Phoenix circledhis arms around her, his kiss impassioned, wanton, the hot-bloodedsoulmate she remembered.
Her Nix, theman and the fire dragon she adored.
The centuriesmelted away as Kat moulded her body to his.
Toby barkedexcitedly and leapt between them.
They pulledback, laughing.
“Hey, Toby.You’re not such a daft dog after all,” said Kat, ruffling hisears.
“What do youmean?”
“Toby never didlike Selene. I should have trusted him in the first place; he likedyou straight away.”
“You weren’t toknow Selene is the sorceress—she made sure of that when she tookyour memories.”
“I still don’tget it, though—why would she pretend to be my friend?”
“Who knows whatthat evil bitch’s motives were, but I think it had something to dowith her getting to me.”
“She stillbelieves she’s in love with you after all these centuries? The poorwoman.”
All of asudden, the warehouse darkened.
Kat looked up.The sunlight streaming through the broken roof disappeared. Throughthe holes, the sky swirled with greenish-black clouds.
Somethinglanded on the roof with a thud. Footsteps sounded.
Selene’s cacklerained down from above.
Kat leapt up,her heart pounding. Beads of sweat dampened her brow. Tobygrowled.
Nix stood too,his gaze intense. “Go, Katarina, save yourself. It’s me shewants.”
She shook herhead. “I won’t leave you, Nix. Not ever.”
Part of thecorrugated roof peeled back like the lid on a can of dog food.Selene jumped down, landing on her feet despite the height of theroof. Two energy balls pulsated in her outstretched hands.
Nix manoeuvredin front of Kat. “Leave Katarina out of this, Selene,” he saidthrough gritted teeth.
“There’snothing I’d like more, my love. She’s served her purpose.” Selenedirected her dark magic at her.
Shoving heragainst a crate, Nix took the full blast in his side.
He emitted asound somewhere between a growl and a battle cry.
In less thanthree seconds, he morphed into his dragon. The frilly pink roberipped to shreds and fluttered to the concrete floor.
Toby scuttledunder a wooden crate, ears flat against his head.
Kat staggered,totally in awe of her resplendent soulmate, his obsidian, shinyscales moulding to powerful muscles, his need to protect her,filling her heart with love.
I’mhere. Her own voice echoed inside her head, but raspiersomehow. Her dragon. We can protect him too.
Opening hisgiant jaws, Nix ejected his flames and aimed the jet towardsSelene.
She dived forcover behind a metal crate, then threw another energy ball.
In a flash, Nixtwisted his torso, but he wasn’t quick enough.
The evil magicexploded at his clawed feet, and he roared in pain again.
I’mhere, her dragon urged.
Kat inhaled,then held her breath. She’d searched so long for clues to her trueidentity—and she couldn’t deny that learning of her dragon naturehad both scared and thrilled her—but could she handle it? Could shecontrol herself if she went full dragon?
Nix opened hisjaws wider, the stream of flames unrelenting as he directed it atSelene.
The evilsorceress retaliated with more dark magic, surrounding herself withan invisible shield, the flames extinguishing the second they camein contact with it.
Kat still heldher breath. She had to help him.
Swallowing herfear, she closed her eyes and called on her dragon.
The release wasoverwhelming, the power extraordinary as she grew in size, leavingher clothes in tatters. A vision of the Hulk came to the forefrontof her mind, and she suppressed a smirk. Now was not the time to bethinking of superheroes, not when she had her very own dragon heroto protect.
She focused,kicking what was left of her trousers from her feet and slippingout of her ripped blouse. Her skin turned to ice-blue, iridescentscales and her back arched, forcing her onto all fours. Sheexhaled, at last, her breath icy cold.
Kat opened hermouth and, with a mighty roar, catapulted razor-sharp shards of icefrom the back of her throat.
Phoenix stoppedspewing flames to gape in awe. He grinned—or what passed as a grinfor a dragon.
She joined him,bowing her head as she stood beside her soulmate. Whatever Selenewanted, they would face it together, dragons of ice and fire,united forever.
Side by side,they fought the sorceress.
Kat deliveredice shards with the speed of a machine gun, and Phoenix jetted hisfire like a flamethrower.
Where fire metice, it sizzled and spat.
His fire becamemolten lava. Sheets of thick ice formed on the concrete floor.
The lava spiltonto the ice, melting only a thin top layer, causing the lava tohydroplane across the surface as it cooled.
The molten rocksolidified as the ice heated and turned to gas.
Bubbles ofblackened lava formed as big as footballs, moving fast towardsSelene.
Selenescreamed, throwing greenish-black flames in all directions, but herpower was no match for their combined effort. Her black, soullesseyes widened as she tried to escape from the lava’s deadlypath.
Sudden concernfor someone who was once her friend forced Kat to act fast.
Spotting a loneforklift truck, she aimed her icy jet spray at it, shunting thevehicle between the lava river and Selene, its two prongs pinningher against the wall.
The lava hitthe truck, exploding the tyres into flames in seconds and haltingits deadly path.
Selene readiedanother energy ball in her palm but hesitated, the look in her eyesbrimming with defeat.
Kat withdrewher ice. “Nix, enough,” she commanded, her dragon voice raspy.
He stopped, hisbreathing laboured. “I have to finish her.”
“No, wait.” Shefaced the sorceress. “Why are you doing this, Selene?” Kat edgedcloser, her talons scraping on the ground, her paw pads unaffectedby the extreme temperatures. “If our friendship meant anything atall, you owe me an explanation.”
Selene droppedher arm, and the energy ball disappeared. “Becoming friends wasnever meant to happen.” Her black, soulless eyes became brownagain. “I wanted you to meet Egan and maybe fall in love withhim.”
“What the helldoes my brother have to do with anything?” Nix demanded.
“Despite whatyou think, Kat, I wanted to see you happy.”
“I am happy,Selene. I found Phoenix.”
“No, Phoenix ismine. We were lovers long before you came along and ruinedeverything.”
“I’m notyours,” Nix told her. “I never was.”
Her gaze soughtthe fire dragon, pleading. “But we were happy…”
“We had afling. That’s all it was. Katarina is my soulmate.”
Selene shookher head. Tears glistened. “No, you don’t mean it. I… I loveyou—”
Nix’s dragonchest rose. “What will it take to make you listen? It’s over,Selene.” He opened his giant jaws, flames flicking between hissharp teeth.
“No!” Kat stoodin front of him.
He roared. “Ihave to kill her. It’s the only way.”
“It’s not. Iknow
