She had to breathe, but the feeling brought up panic. Dread. This wasn’t right.
She winced as Kal’s anger raced through her, at the realization that she couldn’t hide anything from him. Anger wasn’t solving this though, and she needed to change her tactics with Donnie.
“Donnie. Stop. I. I mean. What kind of relationship could we have if we start off like this?”
He paused.
Good. That had to be good.
“Just think about it. I mean, you obviously believe I can’t live without you. But, how can you prove that if I’m angry? If he has me under a spell, I won’t be able to think rationally, not when it comes to you or any other man,” she said.
Donnie pushed himself up, giving her space to look at him.
“Right?” Maddie asked.
She didn’t like the way his eyes flicked over her.
“I can’t figure out what he’s done. What if it’s a spell. What if …” He died off.
“What if wha-”
He pressed his lips against hers and Maddie freaked out. She couldn’t push him away. She couldn’t get him off of her, but as she pressed her fingers against his skin, she called out to Kal’s powers.
A tear slid, running down her temple as she focused on the threads of fire coming to her. She could feel the warmth growing, growing.
Finally, Donnie jumped back with a scream. “You bitch.”
She bit back the tears. “Don’t you ever touch me again.”
Donnie wasn’t Donnie anymore. His skin tinged an inhuman green.
“If I can’t have you, no one can.”
Maddie held on to whatever energy she could, pushing herself further up on the bed, calling the fire to her. She focused on the holes in his shirt where her fingers had singed the fabric.
“Donnie, you never had me.”
He snarled. Maddie had never seen what a half-breed might look like, but she supposed this was the Fae nature. Jealous. Fickle.
He took a step towards her. Her skin began to burn, the fire was coming to protect her. She would do whatever it took to get back to her dragon, her Kal, her mate.
A thunderous roar filled the room as the door dented.
He was here.
13
A battle cry ripped from him as he rammed into the door.
Fuck. All he’d done was dent the fucking thing. This wasn’t working.
Think. He needed to be smarter than these humans. Scanning the door, another small pad caught his eye. He slammed the keycard on it. A red light lit up. Of course it did. Stupid humans.
Nothing would stand between him and his mate. Anger shook him as Maddie’s emotions ripped through him like torrential rains. Her desperation. Disgust. Fear.
Think. What did he have? He wasn’t the brains of the group; he was the brawn. And right now, the brawn was losing the damn fight. He ripped at the panel with his claws.
Colored wires.Wonderful.
Cy, what wire controls the circuit.
Within a second he got his answer.
Try purple. Most of the tech here is magnet based.
Kal growled.
I don’t care what it is.
He searched the panel. Red, Green. Something that might be purple.
You care, Kal. You need to cut the power.
He followed the wire. It looked different. Sure. Why not? Leaning in, he sniffed the cable. It had an electrical scent stronger than any other. Hesitation took a leap off a cliff as a rip of pain hit him in the heart. Fuck it.
He sliced through the purple wire.
A buzzing sound stopped and then he heard a click.
One more time, he was getting to her if he had to rip the entire building apart. Kal shoved his shoulder into the door once more, this time the door swung open.
Maddie lay on a bed, the surrounding fabric singed.
The asshole in front of him however, did not look okay. No. In Kal’s head he was already dead.
“You touched my mate,” he growled.
Donnie seemed to uncurl and grow an inch or two, but Kal really didn’t see the difference as he looked down on the small halfling creature. He didn’t care what Donnie was or how big he tried to be.
“She isn’t yours. You can’t just claim her like property.”
Donnie paused, a sneer spreading across his lips.
“I already tried, and she doesn’t seem to tolerate that.”
Kal’s eyes grew wide.
He glanced from Maddie to Donnie.
She started to whimpier. “Kal. Just take me out of here. Ignore him. Just get us out of here.”
His heart broke. The scent of her terror curled his nose. Why wasn’t she coming to him? Reaching for her in his mind, the emotions rushed in clearly. Exhaustion. Weakness. Terror. Relief. It just kept coming.
“What have you done to her?” he growled.
Donnie postured. Kal knew what battle looked like. He knew what someone asking for a fight looked like, and Donnie was asking for it. Kal took a step closer and retracted his claws. He would beat this whiny human man-to-man.
Donnie backed up. “Don’t come near me, asshole. This place is one giant trap for you. There is nowhere for you to go.”
“I don’t think you understand what a trap is. It won’t matter when I rip your head off. Did you touch my mate?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Maddie moved. Slowly.
Good goddess, he’d make Donnie pay.
“She isn’t yours, alien. And, if you must know. Yes. I kissed her.”
A rage boiled within him. Before Donnie could blink, Kal clenched Donnie’s throat between his fingers. Kal lifted him off the ground, his feet dangling.
There was no controlling his dragon now. Razor-sharp teeth filled his mouth and the urge to rip this creature to shreds took over any human logic.
“Kal, stop!” screamed Maddie.
Her voice broke through the blinding rage. He turned. Maddie wasn’t on the bed anymore. How had he missed this? How had he missed the attack on his mate?
“Drop him,” said another voice.
Kal did as commanded and Donnie hit the ground with a thunk.
“Very good. Very good. He’s like a trained dog,” said a guard.
There was
