and Dragona. Energy crackled and pulsed between us.

Fucking hell. I ripped my gaze away and increased my pace. This needed to beover.

“Do you have more dust?” she asked.

“You’ve had loads of dust,” I grumbled, keeping my eyes pointed ahead.

“I’m feeling much stronger, but not strong enough. If we can’t find the Witch, we might need me to Jump us out of here.”

Strongerwasn’t the word I’d used to describe her. Ace would have the right words. I lacked them. But the glow emanating from her rivaled the sun overhead, and her life essence called to me like a siren’s song.

“I need more,” she insisted.

I growled, but put a hand up to the scales along my ribs, and moved them aside to reveal the bundled leaves. I pulled two packets free and turned to hand them to her.

She took ‘em. Her mini fingers brushing mine sent electric tingles shooting through to my groin. Marcus glowered from beyond her, his lips curling back from his teeth.

Gritting my own, I spun and marched, while my instincts screamed for me to spread my wings, and fly the hell out of here.

But my monster and my beast wanted me to sink my teeth into the thickened scales of her delicate Dragon throat, and haul her to the stars.

40

Rafael

I lay on my cot and dozed.

Sleep was something I used to do, before I became a puppet. Now, it seemed, I ran on pure adrenaline and lust. I had become something hollow. No longer truly living.

I was not alone. A male lay strapped to another device across the dungeon from me. He appeared to be dead, but I didn’t think he was. At least, not yet. The two Bellatis near the door were in high spirits, having been carried along with the latest bloodmagic lust fest.

I ignored them all, as well as the chain attached to the wall above my cot. Instead, I closed my eyes and let my mind drift.

I walked along a path through a forest. Wet foliage slapped against me. When I pushed a branch away from my face, I noticed my hand was bigger with thick, strong fingers. In addition, my heavily muscled arm was clad in red scales.

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