He moved closer and growled in my ear. “Your scent is driving me fucking insane.” His lips pressed against my neck just before his teeth scraped over the sensitive skin. “But you deser—”

  “If you say I deserve better one more time, you’re going to have the worst blue balls in the history of mankind,” I threatened with a rumble in my chest.

  I grabbed onto his face and kissed him again with all the pent-up need I’d been suppressing because he’d been right. There hadn’t been a right time or place for us to have this moment together, but I was tired of waiting.

  I needed him. His touch, his passion, his body.

  And he needed me, too, even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud.

  “Touch me, Cillian,” I said softly against his lips, and as if all the stars had finally aligned, he put me out of my damn misery.

  He unbuttoned my jeans and slid his hand further down, beneath my underwear and over my clit before slipping between my wet folds.

  I inhaled deeply, my chest expanding and fingers digging into his shoulders as my head lolled back.

  Fucking hell.

  He pushed a finger inside me, making my inner muscles instantly contract. His hand moved in and out, while my hips matched the movements.

  With his other hand, he gripped my chin to bring my head back and pressed his lips to mine. Our tongues quickly became tangled while his hand fucked me into the next century.

  His mouth captured my moans, and I clung to him like he was my lifeline. In that moment, it felt as if that was the truest thought in existence. My body needed his and the release I only wanted from him.

  When he slipped another finger inside me and his palm created beautiful friction over my clit, I nearly died from the relief.

  Desire unfurled from my core, spreading down my legs and up my chest at the same time. I deepened our kiss so that I didn’t scream within the echoing walls of the cave tunnels and held on for the ride.

  My body rocked against his, taking everything that it needed as I clung to him. My pussy tightened around his hand and then…euphoria.

  I crumpled against Cillian’s body, and he held me against his chest softly, kissing the side of my face when I could no longer hold my head up.

  “I mean, I knew I needed that, but I didn’t know how much I needed that,” I said breathily, trying to regain my composure so I could at least hold myself up.

  He brushed my hair back and he smiled down at me. “I needed it, too.”

  The back of my hand grazed over his erection. “You need a lot more than that.”

  “As much as I want to agree,” he said softly, “we’re out of time. But you helped get my head clear, which was also needed. I know what has to be done and not much else matters until then.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Killing Knox so that he can’t ever hurt you again.”

  That was a plan I was perfectly okay with.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  CILLIAN

  The fury I’d been consumed with as soon as I’d left Dawsyn’s side to make sure she’d be able to get through the portal had slowly dissipated. Though, when I’d heard her conversation with River, that rage had been mixed with something more complicated. My mate was giving up a lot to be with me, and I wouldn’t take that for granted.

  When she’d pushed me against that wall, I’d known there was no denying her needs, just like I’d been unable to before at the river. I’d smelled her arousal, and there wasn’t a single part of me that could find the want to disappoint her, privacy be damned.

  Though, declining my own needs wasn’t a problem. I was still adamant that the first time we had sex, we wouldn’t be rushed or somewhere that we couldn’t fully enjoy ourselves. Letting her do anything to me was going to lead to more. There’d be no stopping the drive to claim her once we took things further. I knew that without a single doubt in my mind.

  That didn’t mean my choice was easy to stick with. I did my best to focus on the fact that once this fight was over…she’d be all mine.

  Once we righted ourselves, Dawsyn and I headed back to the front of the cave where a group of others were already gathered outside the entrance.

  Lykem, Clay, Fane, and a few others spoke quietly until we approached, then made room for us to join them.

  “Are you ready?” Lykem asked.

  I nodded, but I wasn’t sure they were. “Do you have a plan, or are we just going to show up and hope for the best?”

  He gestured toward Dawsyn. “Since she said we won’t be able to get in on our own, I figured our best plan of attack was just to attack.”

  My friend wasn’t wrong, but he also wasn’t right.

  “If they feel safe within their underground bunker, they’re not going to come out when we have the advantage,” I said. “And we need to get in more than we need them to come out. Knox might have the door sealed to only open for him, but that doesn’t mean the tree is the only way to get inside.”

  Dawsyn grinned at me. “Are we going to blow up the ground?”

  She seemed a little too pleased with that for someone who I felt pretty confident hadn’t murdered anyone before.

  “Not exactly,” I replied. “I think if we bring in rocks big enough to weaken the surface above the tunnels, then we can open up several spots with our claws that will allow those who are fighting underground to get in. We don’t want to kill anyone with an explosion who doesn’t deserve to die.”

  Like my father, I thought, but didn’t say.

  I had no clue how he’d ended up as Knox’s prisoner, and I wasn’t sure how the others would feel about wanting to get him out of there, but my father hadn’t been far from my mind since Dawsyn had told me he was there.

  Clay glanced at Dawsyn. “How many other prisoners were there?”

