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Without pausing, I let my beast free, just enough to let his wings out. Shouts behind me let me know I’ve pissed some people off, but I don’t care; I can’t stop to worry about them as my wings carry me up into the sky, my eyes scanning the crowd for her.

The only one who hasn’t shifted now is Garrett, and I can’t say I blame him. He’d do a lot more than knock some people over. As if able to hear my thoughts, his wings spring free from his back, and he shoots into the sky not far from me.

Neither of us says a word; we’re pretty good at avoiding one another. But right now, this isn’t about us, and the only thing more important to Garrett than this kingdom is his mate, the future queen.

Of that we can both agree.

“There!” he shouts, pointing toward the innermost wall of the kingdom. I look just in time to see her blue hair disappear into the tunnel.

When did she get so fast?

The others have no choice but to continue pushing through the crowd. Their beasts make them faster, but I have no doubt she will clear that tunnel, come out the other side, and be lost to us if we wait on them to catch up.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one who seems to realize that as Garrett and I fly higher. His red wings shine in the light, and his scales reflect the sun, blinding me if I look right at him.

Dragons are rare, and while he might hate me, I can’t say the same is true for how I feel about him. No, I envy him; he has everything. The kingdom, the power, a fierce beast who can help defend his home, parents who love him, and, most importantly, the girl.

One day Serena will be the queen… and she will have no place in her life for me.

That’s fine; I’ll enjoy my time with her while I have it.

Guards stand on the walls patrolling, pointing at us as we fly over them, and I can’t help but notice how unconcerned they are. Not one of them has a weapon or seems worried about why we might be flying over their heads. After the roar that almost shook the castle walls, I expected… something.

Shaking my head, I let it go, instead focusing back on what’s really important here.

Serena.

Garrett and I once again scan the crowd, which is impossibly bigger on this side of the first wall.

How had I never realized how many people live in the kingdom?

Movement catches my eye just as Serena joins us, hovering not far from the wall but still out of hearing range for anyone on it.

“Something’s wrong,” she repeats, and just like last time, I feel it too. The others have caught up now, sitting below where we hover in the sky, waiting. Serena looks around, worried about the kingdom, but all I can look at is her.

There are people everywhere. Families. Innocents.

Yet I would trade every single one of them if I could ensure Serena's safety from whatever is coming.

It’s wrong and terrible, but also true.

She thinks I’m good, and while there might be good in me, I will never be what Garrett is. He is the prince, and these are his people; it is his job to keep them safe. I have no such duty, but even if I did, it would be pointless.

The world could burn if it meant she was safe with me.

I would burn it.

Movement catches my eye, pulling me from my thoughts, and all three of us turn toward it.

What the hell?

A boulder soars through the air, and while someone could possibly be using control of their element to do that, it seems wrong. It’s too big; to move something that big would require a lot of magic and a lot of control. There doesn’t seem to be any control whatsoever, almost as if…

“Move!” My voice rings out around the kingdom, but even still, it’s not enough. There isn’t enough time or room as the boulder smashes into the wall, sending debris flying through the sky as it continues to plummet toward the crowd of people. Screams fill the air as they seem to finally realize what’s happening. Some shift, some freeze, and others run, but there isn’t enough time for it to matter.

Shadows whip past me, wrapping around the boulder like tentacles, and I curse Serena and her need to be so good. That’s not how things work. The boulder is moving too fast and weighs too much. I fly toward her as the boulder yanks her toward the ground, and we collide in the air, hard. I hear the air whoosh out of her lungs, but right now my only concern is keeping her from ending up like that boulder.

“Let it go,” I say through clenched teeth, but before she can respond, the weight shifts, lessening.