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Flames heated the sky in front of Keres.

He snapped back into his own mind mid-plummet.

Ahead of him, a young amethyst dragon frantically flapped his wings in a desperate attempt to stay in front of Keres.

A few more minutes and the last of the smaller dragon’s energy would run out.

Keres could end him with one snap of his powerful jaw.

Keres shook off the blood lust that sizzled through his veins.

Seizing control, Keres diverted from his target and flew in the opposite direction without another look at his prey.

The black dragon wanted to end the usurper for daring to appear on the horizon.

Even though Keres was miles from his territory, he’d reacted as if the other dragon had trespassed.

His lack of control both angered and frightened him.

And I had no idea what was happening.

The animal side of him had taken complete control, pushing Keres’s logic and reasoning out of his skull.

A roar burst from his throat as a final warning to his victim, who had disappeared from view as his dragon refused to back down completely.

His jumbled thoughts continued to untangle until Keres could think rationally .

Still pissed off, he headed toward his mountain. Keres could isolate himself there until he was totally back in control. A movement to his left made him wheel around to face the incoming threat. Claws ready to attack, Keres readied his fire.

Keres! Stand down. Two mates are here. Drake’s voice echoed in his head.

The alert didn’t process. Battle lust raged inside Keres. How dare the dragons approach his territory? He would teach them a lesson they’d never forget.

Rising into the sky, he loomed over the bronze, blue, and gold dragons. While he recognized them as those of his horde, Keres didn’t think past them trespassing on his land. He screeched with anger, not to warn the invaders, but to make sure his voice was the last thing they remembered.

Keres! Please don’t hurt my Daddies!

The quiet voice sounded both scared and brave. That made him hesitate and allowed Keres a moment to think. He couldn’t attack horde members. They were the only ones he trusted. Shame filled his heart.

Skye. Tell your Daddies to leave my mountain!

Keres? You’re over Ardon’s lair. We’re going to visit for a tea party with Aurora. Come join us. You must be hangry.

Her sweet logic rocked him out of the blood rage filling his thoughts. He looked around and discovered Skye was correct. He wasn’t on his land.

Wheeling, Keres headed for his lair. Drake, Oldrik, and Ardon sent him messages he didn’t bother to hear. It would be the same old Keres, you have a problem , panicked message they’d sent repeatedly the last few weeks.

Keres, I’m worried about you. Skye’s voice registered on him. He could feel the concern in her thought.

Shaking away the last of his anger, Keres knew he had to face the truth.

He was losing it. This was not the first time he’ d snapped out of a fit of rage and violence.

Without his own mate’s gentle influence, the dragon inside him chose violence over sanity.

Keres couldn’t ignore the risks anymore. He’d almost injured Skye and Aurora.

His top-level staff had refused to follow his directions to close his estate.

They’d finally agreed to operate without him for one year.

After that time period, if he hadn’t returned, they’d meet with all those who worked on his territory and made his land their home to undertake the process of readying his estate.

The horde would need to invite another dragon to take his place.

Keres didn’t allow himself to dwell on this. Mine.

Even through his frustration, Keres appreciated they were loyal and not willing to give up on him. Stalking out of the estate, he sent a message to the only dragon shifter who could possibly help him.

Oldrik. I need to meet with you alone.

Ardon and I can leave Skye when she naps. Want to meet on the field at the west side of town?

No Ardon. I need you to come alone, Oldrik. I promise you are safe.

I don’t need Ardon to protect me, Keres. Oldrik’s voice resounded with anger.

Of course you don’t. I’ll rephrase that to tell you I’ll scan for traps. I meant no offense.

Good. This afternoon at three?

Arriving at the meeting location early, Keres scouted from above before landing. Paranoia apparently went hand in hand with flashes of rage. Keres forced himself to focus and release the aggression that easily built inside him.

