Page 52 of Hearts on Fire

“Elex!”

I’d only seen him once in this form before. Back then, it terrified me. Now, a wave of tenderness rushed over me.

A burst of fire came from behind me. The king-dragon stretched his neck, sending a fiery blast at Elex. At once, the air in the room heated. The stone floor scorched. I cowered behind the king’s perch.

The black dragon lowered his head and opened his mouth. Flames churned in his throat, ready to blast.

“Elex, no!” I yelled, shaking in terror.

He couldn’t harm the king. If he killed him, he’d end his own bloodline and cease to exist. But the obsidian dragon looked furious enough to risk it all—his kingdom, his family, and his own life—to annihilate the man who wronged me.

The king jumped behind me. The movement of his massive body made the stone room shake. He glanced at me with a smirk. The great mighty dragon-king was hiding behind me. He used me as a shield against Elex’s fire.

The black dragon paused. I was in the way. If he aimed at the king, he’d burn me.

“Guards!” the dragon-king roared.

“Coward,” I scoffed under my breath.

The doors burst open, and the guards barged in. Every single one of them was armed. Some carried swords, others had bows and arrows. All weapons glistened with the red of Nerifir iron, aimed to kill.

At the sight of them, my heart plummeted with despair. We didn’t stand a chance against so many gargoyles.

Elex lowered his head to the floor again, aiming at the guards this time. I drew my head into my shoulders, bracing myself for another blast of unbearable heat.

But nothing came.

The shouting stopped suddenly. Just as did the clanking of weapons and the stomping of feet.

The sun had set.

Fifteen

AMBER

Ifroze in a crouch, my shoulders drawn up to my ears, my face hidden behind my arms. The sudden silence proved more deafening than all the noise before it. I shook so badly, my legs gave in and I plopped down with my butt on the floor.

The sensation of cold stone under my barely covered ass jolted me out of my shock. I scrambled to my feet.

Run!

It was my first instinct. Run the hell out of this room and as far away from this castle as possible.

Before I even made a step, however, I turned to Elex.

He was glorious in his dragon form. An obsidian masterpiece, with a subtle glow of red inside his stone, as if life pulsed inside him like fire—like love itself.

I walked over to him on my shaking legs and dropped to my knees. With his head low to the floor, it was at my chest level in this position. His mouth was open, ready to release a blast of lethal fire when the sunset had turned my dragon to stone.

His prominent eyebrow ridges were drawn together into a frown of rage. His sharp teeth were bared in warning. But when I touched his face, I knew he was worried more than he was angry. He was terrified for me.

I hugged his big head.

“I’m okay, Elex,” I whispered, knowing he could hear me. He wouldn’t fall asleep so soon, not after everything that had just happened. “You came just in time.” I exhaled a shuddering breath. “Thank you… Thank you for coming for me.”

Gusts of wind blew through the broken window. I was practically naked, but with him, I felt warm. I could sit like that all night, just hugging him, warmed by his stone. But the longer I sat, the calmer I got. And with the calm came the clarity of thought. I was able to think past this moment and beyond the castle walls.

I couldn’t stay here. Now was my chance to flee the castle, just as I’d tried to do before. I had one and only advantage over the much stronger, magical gargoyles—unlike them, I could move at night. I had to use this advantage to the fullest.