“It’s go-time,” Gunnar said, cracking his neck as he pulled his head side to side while Diesel did the same.

  “Let’s move out in basilisk form. We need to get to the center of the vibration before worse damage is done.”

  Ajax couldn’t believe this was happening now, when he needed to be with his mate.

  But if he didn’t move now, everyone at the ranch might be in danger.

  The whole state of Texas, in fact.

  “Olivia,” he said, looking back and meeting her eyes. “Stay safe,” he mouthed to her, unsure if she would hear over the rumbling.

  Then he and the others disappeared into the ground, moving through the dirt until they could safely come up far enough from the ranch to turn into basilisks.

  As Ajax shifted into the giant monster he truly was, rising to tower over the ground and the ranch in the distance, he knew one thing.

  He would protect his mate at all costs.

  18

  Ajax and the other basilisks made quick time, following the vibrations of the earth moving.

  Ever since Ajax had seen that teal poison, he’d had an inkling this could happen, though it should have been impossible that the huge monster could stalk them again.

  They’d cut it in half, but somehow their greatest enemy of all time, the wyrm, the world serpent, was still alive.

  And it had found them.

  The vast Texas landscape, lit only by the glow of the pale moon, seemed to blur past Ajax as they passed the borders of Dragonclaw Ranch, headed deep into the mountains beyond.

  Into territory the basilisks had once claimed as their own before they’d awakened, searching for mates.

  Gunnar had told Ajax that the other dragons were going to stay back and guard everyone since the poison was far deadlier to them than to the basilisks.

  Ajax’s heart throbbed as he thought of Olivia. The hurt in her eyes. How he hadn’t been able to make her understand all the things he felt.

  But his duty as a monster protecting the earth came first. If he made it out of this alive, hopefully he could go find her and figure it all out still.

  A jagged range of sandy-colored mountains appeared ahead, though the landscape seemed different than he’d remembered.

  Then again, basilisks slept underground and only came out to fight. Which, in the past hundred years, had only been the cowboy dragon and his friends, ironically enough.

  Something isn’t right, Gunnar communicated through their unique way of passing sound through the ground, which made it rumble. They came to a stop, three huge, spiked monsters standing in the middle of a rocky wilderness populated only by scrubs and dirt and uninhabitable terrain.

  Home sweet home, Ajax thought darkly.

  They all peered around, feeling for movement.

  Then Ajax felt it beneath his claws.

  Movement. Like an earthquake. Only, instead of the ground shaking, something was shaking it.

  Something huge and heavy, much, much bigger than any basilisk or dragon.

  The black outline of the mountains a few miles ahead of him shook, vibrating from within.

  Then, with an explosion of earth and rock that snapped the jagged peaks into rubble, a huge shape broke free of them, charging at the basilisks as it slid across the ground at a furious pace.

  The wyrm. Shit.

  Even in the low light, Ajax could see the creature’s huge head, cobra-like, covered with sharp green scales that protruded at uneven intervals. Its eyes glowed a dark teal, slitted and reptilian, locking onto Ajax, who was standing in the middle of the three of them.

  Even the wyrm’s head was bigger than one of the basilisks alone.

  And as Ajax saw the serpent’s huge body emerge from beneath the mountains, cracking more of them asunder as it came out, he remembered why it had been called the world serpent.

  Its body was the width of a dragon, going on for what felt like miles and miles, as it coiled into itself as its head rose above them like a cobra about to strike. It bared fangs longer than streetlamps, which glinted in the light of the moon as Ajax saw bright-teal liquid dripping from its mouth, which sizzled into the ground, burning holes in the desert.

  Now it made sense why someone had found poison not far from here.

  It must have survived their last battle just barely and had been lying low, recovering, for countless years.

  And unlike other creatures that had existed from long ago—like the crater dragon—this one didn’t speak. It couldn’t be reasoned or negotiated with.

  All it knew was death.

