Bloodlust boiled in his veins. Fueled by adrenaline, his fury mounting, Bane stopped fighting his transformation. He dropped the nail gun and charged toward his enemy. Drogo overtook him along the way, emerging with a world-rocking roar.

Let the battle begin.

IT TOOK A moment for Nola to gain her bearings. Bane had dropped her in Oklahoma, on the outskirts of a park she and Vale used to frequent as young girls. Sunlight and trees surrounded the area, a cold breeze chilling her bones. Kids laughed as they climbed monkey bars. Parents, babysitters and guardians perched on benches, watching over their charges, almost everyone wearing some sort of costume.

Why—oh, right. Days had passed, and Halloween had arrived. Thankfully, no one paid her any heed.

Nola gathered the items Bane had flung at her and hid in the shadows of a bank of trees. Though aches and pains flared up, and her stomach grew queasy, she secured the metal links to her arms, fit the goggles around her neck and anchored the sword to her back. Time was her greatest enemy right now. If she began to vomit, she wouldn’t have the strength to teleport.

She wished she’d already undergone the Blood Rite. Wished she possessed the ability to heal all of Bane, not just part of him. Wished she could defeat Micah.

Yeah, Bane had been smart to send her away. In her previous frame of mind, she would have challenged the POS and lost. But. She could fight Micah in other ways. Unlike Bane, she could use Aveline’s orders against Micah.

Frantic to return, Nola closed her eyes and concentrated on their mental link...yes! She picked up emotional fragments. Frothing rage. Sizzling hatred. Incomparable pain. Jagged frustration. All-consuming concern. An-n-nd suddenly, she could see through Bane’s eyes. A smoke-doused sky, neon red eyes and the glint of scales.

Urgency vibrated in Nola’s bones, and she whipped out her cell phone. She typed a rushed message to Zion, attached the photo of the desert and asked for help. Zion could prove his tracking skills another day.

The foundation at her feet vanished. For a moment, she floated, weightless. Then, a new foundation appeared.

She’d done it! The smoke filled her nose, and she coughed, her eyes burning and watering. Rapid blinking cleared her line of sight—

Horror devoured her, a living nightmare unfolding.

Only a few minutes had passed, yet everything had changed.

Streams of fire had charred sections of land, tendrils of smoke curling up, up and away. Bane was in beast form, the two creatures tearing at each other with teeth and claws. Vicious predators at war.

Micah clawed the gash in Drogo’s shoulder. With an agonized bellow, Drogo reared back. Both of his wings were mutilated, the left hanging at an odd angle. The sight sickened her. He was a beast, yes, but he was her beast.