his soul singing. His mate was safe. It was over!
She flinched at first glance, then beamed in recognition — a sight Lachlan would never forget. Gone was the guarded expression she’d worn in Edinburgh. In its place was sheer, unbounded joy, exactly like the joy exploding in him.
He grinned, ready to wind his neck around hers and croon in pleasure. But a heartbeat later, Holly’s eyes widened in horror, and she screamed.
“Watch out!”
Fire crackled from behind, and Lachlan barely darted aside in time to avoid it. Then he spun, growling.
Enzo. Of course. How could he have forgotten?
Enzo rushed at Holly. “You shall not have her. She’s mine!”
Holly spun aside, huffing. “Find another cowgirl, asshole.”
Enzo turned back to Lachlan, grinning as if he’d expected to see his entire ugly clan nearby, ready to offer assistance. But the wind whistled, undisturbed by dragon wings, and Enzo’s face fell.
Lachlan advanced, baring his teeth. “Finally, I can finish what I started. You die, Lombardi.”
Enzo’s eyes widened in panic as he beat a quick retreat. “Mercy! Have mercy!”
Lachlan shook his head. He’d fallen for that once, but he wouldn’t fall for it again.
He drove Enzo back until the dragon’s tail practically touched the sheer cliff wall of the island. There, wind gusts were most unpredictable, making Enzo wobble.
“Mercy!” Enzo babbled. “You’ll have my full cooperation. Mercy!”
“What mercy did you show all those you killed?” Lachlan gathered his inner fire to finish off the bastard.
“Lachlan,” Holly called in alarm.
He shook his head. She might fall for Enzo’s act, but he wouldn’t be fooled. Not a second time.
“You’ll regret this,” Enzo warned.
He snorted. Regret? The only regret he had involving Enzo was failing to kill the bastard the first time.
“Hey!” Holly yelped behind him in a totally different tone.
Lachlan glanced back, surprised to see another dragon rushing in. That angry, cackling she-dragon he’d passed on the way in. She was so close, he could make out burn marks all over her body — scars from some fight in her past. He spun to one side — unnecessarily, as it turned out, because the she-dragon’s full fury was focused on Enzo.
“Jacqueline! I knew I could count on you,” Enzo cried in glee.
You see? his triumphant tone crowed. I win again. I always win. Especially when I change the rules to suit me.
But when the she-dragon opened her mouth, fire flickered around her lips. “And I should have known I couldn’t count on you.”
Lachlan opened his mouth in warning, but Holly was already diving clear. Only Enzo stayed put, gaping in surprise.
“But, Jacqueline…”
The she-dragon blasted him with fire, hard enough to drive him back.
Enzo tumbled off-balance. His tail clipped the cliff, throwing him into a spin, and he plummeted toward the water.
Not toward the water, Lachlan’s dragon murmured. Toward the rocks.
With a sickening thump, Enzo bashed into a rock. Waves washed over his lifeless body, and then he was gone.
Jacqueline — whoever she was — flapped her wings, climbing upward. Briefly, she looked Holly over with loathing eyes. Then she huffed and flew away, muttering.
Lachlan coiled his muscles, ready to rush after her. But a bellow of pain sounded in the distance, and he jerked around.
“Duncan?” Holly cried.
Full of apprehension, they flew back toward their friends. Had Enzo’s forces rallied, or had the Guardian forces prevailed at the ultimate price?
When they turned the last corner, Lachlan cursed. Liam and Gemma were circling the sky, alert against further action. Everyone else was gathered on the ground, huddling at an injured party. Lachlan raced forward, bracing himself for the worst.
“Duncan?” he asked when Liam glided over.
Liam looked grim. “He’s badly injured, but he’ll pull through, thank goodness.”
Lachlan exhaled.
Liam nodded to Holly, then peered behind them, still tense. “What about Enzo and that bitch — pardon my French — Jacqueline?”
Lachlan shook his head wearily. “Enzo is dead. Jacqueline took off.”
“You let her go?”
“We heard Duncan, so we came as fast as we could,” Holly explained.
“Dammit…” Liam flew off.
Gemma rolled her eyes and followed. “Excuse my mate. I’ll explain…later. First, we have to track down that bitch. Oops! I mean… Well, no. I guess I meant it. She is a bitch.”
Holly stared, and Lachlan considered backing them up. But there was no way he was leaving his mate, even with the battle over.
He circled twice on weary wings then landed a short distance away from the others. Holly landed beside him, and Henry limped over to report.
Within minutes, Lachlan was as up-to-date as he needed to be for the present. A deeper analysis