Keres shifted and waited for Oldrik to arrive. When the sun glinted off bronze wings, he relaxed slightly. Oldrik had come. Battling the black thoughts that lurked in the corners of his mind, Keres realized he’d almost waited too long to have this conversation.

“Oldrik. Thank you for meeting me.”

“I don’t enjoy discussing anything without my mate and Ardon. You said this was urgent,” the dragon shifter stated bluntly.

“Tell me where your sister is.” Keres got straight to the point.

“Why?” Oldrik asked.

“You know why. It’s the end for me. I’ll replace myself for the horde.”

“Your mate might be on the next transport,” Oldrik pointed out.

“The numbers of those arriving have dwindled to a handful every month. The list of missing Wyverns is blank, except for a few older people. No more mates are arriving now, Oldrik. I have to face the truth. There isn’t a mate for me in this generation.

I can’t last for another one. It’s over for me. Tell me where she is.”

“I can’t do that for her safety, Keres.”

“I will swear an oath to you. Over all these years, I’ve proven to you my word, once given, is solid. That hasn’t changed. I will treat her well.”

“I’m not sure exactly where she is.”

“Tell me everything you can. I’ll find her,” Keres assured him. “I need a hint of where to start.”

Keres studied Oldrik’s expression as the bronze dragon considered his options.

Rare female dragons battled for survival as shifters doomed to madness sought them as a last option.

He couldn’t imagine a life that didn’t involve flight and freedom—all those things a dragon craved.

For eons, females existed only to give life to new dragons.

The procreation process couldn’t be easy for them, taken by a dragon barely holding on to sanity without a mate bond to make it pleasurable.

Keres met Oldrik’s gaze. “I will plead my case with your sister and hope she will help. I will accept no as an answer. Death will come to me either way. I will not drag an innocent into the torture that besieges me.”

“I have your word on that?” Oldrik’s focus was laser sharp.

“You have my word.”

“The last I heard, she was in a small hilltop in Montana. I do not know the town’s name or have an address. Rimi mentioned the construction of a new sports arena that might force her to move.”

“Thank you, Oldrik.”

“Bring her back, Keres. She deserves to live in the light.”

Keres met his gaze and nodded. There wouldn’t be a good end for him, but perhaps something positive could come out of this. The horde would protect his offspring and Oldrik’s sister.

Every day Keres battled the urge to return to his territory. What could the other dragons in his horde do? He could take them. The violence that echoed within his brain made him fearless.

A thin sliver of reality remained inside him.

These were the members of his horde. Together they had fought shoulder to shoulder, protecting each other as well as the citizens of Wyvern.

Deep in his brain, the need to keep them safe overruled the growing blackness of his soul.

It was better for him to keep searching—hundreds of miles from his allies and their mates.

He forced himself to stay away. Ranging farther and farther, Keres scoured the area below for the only being who could help him regain himself. Rimi.

One month into his search, Keres circled over a medium-sized city.

Montana had proven tough to scout. It was a big state with large empty spaces.

Every time Keres thought he might have found a mountain with a view of a partially constructed arena, his investigations had resulted in eliminating it.

Hell, by this time, he was searching for any type of construction.

The current city had a university with the footings of a new football stadium abandoned in a field. The community had repurposed the materials and supplies had gone to serve the residents. Going to college and defeating rival football teams were a thing of the past now.

After landing on a mountain crest, he watched the people moving below.

On closer inspection, it was obvious this wasn’t a functioning community.

Bands of armed men roamed through the street.

At times, an individual would dart out into the open at full speed and retrace their steps with their arms full.

In random places, including in the middle of the street, bodies lay still.

From the stench that reached him, they’d lain there for a long time.

This was the opposite of Wyvern. Some had grabbed power and forced their authority on the city dwellers.

The supplies in the store had to be nearly depleted by now.

He couldn’t spot a garden or livestock area.

The next winter would eliminate the townsfolk.

These people were already dead. They simply hadn’t realized it yet.