  “Only one that I saw, but that doesn’t mean much,” she answered. “The rooms people are kept in are soundproof with no light. There could have been a dozen souls down there.” She then looked up at me. “I’d like to be the one to go down there and free them. I know where they’re at and can run as my wolf within the underground hallways.”

  I wanted to tell her no. I didn’t want her out of my sight, but more than that, I also knew I didn’t want her anywhere near Knox again.

  “Lykem will go with you,” I said, knowing that he was better off not fighting in his dragon form after the injuries he’d just sustained. “Nobody should be working alone today. Pick someone to fight alongside and stick with them. We have no idea who these dragons are or what they might be capable of. If they won’t stand down, strike them down. We can’t hesitate.”

  Heads nodded all around, and Dawsyn was still grinning before she began to speak again. “Do you have weapons? Not everyone will come out of the bunker, so more of you will need to prepare to be fighting in your human forms.”

  Clay patted his side, where I assumed a knife or two were hidden by his shirt. “We already have that covered. There are more blades in the storage room that we gathered yesterday for people to use.”

  “How many total do we have coming with us?” I asked.

  “Twenty-seven,” Lykem answered.

  That wasn’t as many as I’d thought there would be, but hopefully it was enough.

  I glanced up at the sky. It was darker than usual, and the air was growing heavier, which reminded me that Dawsyn didn’t need to be outside any longer than necessary with the wolfbane particles somehow floating around.

  “We leave in ten,” I said, then grabbed my mate’s hand and led her back inside where the air was cleaner and we could find weapons.

  She smiled at me again as we walked, so I asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Because you’re a leader here and don’t even know it,” she answered. “Those dragons respect you and would follow you into any battle.”

  “We respect each other and would do the same for any of us.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe, but they listened to you. Trusted you when you came up with the plan and seemed to agree to it without question. Drago may not have conventional leaders like we do back home, but you’re one of them, whether you admit it or not.”

  I wanted to disagree with her. Uncle Jerome had been a leader. Even my grandmother had been before she’d turned on us. But that was never me.

  Though, I couldn’t deny there had been a drive to take charge and protect the dragons here bleeding through me for weeks now.

  I was only doing what was best. That didn’t make me a leader.

  We arrived at the storage area where there were three tables set out and only a few blades still left on each. Dawsyn reached for a group of smaller ones and began tucking them into the sides of her socks then in her back pockets.

  “Don’t you want something bigger?” I asked.

  “Bigger isn’t always better.” She winked. “Thanks to my gender and size, I’ll be underestimated by most everyone we encounter, but I’m fast. I can move quicker with a smaller weapon.”

  She made a point that had me changing my selection. I grabbed two smaller blades that were tucked into my boots and one larger one in a sheath that I could clip to my pants.

  Dawsyn turned to leave the tunnel, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to me. “I know I can’t tell you what to do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t ask more from you than I should. If it comes to your life or someone else’s, choose yours. That includes my father. I’ve lived without everyone else. I don’t want to know what it feels like to live without you.”

  She pushed up onto her toes and kissed me. “I’m an alpha, and I’m the daughter of a Luna Marked wolf. You may not completely understand what that means, but just know you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

  “How do you know when you’ve never fought dragons before?” I asked, appreciating her confidence, but still unable to stop feeling the need to protect her.

  She pressed a palm to her chest. “In here. I have my wolf in my head as well. She’s been off in her quiet place for the last few days, channeling the new energy we felt before, figuring out how we can best use it to our advantage. I may not have experience battling dragons, but they haven’t fought me either.” She paused, then added, “I escaped that bunker once. I’ll do it again.”

  My hand wrapped around her neck, and I kissed her hard. “Just be safe.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “I’m going to have to shift and fly while you stay on the ground, but I’ll stay as close to you as possible.”

  She squeezed my hand and offered me a sweet smile. “Don’t worry about me.”

  The words fell on deaf ears.

  “Let’s go.” I led us back outside, seeing no point in furthering the conversation and letting my mind get wound up again. Nothing was going to change. Dawsyn was right. She was an alpha and, while I didn’t grow up around them, I understood the meaning. She would do whatever she thought was best, and there wasn’t a damn thing anyone could say to change her mind.

  When we arrived back outside, lightning was streaking across the sky and landing closer to the caves than ever before.

  Clay and Lykem were directing people who weren’t fighting to start traveling north, as far from here as possible.

  “And when do we come back?” Sereph asked, with Daron by her side.

  I suddenly understood why we had less fighters than I’d hoped. Some of them had to stay with the others.

  “When we come for you or never at all,” Clay answered her grimly.

  That had her face paling and throat bobbing, but it was the truth. While we had the team to win, Knox was ready for us and there were no guarantees in this battle.

  “We’re ready to go,” Lykem said once Sereph and Daron had left to start the evacuation of the cave.

  “So are we.” My hold on Dawsyn tightened as the lie left my mouth. I’d never be ready to head into a fight with my mate.

