Page 96 of The Mating Claim

“Hey, what gives?” sheprotested.

Drust dumped her on the sand a good ways from the water. “Return to the house, lock all the doors andwindows.”

“If you would stop manhandlingme…”

She went quiet, staring at thewater.

The dark green tornado whipped from side to side and then he sawit.

Three dragon heads perched on serpentine necks rose from the water. The beast snarled, showing rows of razor sharp teeth as it stood, its scaled body representing a dragon. Yet this was no mere dragon, but a mythical beast come to life, sprung from anightmare.

“What the hell is that?” Lacey’s jawdropped.

“Hydra.” Forget the house, no concrete structure could withstand this monster. The only resort was her dragonform.

“Shift into your dragon and flyaway!”

His entire body stiffened as lightning shot from the clouds, striking the water. The Gulf of Mexico boiled in afury.

“Lacey, getback.”

But she continued staring at the storm, oblivious of the danger. “Drust, something’s wrong. I can’t shift into adragon.”

The panic in her voice added to his own alarm. When he turned toward her, alarm turned intodread.

Blood had drained from her face, and her tanned skin looked pale and sickly. But it was her eyes that indicated something was terriblywrong.

Instead of a clear forest green, they were yellow, with slitted irises. Dragoneyes.

The magick in his seed had faded, leaving the book’s dark influence to take over hersoul…

“Stop calling on your magick.” He clasped her shoulders, hoping his own magick would help ground her, calm her down. “Think of yourself as human. Notdragon.”

“But…”

“Do it.” He put a note of command in hisvoice.

Lacey took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and then opened them. They were a normalgreen.

“Go to the house, lock all the doors and hide in the shower. Douse yourself with water so the creature cannot get yourscent.”

Panic flared on her face. “What about you? You can’t stay here alone and face thatthing?!”

“I’m immortal. You arenot.”

He waved a hand and she dematerialized. Inside the house, Lacey stood a better chance ofsurviving.

Drust clothed himself in his wizard clothing, needing the comfort of familiar clothing for thisfight.

Wind whipped his hair, fluttering his clothes. Lightning burst out of the clouds, illuminating the sky as thunder cracked. The three-headed hydra swayed, moving toward him, its direction aimed at the house beyond and the woman he needed toprotect.

Fog snaked over the sands, obscuring view of the churning Gulf waters. Drust waited, reserving his energy. Silence descended, thick and menacing. He could not hear anything, not even the beating of his immortalheart.

Wizards could die, Tristan told him. Their immortality did not mean they were invincible. They could suffer pain aswell.

Still, he waited. Muscles tensed, but like an athlete readying himself for competition, he remainedready.

A dragon head popped out of the fog, mouth opened wide, ready to tear himapart.