Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Azar
I t was this prickling on the back of my neck that roused me, this tightening of my skin that had me rising. It was a single word moving through my mind over and over again with such force and jealous rage and possessiveness that had me walking down the tunnel and out into the heat of the night before I understood what I was doing.
Mine. Mine. Minemineminemine.
I was flexing and relaxing my hands at my sides, my claws elongating, my dragon rising with such a startling force I was having a hard time controlling him from bursting free and causing my human form to shift into the fucking beast.
There was something wrong, and it had to do with my female.
Without thinking, I let my dragon come forth, my human body contorting as I shifted into my monstrous creature and took to the air, lifting my head back and letting a fierce roar spill from between my massive jaw and serrated teeth. Something was terribly wrong, and this panic seized me like nothing I'd ever felt before.
I should have taken my mate right away. I should’ve had her with me so I could keep her safe.
I let my senses spread out to pinpoint where she was, and when I heard a soft whimper, my sensitive hearing able to push through every minute sound, I headed in that direction.
I flapped my wings and glided, moving faster to get to her. Possessive rage coursed through me at the very thought of something or someone hurting her. And then I scented her, the mating scent spilling from my dragon form to saturate the air around me, a threat and warning to any other Dragao that was near. But then I scented something else, a sour, rancid aroma that poured from a human male.
Desire. Lust.
I roared out again, knowing they’d be able to hear my warning sound, hoping the male ran fast and hard, because the chase would be all the sweeter.
He means to hurt what’s ours. He means to harm our precious mate. I’ll kill him , my dragon seethed. I’ll tear his limbs from his body. I’ll use my teeth to peel the skin from his bones.
Yes , I responded, feeling the bloodthirsty intent move through me. It felt good… really good.
I flew fast and hard, and when I cleared the spindly, claw-like trees of my world, I could see two small forms racing across what I knew the humans called their fields. I dived lower, stretching my wings fully. She was the one in front. The smaller form was running from a male. I bared my teeth and growled, and when the male tackled my mate, I let out a thunderous crack of noise from my throat.
The very thought of him near my mate, let alone touching her, had red rage filling me. I felt violent, saliva dripping from my fangs, my vision a haze of crimson as my inner beast rose up with a vengeance. The fire I housed in the pit of my gut rose up my throat, coming to me strong.
I tipped my head back and roared a ground-shaking sound, flames bursting forth from my anger. I let my fire spew in a brilliant arc of light and heat and destruction.
I heard my mate cry out from my rapturous sound and picked up on the male gasping in fear. I swooped down, a laser-eyed focus on the male who was now staring up at me with wide eyes, his body covering my mate’s. Another explosion of sound left me that he still dared to touch her, to be so close to her.
She’s mine! She’s ours!
My female watched me as well, the shock and fear clear on her face.
Protect her. Kill the male touching her.
Thunderous sound after thunderous sound left me, the fire in the pit of my belly churning and growing hotter. I’d roast the human male alive for daring to look at my mate.
At the thought of killing him, a sadistic pleasure filled me, the pumping, drumming roar of sound a continuous noise from my throat. My small female covered her ears and cried out, and I hated that I was the cause of her discomfort and fear. But right now I was working purely on instinct, my dragon the driving force that took me lower and lower.
My great wings moved up and down as I landed on the ground, the claws on my hind legs digging into the red dirt. I let my forelegs become flush with the ground, lowered my head, and kept my eyes trained on the soon-to-be dead human male.
At the sight of my teeth bared, he fell off my mate and scrambled backward and farther away from my female. He was a coward. I could smell the stench of his fear filling my nose. I rumbled a low growl as I prowled forward, my steps slow, my body lowering to the ground as I went into attack mode. My barbed tail lashed back and forth with anticipation of bloodshed.
Everything in me was demanding I go to her, to pull her to my chest and take her to our den. I could protect her fully there. But the threat of this male was too great to ignore.
And the only thing that would calm me right now was blood being shed from the threat. I would get it tenfold from him.