They say dragons never truly die. No matter how many times you kill them.―Suzanne G. Rogers,?Jon Hansen and the Dragon Clan of YdenRandolph Belishaw stumbled down the alleyway, falling against a trash bin. His cold body shook. He couldn't think. Couldn't speak. Blood trailed down his cheeks as he clawed the sides of the metal dumpster and tried to stand.Must get to Jodie. Must warn Mikhail.The thoughts were a shining glow in the darkness that consumed him. Conrad Sinclair's poison still filled his veins like black sludge, preventing the dragon from coming to his aid. He was just a mortal manno, weaker than a mortal manand for the first time in his life, he felt true fear. Fear was something a dragon almost never experienced in its life. Being mortal had never been a possibility until tonight. And now it hung over his head like the sword of Damocles."Bloodyfuckinghell." He stumbled like a piss-poor drunk down the alley until he finally reached the street.He squinted at t

My task is set before me, girlMy mission clear and true.There'll be black knights and dragons, girlBut I will always come for you.―Emme RollinsMikhail stretched in his bed, seeking the warm feminine form of his mate.Mate. He had mated Piper. The thought of it made him grin, even half-awake."Little dove?" He rolled onto his back, opening his eyes. But she wasn't there. His bed was empty except for him. He sat up and let the sheets slip from his body."Piper?" he called out as he slid out of bed and retrieved his clothes. He listened to the sounds in the house as he dressed, ears straining to catch any sign of her.Nothing. A small knot of tension grew in his stomach."Piper?" he called again and left his bedroom. He searched every room, his anxiety spiking each time he came up empty. Where could she have gone?He reached the kitchen and froze when he saw a small piece of paper, folded up, his name scrawled across it.His stomach pitched south to his feet. "No" Mik

It simply isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any dragons.J. R. R. TolkienPiper screamed as Mikhail grunted and fell back, but Conrad was not through with him, not by a long shot. Mikhail tried to fight back, but it was clear he had been weakened from whatever Conrad had put in the syringe. Blow after blow struck Mikhail, in the ribs, in the head, in the back, until he finally had no energy left to defend himself. Only then did Conrad finally stop. Piper was hoarse from screaming. Conrad pocketed the car keys and stared at Mikhail's body, his face filled with loathing."It's nothing personal, Barinov. Oh, who am I kidding? It's become very personal. But it's more than that. You became too human. Mating for love? Mating with a human? Didn't you learn anything from Elizabeth? She played us both for fools, but unlike you, I learned my lesson. Humans are not meant to survive, not like us. And dragons who weaken our lines and destroy our race by settling for humans, don'

Piper stared at the dark green dragon. He was beautiful, and she knew him. He was hers. Her dragon wanted to dance and nuzzle against him. But the sight of the carMikhail's cardriving away grabbed her attention. That car needed to be stopped. Her mate nudged her shoulder with his snout, urging her to follow. He took a running start and leaped skyward, his wings flapping hard enough to create a small windstorm. Piper ignored the flutter of nerves at thinking this was her first flight; even her dragon was nervous. It had been asleep for so long. But she did exactly what she'd seen Mikhail do. There was a second of gut-wrenching panic when she lifted into the air, and then she was shooting even higher, her wings catching the wind, and she was flying.Their wings pulled them forward through the night air like twin bolts of lightning, until they were alongside the retreating vehicle. Mikhail angled his wings, making a sharp turn back toward land, and she copied him. They flew toward the

Piper sat on the edge of Mikhail's bed, watching him undress. It was close to midnight. They'd had a wonderful dinner with Grigori and Madelyn, who at this moment were settling in for the night in a bedroom down the hall."It's time for our little talk." Mikhail came over to stand in front of her, wearing only his jeans with the top button undone. He did that on purpose, she supposed. Something about him in just jeans made her a little crazy. She stared at his chest until he cupped her chin and tilted her head to look up at him."Hmmm?" "We need to talk," he repeated. His green eyes were warm. Piper couldn't help but smile, even though there was a sudden flutter of nerves in her belly. She held her breath as she tried to stay calm."Is it a good talk or a bad talk?" "A good talkI hope." He brushed the pad of his thumb over her lips and flashed her a smile. Then he knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his."So much has happened this last week. I know you still need time to