Page 54 of Her Silent Knight

If we shift...

“We haven’t done that in decades.”

I can do it.

“Dragon...”

For her. I can. We used to carry our siblings around for fun when we were younger. We can do the same for our mate.

True. Kaede stared down at his treasure. He would’ve agreed to the six vials of blood to protect her if his dragon hadn’t spoken up.

“I can hear them. Soon, we’ll be able to see them. Crew, mount up. Make a decision vamp. Don’t put her life in danger.”

Kaede laid his mate on the ground. She looked so vulnerable down there, it damn near broke his heart.

“Dragon, what the fuck are you doing?”

Kaede tilted his head left then right, working out the kinks. “Okay dragon, let’s do this.”

“You’re just going to leave her there? She’s not your fucking mate, is she? You’ve been lying this entire time.”

Not wanting to harm his mate, Kaede took a few steps back.

“Fuck... I’ll take her.” Rhen shouted.

Kaede spewed fire as the shift started.

“What is he doing?” One vamp shouted.

Scales erupted from his flesh. That hadn’t happened to him in decades. He didn’t remember it hurting this badly. Pressing his lips together, he ignored the pain and embraced the shift.

“Shit, he’s changing,” someone shouted.

“Let’s go.”

“I can’t leave her.” That was Rhen’s voice.

Kaede’s vision shifted from color to black and white as his beast took control. He spewed flames when he caught sight of Rhen nearing his mate. Rhen leaped back. Kaede’s back bowed.

It felt like every bone in his body was bending, breaking, being reshaped. Gums aching, his teeth sharpened and extended. His jaw jutted out. His neck stretched. Pain radiated over his entire body.

“You’re taking her with you, aren’t you?” Rhen shouted.

His eyes burned as the power of the alpha within illuminated his gaze. Kaede’s limbs elongated. He could feel his red scales with flecks of gold in them, covering his body like armor. His roar filled the air as he began to tower over Rhen.

“I’ll take that as a yes, alpha. I’ll meet you near your compound. Hurry up. I can see the shredders now.”

With one last glance at Kaede’s mate, Rhen raced to his bike, climbed on then shoved his helmet on his head. His engine roared as he sped off. Senses heightened even more than usual, he could tell from the smell of rotten flesh that the shredders were almost within striking distance.

They would reach him before he could pick up his mate. Fully shifted, Kaede turned around, careful not to strike his mate with his tail. Five shredders were racing toward him. Three more were pulling up the rear.

Kaede didn’t have to ask his dragon to light them up. In this state, he and his beast were of one mind. All he had to do was think it and it happened. Flames erupted from his mouth.

The five shredders tried to dodge his fire. There was no escaping it. He followed their movements until all five were burnt to a crisp and lie sizzling in the snow. He roared at the others who’d slowed down but was still coming toward him.

Their hungry gazes darted from him to his treasure. They didn’t have enough sense to flee. Their hunger drove them forward. With one breath, their burnt bodies dropped to the snow. Silence.

No more shrieking. For now. More would come. The calls of a few would attract many. The commotion and the fire would attract the creatures that lived in and near the mountains.