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"We will return to your cave, near the lake with no name. I want you to shift into a woman and wander outside the enchanted mist. Wait for Scaldric to land on the ground by you. We lure him out with you as bait."

"Bait?" I repeat, and an involuntary shiver racks my body.

“Unless you are unwilling to do so.”

My fingers curl into fists at my sides. I grimace at the thought of dangling myself in front of Scaldric like a scrap of meat. I will be all but helpless.

"I'm afraid," I confess. "But I trust you.”

"I won't let him hurt you." His voice carries the weight of a vow. "Convince Scaldric to shift into a human. Do whatever it takes. While he's vulnerable, I will strike."

My hand tightens around his. “Will you kill Scaldric?”

“I will do what I must.” His thumb brushes over my knuckles. "Ready to end this?"

"No more running. No more hiding." Determination steels my voice. "Let's finish the fight that Scaldric started."

Rook pulls me close, pressing his forehead to mine. His shadow wings curl around us like a protective shroud. We share this moment of silence, our breaths mingling.

"Together," he murmurs, the gravel in his voice roughening.

"Together," I echo.

Morning dawns, cold and rainy.

We fly back to the mountains, where enchanted mist cloaks the land around my cave. Scaldric still circles in the sky, his golden scales glinting, but I land by the nameless lake before he can see my arrival. The mist welcomes us into its cold embrace.

I shift back into a woman. Naked, shivering, I stand ready. It has begun to rain, the water clinging to Rook's silver hair and his steel armor borrowed from long-dead kings.

Rook kisses me on the forehead. "You're stronger than you know."

"I hope so," I whisper.

With a silent nod, Rook vanishes in the mist. I turn my back on him and take a steadying breath. Behind me lies safety—ahead of me, danger. I start to walk along the lake.

I leave the safety of Lark's enchanted mist, each step carrying me farther from protection. The nameless lake stretches before me, its dark waters rippling under the onslaught of rain. My bare feet sink into the wet gravel of the shore.

My heart pounds so hard I can barely hear anything else. The muscles between my shoulder blades tense and twitch, anticipating the slash of claws or the rush of wings above. I scan the clouds, searching for that flash of gold.

The rain grows heavier, plastering my red hair to my shoulders. I continue walking the shoreline, exposed and naked and vulnerable in my human form. Every shadow makes me flinch. Every gust of wind could be his wings.

I know he's watching. Dragons are patient hunters—I should know. He will wait until I'm exactly where he wants me before he strikes. My fingers curl into fists at my sides as I force myself to keep moving forward.

A branch snaps in the forest to my right. I freeze but don't turn to look. Keep walking. One foot in front of the other. The gravel yields to pebbles that dig into my feet.

Thunder rolls across the mountains. Or is it a dragon's roar? My breath catches in my throat as I strain to tell the difference. The waiting is worse than any attack.

My heart slams against my ribs. He's coming. Any moment now, those massive talons will close around me.

I reach a jutting peninsula of rocks that forces me to wade into the shallows. The icy water bites at my ankles. I'm completely exposed now, away from the tree line, away from cover.

Defiant, I lift my face to the sky. "Scaldric!" My voice echoes out over the lake in a challenge.

Scaldric swoops down from the sky and plunges into the lake, spraying icy water everywhere. My heart stops. His massive golden form towers above me, water cascading off his scales. Steam rises from his flanks, his dragonfire hot within his chest.

"Pyrah." His voice rumbles through my bones.

I wrap my arms around myself, letting my vulnerability show. My tears mix with the rain on my cheeks. "You've been protecting me, haven't you? Following me, watching over me."

"Yes." His head lowers, his icy eyes studying my face.

"And you told me..." My voice breaks. I swallow hard. "You told me I would return to you. You were right."

The water ripples around my thighs as I take a step closer.

My hands shake. "I'm ready now. Ready to be with you.

" The lie tastes like ash on my tongue. "But not like this.

Not as dragons." I reach out, letting my fingers brush the scales along his neck.

"I want to feel you as a man. To truly be your mate. "

Surprise flashes in Scaldric's eyes. "You do?"

"I was wrong about the demon. Wrong about what I wanted." Tears spill freely down my face now. I pray he mistakes them for relief rather than revulsion. "Please," I whisper.

Scaldric shifts, his massive dragon form collapsing into the shape of a man. He stands before me, naked and proud, water streaming down his pale skin. My stomach churns at the sight of him, but I force myself to give him a false smile.

Let him believe that I am weaker than he is.

"Pyrah." Scaldric's cold blue eyes drink me in as he steps closer. "My beautiful mate." His fingers trace my cheekbone. "I knew you would come to your senses."

I tilt my face up to him, though every instinct screams to run. His lips crush against mine, possessive and demanding. I don't return the kiss but pretend to submit to him. My hands rest on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath my palms.

A twig snaps.

Scaldric breaks the kiss, his head whipping toward the sound.

But he's too late.

Rook bursts from the mist, his bastard sword gleaming. The blade arcs through the air with deadly precision. Scaldric throws his arm up to block the blow.

Steel bites deep into flesh and hits bone. Blood sprays across my face as Scaldric roars in pain, the sword lodged deep in his forearm. I stumble backward into the icy lake, my heart hammering. The water turns crimson around us.

Scaldric shudders, his skin patterned by scales. Shifting.

Rook yanks his blade from Scaldric's arm with a savage twist. Blood arcs through the rain as Scaldric's skin ripples with scales. His skin turns to a golden hue. But before he can complete the shift, Rook strikes again.

The bastard sword slashes across Scaldric's chest. Another blow opens his thigh. Rook moves like death incarnate, each strike precise and merciless. His shadow wings unfurl.

Scaldric tries to defend himself, but Rook is everywhere at once. The demon in him has awakened fully—his red eyes burn like hellfire, his silver skin gleams with an unholy light.

I have never seen Rook like this before. Gone is any trace of humanity. He moves with supernatural speed and grace, dealing death with every swing.

Blood flows freely from Scaldric's wounds.

Each time scales begin to form on his skin, Rook's blade finds flesh.

The water churns red around us. Blood mats Scaldric's hair to his face.

Scaldric can't maintain his concentration long enough to shift—the pain keeps him locked in his vulnerable human form.

Scaldric's fist connects with Rook's jaw in a brutal crack. Rook stumbles backward, his boots slipping in the bloody water. My heart lurches as Rook's sword drops.

Golden scales ripple across Scaldric's skin. His wounds begin knitting together, flesh closing before my eyes, his healing accelerated. His spine elongates, horns bursting from his skull. The transformation has begun.

"No!" The word tears from my throat.

I don't think. I don't plan. Raw fury ignites in my blood. The shift rips through me like lightning, faster than it has ever come before. My bones crack and re-form. My skin hardens to crimson scales. Wings burst from my back as I unleash my power.