  And, from the looks of it, it had come back from the brink of it to have its revenge on the three of them now.

  Gunnar, responding immediately to the terrible threat, glanced between him and Diesel. We have to move quick. Diesel, try to get ahold of it and use your strength to buy us time. I’ll keep him busy while you do that. Ajax… He looked over at Ajax, one red eye and one blue glowing in the dark. Do what you do best.

  In unison, like a trained team of monsters that had done this numerous times in the past, they broke off in three directions.

  Above them, the world snake rose higher, the hood around its face extending and showing patterns marred by battle scars. And when it hissed, the sound was almost deafening, piercing the air around Ajax.

  Ajax ignored it as he sheared off to the right, charging at full speed. Behind him, Gunnar flicked his giant tail, sending blue and black spikes flying toward the snake like arrows while Diesel attacked from the left.

  One of the spikes hit the snake in the side with a thunk while the others glanced off its impossibly thick hide and the razorlike protrusions all along its back and sides.

  Had it always been this big?

  Ajax feared it had only gotten bigger, and meaner, in the time that had passed.

  It reared back, and with horrific speed, its whole head came downward with a snap as it struck at Gunnar with its huge, poisonous fangs. Gunnar, quick on his feet, dodged to the side, swiping his claws at it as he did. He scratched it across the face, making it dodge back.

  For something so big, it was ridiculously fast.

  Ajax reached one part of the serpent’s body, coiled in a moving mass. And mustering all his rage, all his frustration at this world that seemed intent on digging up the past at the most inconvenient times, he chomped down on the beast’s hide, digging in his front talons for traction.

  The snake screeched, and its entire body moved back and forth, trying to shake Ajax off. On the other end, Ajax could see Diesel trying to hold on to another part of its body, yanking backward but being dragged as the earth gave way beneath his feet.

  Ajax held on harder, like a cowboy riding a bucking steer.

  Only if the steer were miles long and had the deadliest venom known to man or shifter.

  Suddenly, his claws lost purchase, and Ajax felt air as he was flung free from the writhing monster. He hit the ground hard, rolling before standing back up.

  Above him, the snake hissed again, and he saw teal gather from the base of its throat.

  Watch out! Gunnar’s voice came to him a split second before a stream of teal poison flew toward him.

  Ajax ducked, barely avoiding the acid as it flew at him like a projectile.

  Fuck, he wasn’t able to do that before…

  The ground to his side turned into a melting hole, and Ajax could hear sizzling on his back and scales where little bits of the stream had hit him.

  He grimaced to think of what would have happened if he hadn’t dodged.

  The beast inside Ajax burned with fury, and he let out a roar as huge rocks began to form around him, lifting off the ground and flying toward the gigantic snake.

  In a hail so thick he could barely see through it, Ajax sent them all flying at once, pelting the snake in the face, the body, anywhere and everywhere.

  But it wasn’t enough. And after several moments, the snake just looked even angrier, if that were possible.

  Hit him again. We’ll attack together, Gunnar said.

  Ajax did, focusing his mind as boulders the size of houses appeared and flew upward, taking all of Ajax’s strength to do so.

  As he did, Diesel and Gunnar both sent spikes from their tails and backs flying toward the creature, pelting him in a volley.

  But even as dozens of spikes hit their mark, sticking out of the world snake at horrible angles all over his face and body, the monster above them merely shook his head back and forth before baring his fangs again.

  Out of the ground, something exploded suddenly, and the world snake’s tail appeared, wrapping around Ajax’s thick leg and yanking backward.

  Acting quick, Ajax stabbed it with his tail spikes, making it let go. Then Ajax whirled around, grabbing the snake in his teeth as it writhed and undulated with movement that shook the earth.

  Take that, tricky bastard.

  With a wrenching motion, it was able to pull its tail free as green blood spewed from gashes Ajax had been able to make before the tail disappeared beneath the earth again.

