The race across the sky took him out of the city. Every now and then, he had to dive through clouds. On any other day, the soft caress of the white mist would have soothed him, and he would’ve spread his wings to slide on the gentle currents of air, the motion as familiar as breathing to him.
Today, there was no thought in his heart but that of his mate, and the danger she was in.
He flew without slowing down, as fast as his wings could carry him, ignoring the pounding of his heart and the weariness of his wings as he drove himself past exhaustion. He could feel that he was slowly gaining on the other dragon—and then, abruptly, something changed.
A triumphant roar escaped his throat, scattering a fluffy, white cloud in front of him.
The other dragon had stopped moving.
Naomi was close now, Gregory could feel it. Rage at the other dragon who had dared to endanger his mate made the blood in his veins run hot.
All dragons were possessive, and Gregory had often felt the rush of jealousy when another dragon came too close to his hoard—or when another dared to bid on a painting he himself coveted at an auction.
But now, as he hurtled out of the sky, diving down towards where his heart could feel Naomi had come to rest, he knew that what he’d felt before was nothing against the emotions that now flooded through him.
Naomi was his mate. Naomi was the greatest treasure he’d ever find. And someone had dared to threaten her.
His dragon’s instincts had taken over. When he landed on a stony, lonely part of the shore where the shallow waves of the ocean lapped at gray rocks, there wasn’t much of human logic left in his mind. There was only the powerful, relentless instinct of the dragon to protect—and to fight anyone who came between him and his mate.
Naomi was bound to a spire of rock, close to the water.
As Gregory landed in a cloud of dust, he let out a loud roar of challenge. He could feel Naomi’s terror in his heart. But as much as he ached to free her and reassure her, the threat of the other dragon was too great. He couldn’t let down his guard even for a moment, or surely the other would take advantage.
Gregory bared his teeth at the sky. Spreading his wings once more, he was ready to lift off the moment he found a trace of his enemy—and then a stream of fire singed the rock to his right, just barely missing the tip of his wing.
Furious, Gregory catapulted himself into the air. The powerful instinct to protect his mate at all costs had fully taken over. He felt nothing but anger at the intruder.
The time for caution had passed.
Enraged, he barreled straight at the other dragon. The wind had been his element since the moment of his birth, but never before had he felt its power rise to such a degree.
When he opened his jaw to roar, a storm sprang up. Out of nowhere, storm clouds appeared, hail hitting the wings of the fire dragon before him.
Currents of wind propelled Gregory forward, faster and faster as the storm he’d called raged all around him. Great waves hit the rocky shore, the sea whipped up to a frothy rage.
The fire dragon was doing his best to hover in place, even as the storm hit him, awaiting Gregory with his wings spread and his jaw parted.
Gregory raced towards him. Any moment now it would be over. Any moment now and his mate would be safe...
Gregory opened his jaw, another roar escaping him, and with it, a mighty gust of air with the power of a tornado.
Never before had he unleashed such power. Once more he beat his wings, his teeth and claws bared for the moment when he would hit the fire dragon... And then, at the last moment, the other dragon folded his wings and dropped like a stone.
For the span of a heartbeat, he was beneath Gregory—and that was when he unleashed his fire against Gregory’s unguarded stomach and chest.
In agony, Gregory lost control over his powers. The wind that had so faithfully carried him a moment ago now buffeted him around. The fire had scorched him, his body burning with pain.
Frantically, Gregory beat his wings. Trying to catch himself before he hit the ground, his dragon’s soul was crying out for his mate, whose life depended on him—and then the ground came rushing up to him.
With his last strength, he thought of his mate, praying that even without a mate bond joining their souls, she would hear him somehow.
Run, he begged her. I can’t defeat him. Run!
Then everything went black.
Chapter Five: Naomi
Naomi wasn’t scared easily. She’d weathered too many catastrophes in her life for that.