Her hands reached for my face and I nudged her back with my head. Small hands. Soft, gentle hands. I won't hurt her. I would never...
Her green eyes glittered in the moonlight like stars, and her red hair had come loose from its tie, fanning around her head like a halo. Pretty, pretty treasure.
Situating myself above her was a task, but she didn't fight me. Just kept talking about someone named Sloane and how much she loved him.Mate. Mate. Mate.That’s all my head was screaming at me; it was the only thing I could hear over the hammering of my heart, which felt like it was going to burst out of my chest at any moment. Her small form beneath me looked delicate and breakable—how was I going to accomplish my goal?I have to breed her and make her mine completely. My body is ready. Perhaps flipping her would be best.
With a snort, I encouraged her to roll with the assistance of my large claw.
“GODS DAMMIT, SLOANE! FUCKING SNAP OUT OF IT!” the man screamed.
Gods, I wish he'd shut the fuck up.
“MASTER!”
I froze.
“Inferno! Inferno!”
Safe word. My... pet?
“Sloane, we love you. Come back, baby, please, please,” the female begged.
“Inferno, Master. Enough!”
My heart rate began to slow for the first time since... I couldn't even remember when. I shook my head. It was as though an invisible cage was being opened and suddenly, I had no idea where the hell I was.
Looking down, I found Red beneath me, naked and tear-stained.
No. Sloane, what the fuck have you done?!
I released a mournful roar and scrambled back, away from her. Away from the woman I’d sworn to protect. They'd both been tortured and abused so horrifically in that lab while I was forced to watch helplessly... and now, I was doing the same? I'd even secured Fischer in a ring of fire to ensure he couldn't interrupt.Jesus. I'm a fucking dragon and she's a woman.My mind spun with images I'd rather not think of ever again.
Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe, and everything sounded as if I was underwater. Racing through my mind were flashes of the things I’d seen in the lab, of slicing through Red’s clothes just now, even of how I’d betrayed everybody before.
They were going to be done with me. I would be, at this point.
I vaguely noticed the small bursts of fire igniting on my body before they quickly snuffed out, only to pop up elsewhere.
I’m losing it.
“Hey, hey.” Fischer’s soothing voice swept over me like a weighted blanket. “Breathe, babe. You’re okay. Shhh.”
My gaze flew over my surroundings and I spun back to look at Fischer. I couldn’t bear to look at Red right now. If I’d done what it looked like, I’d be throwing myself from this mountain just as soon as I could find the cliff.
“You didn't do what you're thinking,” he told me. “You were drugged in that lab and we got you out of there. But you didn’t hurt us.”
I still didn't remember. The last memory I could conjure up was Annie showing me her painting, though the actual design was hazy in my mind.Oh gods, Annie... Where was that little girl now?
“Sloane. Look at me. Please?” Red asked softly, her voice a little hoarse from the screaming she’d been doing. My eyes closed and I took a few deep breaths. I needed to be prepared for what I was about to see. Slowly, I opened them and scanned the scenery before me, spotting a rocky ledge. Tears were building in my eyes because I knew what I’d have to do once I saw her. Unforgivable. Unacceptable.
“Baby, please,” she whispered, as her words cracked with her plea.
I turned my huge body slowly, finding her before me. Her bare body was scratched from the forest floor, but I didn’t see any injuries. Aside from being naked and upset, Red didn't appear physically harmed. If I had gone through with breeding her, she would've been harmed for sure. The fire holding Fischer had now burned down low enough that he was able to leap the flames. He rushed down and wrapped our woman in his arms, staring at me with his penetrating oak-colored eyes.
“Sloane.” Saige’s soft voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I watched her gingerly move toward me. The moonlight coming through the trees illuminated her body and hair, making her glow like the goddess she was. She came to a stop right in front of me, her hand reaching for my snout, and I was careful to hold as still as possible. The last thing I wanted was to frighten her more than I already had. I couldn't believe she still wanted to be near me at all.
“Shift back, love. Come back to me,” she whispered. Fish came up behind her, placing his hand atop hers over my scaled cheek.
“We need you with us.” Fish’s words hit me in the heart like the sharpest arrow. The last I'd seen him, he'd been horribly beaten, his face disfigured from the abuse. How was he here now, looking like an avenging angel come to save my pitiful heart?