  To Ajax’s horror, when he turned around, both Gunnar and Diesel were tangled up in the mass of curving, twisting reptile as the snake tried to wrap around his friends, probably to immobilize or crush them.

  I’ve got this, Diesel said as the snake’s body coiled around his legs as he struggled and snapped and tried to get free.

  Let me out, a voice inside Ajax rumbled, trying to break free so he could go help his friends. So he could end this monster and get back to his mate.

  Suddenly, he heard a voice on the wind, almost drowned out by the sound of earth being crushed by all the movement.

  Then, from high above, two winged shapes emerged through the clouds. One was bright blue with glittering sapphire scales and an agile, muscled body and long neck. The other was the first’s polar opposite, with radioactive-green eyes and jagged spikes all over its body and huge black leathery wings and a body nearly double the size of its partner.

  Jack and Troy.

  And riding atop Jack’s dragon form, there was a tiny figure Ajax could barely see, though he’d recognize her from any distance.

  Olivia.

  Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

  What was she doing here?

  We need to get to our mate, that voice, similar to his basilisk but not the same, said once more.

  She was motioning with her hands between the dragons as though she’d done this before somehow, and in a blur of black smoke and oozing green fire, Troy broke off and dove toward the world snake, spewing emerald fire across its body. There was a roaring, hissing blaze as the snake screeched terribly and its scales began to melt. Its grip loosened around Diesel and Gunnar long enough for them to pull free.

  “Take that, whatever the fuck you are!” Troy said with a cocky growl, flapping his terrifying wings as he turned around to make another pass.

  But not even Troy’s legendary black dragon poison was enough to stop the most venomous creature that ever existed. And Ajax didn’t even have time to decide if he was glad they’d showed up to help or pissed as hell for allowing his mate to be in the middle of this danger, because the serpent reared its head back, looking in the direction Troy was approaching from.

  “Troy, watch out for—”

  But Ajax’s sentence was cut off as a stream of teal shot from the snake’s mouth.

  Troy’s emerald eyes widened in shock, and he beat the air, flying higher to avoid it. But it wasn’t enough to avoid it entirely, and his left wing took a direct hit, making him lose altitude as he veered off from the snake.

  With a crash, Troy plummeted into the ground, and above, Jack flew rapidly to catch up to his partner, already breathing healing blue fire over him.

  Seeing its advantage, though, the snake moved toward the two dragons, and Jack turned around, keeping himself between the monster and his partner, who was still recovering. To his surprise, Jack shot out blue fire that was a lighter, more glowing blue, and the snake dodged back as the air in front of Jack crackled with incredible heat.

  Ajax didn’t know blue dragons that could do that.

  “Come for my partner and friend, and I’ll end you,” Jack snarled, his dark-blue eyes full of anger Ajax had never seen in the usually docile man. And as he did, Ajax saw Olivia slide off Jack’s neck to go check on Troy.

  But the snake was starting to form a ring around the dragons, trapping them with the length of his huge body. Off to the sides, Gunnar and Diesel tore into the creature in a flurry of fangs and razor-sharp claws. But for every gouge and slash to the snake’s long body, there was just too much monster to handle.

  If they had time, they could take it out slow. Wear it down, then rip it apart as they weakened its hide.

  But with Olivia and the double dragons in immediate danger, there wasn’t a second to lose.

  Ajax needed to be there with his mate.

  He needed wings.

  He needed the monster he’d kept locked inside him his whole life because he always wanted to be only a basilisk. The monster that got even angrier and more possessive than his basilisk already was. The one he’d never told his basilisk friends about from the moment they’d met long ago because the monster inside him was so like one of their natural enemies.

  But he had no choice now.

  He focused inward, and a glow surrounded his body as Ajax felt himself change, shifting from his armored, durable basilisk into something longer, sleeker, and slightly smaller. Huge wings unfurled on his back, glistening with opaque, ruby-red rock, and his scales became red too, shimmering all down his neck and back and tail.

