Page 73 of The Dragons’ Eternal Mate

End this! Protect our mate!

After I pulled my wings in, I flew down toward Byron, grabbing hold of him as we both plummeted to the ground. The crash landing was monumental, leaving a small crater where Byron’s now-broken body had hit the earth. My own leg throbbed from colliding with the ground, the scratches beneath my scales pulsing, but I just snarled at Byron, locking my stare onto his. He tried and failed to growl, barely able to hold up his head. Regardless of his weakness, though, he attempted to summon more dragon fire. He wasn’t going to back down. One of his wings was bent at an unnatural angle. It was broken. Badly.

I stared at him, hoping my gaze conveyed just how much I despised the fucker.

In a snap of movement, I grabbed Byron’s jaw, forcing it apart until the bones snapped. His yellow eyes flared wide, panic filling their depths, any sign of bravado gone. I hadn’t used it in ages, but I pulled from that deep well inside me, and the power rushed to the surface, my entire being thrumming with deadly purpose.

And I unleashed the full wrath of my dragon fire down Byron’s throat.

I made sure every spark and ember found its way down his gullet, burning him from the inside out. There would be no casualties. Byron would not walk out of this clearing, and deep down, I knew Cyrus was next.

An enormous boom of cheers shot out of the crowd around me. I dropped Byron’s head, letting it fall to the ground, smoke billowing out of his mouth and nose. His vacant stare on his face was eerie, and I turned to face my horde, my friends and family, my clan, my mate.

Rowan.

Throbbing aches snaked through my body as I forced myself to shift into human form, landing on my hands and knees in the beaten earth. But it was nothing compared to the relief and pride that swelled through me.

Covered in blood, I rushed up to Rowan, throwing my arms around her as she sobbed, my leg protesting the movement. That’d been far too close for my liking, and I knew she was panicking, fearing the worst when Byron got his jaw around my leg. In fact, I’d be making a trip to her clinic to clean those scratches up as soon as I officially declared my victory.

I looked out over the gathered horde members, two large groups of dragons eyeing me with shock and reverence, celebration and relief. I nodded for my clanmates to join me, and they jogged over to me. They stood at my back as I cast my eyes over the North Oak horde, my stare landing on Nina and Griffin, Allison and Colin, Celia, and of course, Ma, who had been given a chair a fair distance away from the battleground, despite her numerous protests.

My chest squeezed at the sight. My people, who I adored more than anything: my people I had a duty to protect.

“Let it be known here and now,” I called out, my voice echoing through the clearing as I scanned my gaze over the crowd, “Birch Creek now belongs to North Oak. You will be treated as one of us, so long as you dismiss any alliance to Byron and his beliefs, as well as my uncle, Cyrus, who has hidden like a coward among you.”

A rumble of agreement roared from behind me, the new members of our horde bowing their heads to me, some even taking a knee.

“As one of the Alphas here, champion of this challenge, I declare Allison and her mate, Colin, are forgiven for any previous slights. She is free to be with her mate, to honor her heart.” I looked at Rowan, and she smiled up at me, tears clinging to the corners of her eyes. “Birch Creek is no more. Long live North Oak!”

Eyes flared wide through the onlookers, and each member of the former Birch Creek horde bowed. A rising cheer erupted, and I turned to my clan, smiling proudly as we stood together as one.

After a moment, the intensity subsided, at least from the crowd, and I turned to Rowan, pulling her closer. Every fiber in my being hummed, desperation pumping through me as my body maintained a partial shift, eyes glowing, claws extended. I had to have her. I’d just bathed in the blood of the man who’d tried to destroy my horde, and I fucking needed Rowan like I needed oxygen.

“We need to go.” I narrowed my eyes on her, heat rushing through me. “Now.”

Her brow furrowed. “Are you hurt?” Concern plagued her stare, and I shook my head. “No. I’m hungry.”

I let the weight of that one word land as I gazed at her, pulling Rowan against me so I could feel her, so I could breathe her in.

Her brows rose up to her hairline, eyes wide. “Oh.”

I needed to haul her fantastic ass to the closest place where we could be alone. I needed my mate, and I wasn’t waiting.

Rowan

Orsen didn’t take long to relish in his victory.

Instead, he turned directly to me. My spine tingled, and I looked up at him, hardly able to find words as he gazed at me, those eyes of his sparkling with latent hunger.

“Mate,” he growled, low.

My stomach dipped. Anticipation and maybe a little fear hit me. Standing there, covered in blood, he looked like an avenging angel, one who had single-handedly defended the horde. It was exceptionally impressive, though one of the scariest things I’d ever witnessed in my life.

A deep sound rumbled out of him, skin rippling with the ghost of scales. Orsen narrowed his stare on me, snatching me around the waist. After pressing me against his side, he all but carried me to the den, shoving past everyone in his way. I made wide-eyed contact with my mates behind him, and they all offered looks of serious consideration, their gazes dark.

Before I knew it, I was in the kitchen of the den. Orsen set me down, backing me up into the counter, the others tight on his heels. It felt so similar to the time he’d manhandled me when we’d first met, dragging me into his room and kissing the hell out of me.

Now, I could see the flicker of resolve as he tried to level himself, but it wasn’t working. Naked, bloody, and feral, Orsen couldn’t keep his hands off me, a constant, deep growl rumbling up from his chest.