Keres didn’t feel sorry for them. They’d done it to themselves.

Too bad the forefathers of this settlement had not created an agreement with dragon protectors. Keres turned his attention to the mountains with a view of the stadium. Two stood near the construction site. Neither had an opening he could see .

Keres chose one randomly and spiraled around it from base to tip. Nothing. Not even a small crevasse that someone might catch glimpses of the construction site through. His investigation of the second yielded the same results.

Time to move on. Wait. What is that?

Battling the hope that kindled inside him, he headed for a mountain some distance from the two overlooking the arena. Was that an opening? It was on the side but would still provide a view of the area.

A much better location.

A dragon concerned about his or her safety would wisely choose that mountain over the others. Keres stifled his excitement. This could be another dead end.

Were those claw marks on the ledge? Yes .

Keres considered his options. Enter and see who was inside or observe from a distance. His claws gripped the rocky edge of the opening before he realized he’d decided. He strode confidently inside.

I am Keres, horde member of Oldrik.

Silence answered his announcement. Could the resident dragon have abandoned the cave before he arrived? Fury sparked in his gut. If he was too late…. Fighting back his desperation, Keres sent out a louder message. If Oldrik’s sister was inside, she had to hear him.

Rimi. I mean you no harm. I promised Oldrik I would simply talk to you.

A scent wavered in the air. Keres lifted his snout to inhale deeply. What was that deliciousness wafting toward him? Something he’d never experienced before. He walked further into the cave. Keres threw himself backward when a movement whispered from his left.

Pissed, yet impressed at the same time, Keres considered the massive, sharpened blade that now swung harmlessly back and forth across the entrance. Had he not moved to the side instinctively, his head would now be rolling around on the stony floor.

Not nice, Rimi. You need to work on how you greet your guests.

Guest! Try invader! Turn around now, dragon. That was the easy one to avoid.

He controlled his reaction to her response. He’d found her! What is that smell, Rimi? It’s delectable.

She didn’t answer him.

Cautiously, he continued into the cave. The entrance split.

On the right, spiderwebs decorated the ceiling, and the ground looked undisturbed.

Tracks led down the path to the left. Keres could see the scrape of scales along the walls.

That was logically the frequently traveled way, but that scent came from the unused one.

Trusting his nose, Keres chose the unused trail. Whatever that appealing aroma was, he needed to find it. Three steps in, a rumble to his left told him the other tunnel had just collapsed. A chuckle escaped his lips. He couldn’t wait to meet the kick-ass dragon who’d tried to eliminate him.

Too obvious, Rimi.

A fifty-fifty choice. The odds won’t be so good for you soon. Better go back and save your pretty scales.

You think I’m pretty? Aw. Thank you, Rimi.

Why are you here, Keres?

I’m losing my mind. I’ve been without a mate for too long.

Such a sad story. It doesn’t answer my question. Why are you here?

To save my horde the trouble of killing me. Keres was almost to the end of the passage. She would have to make another move soon.

So, you came here for me to kill you ?

No. I wouldn’t put that burden on anyone.

You came here to die?

Keres didn’t answer. An inner chamber glowed through the doorway ahead. What safeguards waited there? He considered the slight downward slope of the passage. Gravity might help him here.

After scanning the walls, Keres picked out a large round stone. He coaxed it out from its resting spot with his paw, working as silently as possible. When it slid free, he gently kicked it, rolling the roughly two-hundred-pound rock through the opening like a goal-earning soccer ball.

Flames rolled toward him. Keres ducked his head to protect his eyes from the blast and enjoyed the fiery bath. When it ended, he forced away his disappointment.

Still here, Rimi. I’m a black dragon. Remember my pretty scales? It would take at least ten times that amount of firepower to end me.

A second round of fire blazed through the opening. It lasted four times longer. Towards the end, the intensity fizzled out to a gentle warmth. She was out of energy.