Page 12 of Bound to the Dragon
We whirl to look at the chaos unfolding before us.
For a moment, I don’t know what I’m looking at, the mayhem not registering in my brain.
“Oh, my gods!”
A flurry of fur and feathers flashes across the veranda. I barely have a second to process what’s happening as the tear of clothing reaches my ears. Blaze’s massive blue-gray dragon form shreds his tux away, leaving it in tatters. I barely manage toescape the lash of his thick, scaly tail, taking cover as his eight-foot frame lunges forward.
“What is going on?” My question is a squeak, but Blaze is already gone, charging into the riot.
CHAPTER 4
BLAZE
My transformation is instant, and I burst forward across the veranda, my massive dragon form scattering chairs and overturning tables. I scan the fleeing guests as unfamiliar shifters attack ruthlessly, without rhyme or reason, teeth and claws slashing.
Dozens of thoughts pop through my mind, but none of them are clear enough to make me understand why this is happening or who is responsible. My enforcers jump into action immediately, fending off the shifters as they come through, hiding the children, and trying to organize the mess the best way possible without any comprehension. How can they understand when their Alpha doesn’t have a clue himself?
I fall back on my haunches and inhale as deeply as I can before unleashing a spray of fire over the closest group of attackers. Screams permeate the air, and through my peripheral vision, I see some of them trying to retreat.
I spin around to confront the escapees, snatching one by the nape of the neck with my razor-sharp teeth. He squeals, and I tighten my grip on him, carrying the wolf shifter like a newborn kitten in its mother’s mouth. I lock eyes with Vigo, my Beta, as Ipass, and he seems to understand my unspoken command. Get as many as you can alive.
I bound across the veranda, my tail knocking over tables and pushing everything in my way out of my path. A black bird flies overhead, and it takes me a minute to recognize it’s Madison following after me. A smidgen of relief rushes through me to know she’s out of harm’s way up there, but I’m vaguely annoyed she’s useless at a time like this. I can’t worry about that now.
Through the house and into the kitchen, I pull my captive, blood dripping along our path as the staff gasps and scurries out of our way, their faces twisted in shock.
At the basement door, I kick as hard as I can, breaking it open. I don’t want to risk shifting into my human form and losing my hold on my prisoner. Another door splinters into a thousand pieces.
“Let me help you, Alpha!” One of the braver staff members hurries forward to give me a hand, but I give him a subtle shake of my head.
Down the stone steps I slink, my shoulders brushing each side of the walls, head bowed to keep from hitting the ceiling, the wolf still whimpering in my hold. I refuse to unlock my jaw, even slightly. His body goes limp, and I silently curse.
You better not die on me, you bastard,I think. You have some explaining to do.
By the time I reach the dungeon, he’s fully out, and Madison flutters around nervously in her crow form, jumping from one perch to the next. I wish she hadn’t followed me, but I can’t do much about it now.
Tossing the prisoner in the cell, I shift back into my human form and tower over him.
“Go find me some clothes,” I order my mate.
I don’t look back to see if she obliges, my attention fully fixed on the semi-conscious wolf at my feet. I kick at him roughly.
“Get up.”
He groans once, and I kick him again.
“Get up or I’ll kill you.”
His eyes flutter open, and he stares at me, the fear in his eyes tangible.
“Who are you?”
He tries to bare his teeth, but the effort is pathetic. Footsteps reverberate behind me, and Madison resurfaces with a pair of pants, which she tosses at me. Her black hair hangs loose around her shoulders, wild and sexy. What a strange thought to have at a time like this.
The wolf refuses to shift into his human form, and my temper flares again. “I will not hesitate to kill you.”
The defiance on his face is tangible, but he stinks of fear. I don’t need my dragon instincts to smell it on him. He knows his time is running out.
“One way or another, I will get my answers.”
