Page 42 of Dragon Boss

But it was a yes as he fell backwards off the ledge, pulling her with him. Before they could hit the patio below, he had wings to spread as his shift was complete and his inner dragon brought them high in an instant, leaving her hanging with her back to the ground, powerful claws now secured in the wire rather than human fingers.

He bellowed a roar that shook the trees surrounding the driveway. He was dark green with red streaks through his scales. He would have been magnificent if he wasn’t such an utter dickhead. She squirmed against his hold. If he dropped her, she wouldn’t die. She’d be sore for a few weeks from what promised to be a not-so-pleasant impact with the ground, but she’d heal. What she couldn’t heal from was the fact that he was clearly using her to get Dmitri to shift and meet him dragon to dragon.

Even if she didn’t fear Dmitri wasn’t a strong fighter, she did fear what type of attention two dragons in dragon shape might garner.

The last time a dragon shifted in the wrong place it got blown to bits by a heat seeking missile.

“Stop this!” she screamed up at Gregor, even though she knew he wouldn’t listen.

He flew over the grounds of the estate, down toward the black waters of a lake. It was a beautiful spot on the Earth, and it made her feel bitter that she was seeing it for the first time in this way. She should’ve been walking across the grass down toward the water, hand in Dmitri’s.

Dmitri.

Don’t come, she thought.Please, don’t.

The lake was underneath her and, for a breathless second, she thought he was going to open his paws and drop her in the water. Instead, he flew over the shoreline and descended into a clearing. He set her down on her back, stepping away from her.

The pine stood tall making spikey shadows against the starlit sky. The ground was mossy, the dew soaking through her nightgown in an instant. She shivered, sitting up. He was still glowing from shifting back, bright yellow through his veins, lighting up the ground around his feet. He was naked but didn’t mind. He was wearing that horrible, terrifying smile.

Like he knew some terrible secret about her that she didn’t even know herself and was about to relay it, the glee impossible for him to contain.

She’d always hated that smile.

“He’s not stupid enough to shift,” she said.

“He will be,” Gregor said. “I just need to give him the right incentive.”

It took her a second to catch up, but then it hit her what that incentive might be. She got to her feet, holding a hand out, shaking her head at the threat.

“If you kill me,” she said slowly, “my father will tear this place apart. You understand? There’ll be nothing left for you to rule over.”

“This isn’t the only house,” Gregor said, voice thick with self-satisfaction. “Besides, home is where the heart is. Isn’t it? I’ll rebuild.”

“No, my father will tear this place apart to find out what happened to me,” she clarified. “You think he won’t find out it was you?”

Gregor stared at her, then barked a laugh, looking delighted at her thinking she was getting the better of him. He wasn’t buying it. He really was a complete idiot. He didn’t know her father, but he knew of men like him. What did he think was going to happen here?

“The kind of power you’re playing with,” she said. “It takes centuries to master. Look at you, even the thought of possessing it has corrupted you, you moron. You can’t see clearly! You don’t have what it takes to rule.”

Finally, the smile was wiped off his face, his gaze intense as he leveled her with a stare that told her exactly how much he wanted to hurt her. She took a step back. Then another, squirming against the damned wire. He looked pleased she was too restrained to fight back. It made her inner dragon rumble its protest through her chest.

Then he was running towards her, a growl in his throat as he grabbed her, pushing her down on the ground again.

She wasn’t going to plead, and she wasn’t going to cry. She kept her face impassive, directing her eyes on the skies above their heads as his hands closed around her throat, pressing down. He would have to tear her head off her shoulders to kill her, but she knew he had the strength to manage it.

A roar echoed through the clearing and the hands were off her throat, Gregor sailing through the air, landing with a thud somewhere nearby. And Dmitri was standing over her, one foot on either side of her waist, eyes on the fallen opponent. There was something purely dangerous in Dmitri’s expression.

He was out for a kill, glowing with the first stages of shifting.

“Don’t,” she whimpered, scared of what it would mean, not only for right now, but for the future. If he was caught in any image the military would never stop hunting him. They knew after centuries of persecution.

His eyes met hers.

“I have to,” he said.

With that he ran forward and, a moment later, the powerful strokes of his wings whipped her hair around her face. She watched him climb into the skies, turning her head to Gregor, who was standing where he’d landed, head tilted to follow Dmitri’s ascent.

He let out a soft growl, then ran forward and when he leaped, he shifted. Scales ripped across his skin as he grew ten times his human size, wings unfolding as he gave chase.

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