  But I also knew when I was out of options. None of this could be avoided.

  Our group of nearly thirty dragon shifters walked away from the cave, some with their other halves still clinging to them, others alone and prepared to die if that was what this came to.

  The air was thick and the mood tense, but we were in this together and that was most important.

  As soon as we were out of the tree line, I turned to Dawsyn, wrapping my arms around her again and pressing my mouth to her ear. “When we’re done here, I’m going to take you somewhere far away from anyone else.”

  “I will gladly let you.”

  Her steady heartbeat thrummed against me, calming my nerves as I anchored myself to her, even without the tether of our bond. I closed my eyes and just focused on my mate, knowing that no matter what, she was mine.

  Now and always.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  DAWSYN

  The further we moved away from the caves, the harder it was for me to breathe. Though, not impossible. I wasn’t sure how Knox had gotten a hold of wolfsbane and had filtered it through the air like this, but I was going to find whatever remnants of the plant are in Drago and burn them to ash.

  As promised, Cillian stayed close to me, flying above as I raced over the ground as my wolf. Even though the air burned our lungs, my wolf was charged with energy.

  The meditating did you good, I said.

  We’re not Luna Marked, she replied, even though that wasn’t where I was going to take the conversation just before a fight.

  But we’re not a normal wolf shifter, either, I countered.

  No, and this wasn’t a gift from the moon goddess, she said.

  That had my pulse increasing. Then, where the hell did the boost of power come from?

  The only thing I’ve been able to tell is the bond with Cillian.

  Yet, the bond with him is gone and we’re still glowing…

  I wanted to believe her, to grasp on to the hope that just because the physical presence of our bond hadn’t returned didn’t mean it was never coming back. Yet, the fear of it not being true made me believe otherwise.

  It was too late for further conversation.

  Lightning and fire began zipping through the sky toward us, some sailing past and toward the caves.

  I sent up a silent prayer that the others had already left and nobody would be hurt, then returned my focus to right in front of me.

  Bolts of dark energy hit the ground, sending tremors through the earth and creating cracks.

  We sidestepped and increased our speed while also watching the sky to make sure Cillian was okay.

  He was carrying a massive boulder within his clawed feet, and his wings flapped steadily. White energy crackled around his scales and when the next stream of fire came for us, my mate counteracted it with his own powers.

  The white magic around him funneled toward the front of his body, then sent a bolt of lightning toward the flames.

  I watched in amazement how the two energies collided, wrapping around each other, fighting for dominance, then exploding with a loud bang. Rain in the form of orange and white specks fell over us, but no longer held enough power to harm anyone.

  We were entering the dark forest then, and a chill raced down my spine. The last time I’d been in here, I’d lost my shit. I couldn’t let that happen again.

  We won’t, my wolf promised.

  My job was to lead the dragons toward the tree, then howl loudly as soon as I got there so they could start dropping the rocks to weaken the ground enough for us to break through from the top instead of trying to get past the door that supposedly only Knox could open.

  Running toward where I’d been held captive felt wrong, but there wasn’t anything that would stop me from going back. There was at least one person who needed saving, and I’d made myself a promise that I’d come back for him, even before I knew he was Cillian’s father.

  It might have taken us some time to get back here, but now that we were, I wasn’t leaving until the job was done.

  The forest was darker than I remembered, and the air burned not only my lungs now, but my skin as well. Though, in my wolf form, I could see further than when Knox had forced me along.

  How the hell is the wolfsbane penetrating the air so thoroughly? I asked, not really expecting an answer, which was good because a dragon came out of nowhere, wings tucked in at its sides and horned head pointed directly at us.

  My wolf rolled us over the ground, pushing our body as close to the surface as possible. When the dragon flew at us with his claws out, he only managed to nick a front leg.

  In return, we ripped open the underside of his tail before getting back to our feet and running faster toward the tree so we could alert the other dragons.

  The attacking dragon had turned around, but not quickly, thanks to its bigger size and all the trees, which allowed me to get ahead.

  With renewed determination, I felt the energy inside us rising and our speed increasing. The dragon didn’t seem to be able to do that in such tight quarters.

  We were far enough ahead now that I wasn’t as concerned with the beast behind us as I was with what we might find once we got to the tree where the door was.

  At the last second, I cut left and decided the door wasn’t where the dragons were going to be aiming anyway with their boulders. I needed to put them closer to the underground tunnel.

  The flapping of wings came closer, and the trees were opening up more in this area, but that didn’t stop the howl from ripping from my chest.

  Dozens of dragons roared in response, and then I was racing back in the other direction to avoid being crushed.

  Boulders dropped from high up in the sky, and I caught sight of Cillian again. His claws were empty this time, and the ground beneath my paws shook as more dragons did their jobs.

  I then realized that there was nowhere for Cillian, or really any of the others, to land and shift back.