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Anger consumes me at the idea of her being hauled like a goddamn sack of potatoes in the back of this piece of shit’s car.

My roar shakes the sky.

My supernaturally enhanced vision catches the fucker—Michael D’Angelo—as he glances up through the windshield.

It’s just once. But it’s long enough for me to see his face.

The face of the motherfucker who dared lay a hand on what’s mine.

The Dragon demands vengeance.

Fire. Blood. Destruction.

But not here. Not yet.

I follow them as he takes another exit, cursing the bastard as he drives for another hour before pulling into an abandoned lot.

It’s some old industrial park.

I can feel Max and the others closing in. It’s just a matter of time before they’re here.

But I’m done waiting.

CHAPTER THIRTY-CASEY

The car jerks to a stop, tires grinding against gravel as we pull into a cracked and overgrown parking lot at the edge of what looks like a long-abandoned industrial park.

Weeds shoot through the asphalt.

A broken streetlamp leans precariously overhead.

There's no one here.

No one to see. No one to help.

Michael kills the engine and turns to look at me in the rearview mirror, his eyes cold, soulless.

I can’t believe I ever thought this man harmless. Or attractive.

It seems so wrong now that I’ve met Zeke. Now that I know what a real man is—even if he can turn into a Dragon.

Zeke is so much more than that. He’s my whole heart. He is the first and only man to really show me what love is.

God, I really don’t want this to be the end.

If I have any regrets at all, it’s on the time I wasted before seizing the day and telling him how much I love him.

I’m sorry we didn’t have more time, Zeke.

I want to rage at the whole world for the unfairness of it all. But I won’t do that in front of this asshole.

He doesn’t get to see me scared. He doesn’t get to make me cry.

Not anymore.

Not ever again.

“Well,” Michael says smoothly, like this is just another business transaction. “Looks like we’re finally gonna have that heart-to-heart, Case.”