  His dragon half.

  The snake was closing in, looking ready to strike at any moment as Jack fended him off with everything he had. Near him, Ajax could see Olivia’s eyes go wide as she spotted what had just happened, and her mouth hung open.

  There wasn’t time for explanation as he beat his wings as hard as he could and lifted off the ground.

  He’d never flown before, and it was strange not being connected to the earth at all since he’d been grounded his whole life.

  But only Olivia’s face was in Ajax’s thoughts as he attacked the snake from behind, slamming his red-spiked tail into the back of its head, drawing its attention away from his mate.

  The snake hissed angrily. And when spray after spray of teal venom flew toward Ajax, Ajax ducked and beat his wings with all his might, baiting the snake away from the others as it started to give chase.

  Attack this, fucker.

  With a wave of Ajax’s talons, huge mounds of earth upturned and smashed into the snake’s face, coming in waves the huge creature broke through, though without cost to itself.

  Ajax looked over his shoulder, still getting the hang of flying but thankfully much more agile in this form than his basilisk, though he still had access to his basilisk abilities. Behind him, he could see the scales around the snake’s face peeling back, its jagged spikes starting to break off from the rocky onslaught.

  And when he saw its glowing teal eyes, he knew what he had to do.

  Redirecting his movement completely, Ajax spun in a twisting motion that had him flying directly toward the world snake on a collision course.

  The snake, not expecting the thing that had been running a second ago to suddenly turn around and attack, stopped and reared upward defensively.

  But it didn’t have time to send its own venom flying as Ajax took in a deep breath, hoping this would work, and let all the heat and rage and energy inside him burst from the back of his throat.

  He wasn’t even sure what kind of fire his dragon had, he’d been living as a basilisk for so long.

  Millions of red shards of varying shapes and sizes exploded forth in a cone in front of him, slamming directly into the snake’s face in a hail so thick he could only see red for a second.

  Then, as he flew past, turning around, he watched as the snake writhed back and forth, more in pain than it ever had been. And when he looked closer, he could see that a jagged shard the size of a car was sticking out of the monster’s eye, causing blood to course down its face as it continued to screech angrily.

  He’d expected a little more fire in his dragon fire, but that worked.

  He knew the monster’s weak point now.

  And with wings, hitting it again would be a whole lot easier.

  To his dismay, the snake began to burrow, its body vibrating and pushing into the rocky earth, trying to bury itself beneath the endless dirt, hoping to escape.

  Not today.

  “Gunnar, Diesel, don’t let him get away.” Ajax’s voice boomed through the air as his friends watched agape for a split second.

  Then they shook their heads, thankfully ignoring the fact that their longtime friend had just turned into a fucking dragon, of all things, and charged at the snake.

  In unison, they dug their claws and teeth into the meatiest part of the snake’s body and yanked backward, pulling huge sections of the writhing mass with them. And when the snake struggled against them with all its might, they stayed firm, digging their feet in and holding on for the most epic match of tug-of-war the world had likely ever seen.

  The snake’s head, which had been decorated from end to end in a violent display of red shards, stopped burrowing and turned on the basilisks angrily.

  Which gave Ajax the exact opening he needed.

  Its one good eye blazed in fury, focused on Ajax’s friends for a split second.

  Ajax dove and rammed his talons into the beast’s eye socket, making blood spray onto his dragon’s arm. Even the damn thing’s blood was acidic, but Ajax ignored the sizzling on his scales as he thrust in a little deeper, then pulled away just as the snake threw its head back and forth violently.

  The whole thing was a mass of motion and pain right now, blind and damaged in a multitude of places.

  They had to end this for good. So nothing could ever be hurt by this monster again.

  Gunnar and Diesel held on as miles of reptilian mass slithered and shook back and forth. And to his surprise, Troy was running toward them as Jack flew close overhead, Olivia safely on his back again.

  Ajax would have to give them his thanks for keeping his mate safe.