“What do you mean worse?” I asked, without removing my eyes from Braxton. The dragon shifter’s flames increased every time I looked away.

“He has the strength and instincts of an animal, but with the human emotions attached. Human emotions which are increased a hundred fold. Fear, love, jealousy, anger and … pain.”

My heart lurched.

Pain. Oh hells no! I could live with a lot of things, but not Braxton’s pain.

My fear disappeared, I rocked forward and slammed my hands against the barrier. Energy blasted me back, not enough to hurt or knock me off my feet, but I still ended up away from the cage.

“Disable the magic,” I was shouting without even realizing it. Deep down I knew I was acting irrationally. Braxton could kill everyone in this room and I wanted to just free him.

I didn’t throw myself at the barrier again, and no one approached me. Probably because they didn’t want to touch me and rile the dragon shifter even more.

It was then he must have decided that he’d had enough. He moved swiftly, his arm almost a blur as he reached forward for the barrier, and all it took was a blast of his energy. A partial shift of hand to talon, and the cage simply fell away.

Note to self, dragons are badass.

Braxton did not pause, flowing smooth as honey, the blue fires flickering as he strode to me.

Second note to self, dragons are scary.

“Jessa, do not run from him.”

The unnecessary warning came from my father, who had moved himself a little closer. I could scent him at my back. Probably five feet away. Jonathon definitely loved me. Nothing else would have a supe braving a dragon’s wrath.

Louis was close too. “I’m almost a hundred percent certain that he won’t hurt you, Jessa, but you are the only one safe right now.”

Almost a hundred percent … I liked those odds.

Braxton paused right in front of me, and the heat he was radiating called to me. My dragon unfurled herself from where she was caged, opened her mouth, and bellowed as the flames filled her with energy. It was like a shot of adrenalin and I knew I couldn’t stay out of Braxton’s arms any longer. I threw myself at him, not caring if I was burnt alive. All I cared about was getting to my dragon.

A split second of shock softened the formidable planes of his face. He dropped the flames a moment before my body hit his. I felt the graze of burning heat but then it was gone. The flash of disappointment which flickered through me was madness. No one wanted to be burnt alive, right? That would just be weird.