Page 16 of Breaking Briar

As much as I’ve been reluctant to do so, I have to let the dragon out. Only he can force his way to the center where we know our bride awaits. The air shimmers around me, turning molten as my body shakes.

Thankfully, none of my men are close enough to see me like this. If they were, they’d try to kill me. Not that I would hold any of them in contempt. But it hurts to know just how truly alone I really am.

Tipping my head up to the sky, I whisper my regrets as my skin bubbles and stretches, giving way to scales. Bones snap and crack, the sounds ominous and frightening. Pain splinters my brain, driving me to my knees.

Never in my life have I felt such agony. My limbs extend, twisting and turning until talons protrude where my nails once were. From my back, a searing heat is the only warning I have before wings slice through my flesh and fan out behind me.

Everything aches and hurts, driving my mind mad as the dragon takes a firmer hold on my psyche. Soon, I no longer exist. It is now both the dragon and I in coexistence. It’s as if I am now reborn, refashioned, and recreated into what I am meant to be.

As much as it hurts to undergo the transformation, being in this form feels freeing. No longer do I have to care about the thoughts of others. They are nothing to me. Mortals at the feet of a vicious god.

No. I cannot think that way. It’s not me. It’s the dragon. I still care about my friends and comrades in arms, but the dragon would rather rid the world of any threat. Shaking my head inside this beast, I force my mind to take in everything, grounding us to the earth.

Stretching out my arm, I note the thick scales. They’re gold with a tinge of red coating it. Granted, I can’t tell if that’s just the color of my scales or if it’s blood from where they eroded through my skin. Either way, it’s far lovelier than I could have imagined.

It feels regal. Fit for a king. The Dragon King.

I shake out my shoulders, reveling in the feeling of being able to fully stretch for the first time. Until now, I didn’t know just how cramped I felt contained in this body. It’s addictive.

Now I know why Master Balcom fought so hard. It was the only thing to keep these urges at bay. Even now, I feel the bloodlust swirling through me, far greater than it ever had before. I want to destroy, to tear the world apart, to get what I want.

And what I want, what the beast wants, is Briar.

Fire drips from my lips, blazing into the thick forest. Limbs turn to white ash and fall to the earth like cursed snowfall. Now, with the dragon in charge, the magical barrier doesn’t stand a chance.

The limbs simply can’t keep up. With each fiery breath, another foot disappears, allowing me to gain access. Though they might pop back up for another inch or so, the dragon demolishes them far faster than they can regenerate.

Over and over we battle the dark magic until all that remains is a door. Briar is behind there. We can smell her, sense her, and fairly taste her in the air. As much as I want to shift back into my human form to go claim my bride, the dragon refuses.

Danger still lurks around us. We just can’t see it yet.

CHAPTER 7

PHILIP

Awareness prickles down our spine as we look about, seeking out this new danger. No. Not new. This is someone I know, someone I’ve smelt before. The evil witch. The one who started all this to begin with.

She saunters out of the woods, the tip of her staff gleaming in the light of the waning sun. Her lips twist into a disgusted frown as she looks upon us in dragon form.

“As I thought. Abomination.”

There’s that word again, and all it does is stoke our combined anger into an inferno. With a mighty roar, the dragon sends out an arc of flames, surrounding the witch with his fiery breath. But it does not contain her.

With a sweep of her hand, she extinguishes the fire and cackles. “Is this all you can do, mighty dragon? Spit your pitiful flames at me? I have been to the pits of Hades and can control any dark magic you send my way.”

The dragon roars again, unsure why his major defense doesn’t work. His mind is cold and calculated, like an animal lacking reason but possessing an overabundance of cunning. He tracks her movements, sniffing the air as she flits about.

With a shriek, she moves her staff, sending an arc of magic hurtling toward us. At the last moment, the dragon slips to the right, letting the blur of red zip by, effectively dodging her attack. For something so massive, he’s able to move with the same agility as me on the battlefield.

Again, he sends out a burst of flames, but they have no effect. I can feel the rage and frustration pouring through me as if it’s my own. This isn’t working. Nothing he does makes even a dent.

There has to be something we’re not seeing. Reaching forward, he swipes at her, his massive talon ripping through her cloak, but missing her completely. Her laughter as she dances away bounces through my mind, fueling the ire driving us forward.

Like a wounded animal, the dragon roars, shaking the ground beneath us. I need to get control before it’s too late. As much as he’s assisted with the briars, he doesn’t seem to have any effect on the witch and her tools.

The dragon’s mind is like a sea of molasses as I wade through, trying to take control. He resists me, confident he can bring this evil woman to her knees. But I have strong doubts. We wrestle inside, both of us fighting for control.

It’s not until we reach an agreement that he finally gives way. But not completely. As my body becomes my own once more, it retains the better parts of him and the useful parts of me. In front of us, the witch watches, her mouth dropping open as my body becomes an unholy hybrid.