Curse him. Hadrian could have been ugly, short or gangly. He could have been unattractive or mean. He was a blacksmith, which should have made him repellent, but he was hot in oh-so-many unexpected ways.
Had she picked the wrong dragon?
Or was she losing her edge?
Was she caught in a greater battle, between Maeve and an ambitious competitor? The dragon prince was dead and she’d thought that fight was resolved.
Rania gripped her dagger, ready to strike. The kiss of death hadn’t finished Hadrian, so she’d use a more traditional method. She narrowed her eyes and fixed her attention on her task, steeling herself against this Pyr’s appeal. He had to die by her hand, as soon as possible.
She saw the blue shimmer of light that so often heralded a change between forms for a shifter, then saw it again. She was prepared for the man to turn the corner.
Rania felt him pause just before the threshold, assessing.
He knew she was there, then. The videos had noted that the Pyr had keen senses. She prickled with awareness of his proximity, that infuriating light as bright as starlight. She lifted the blade with purpose.
There was a shimmer of blue, then a dragon claw suddenly snatched at her.
The scales were a rich emerald gleam, as if they’d been carved from gems, and edged in silver. She was surprised by how beautiful they were and stared in awe.
She hesitated again. How could she injure such a heavily scaled creature, let alone kill him? The dagger she’d chosen suddenly looked small and ineffective, and she doubted her choice. Rania didn’t like to hesitate, not when she was working.
She had to get it together. She gripped the hilt again, then changed to the other hand, thinking her dexterity might surprise him. Incredibly, she dropped the dagger at exactly the wrong time.
The weapon clattered to the floor, sliding out of reach.
Rania stared at it. If she went after it, he’d not only have a clear sight of her but her back would be turned to him. Without it, she had no way to take him down. Should she manifest elsewhere and try again later? She was paralyzed in indecision for a precious moment.
Her prey took advantage of that. Hadrian snatched at her without coming around the corner, that claw seizing her in a merciless grip and holding her against the wall. His reach was longer than she might have expected. He moved so quickly that she couldn’t have evaded him. She saw the flash of steel talons attached to his nails and her heart skipped because they looked so sharp.
Rania instantly shifted shape herself, becoming a much smaller swan, and slipped from his grasp. She took flight, leaving him with a handful of white feathers, and sensed his surprise.
It wouldn’t last long.
This was her chance.
Rania launched herself through the doorway and aimed for his eyes with her claws. The white light was blinding in its intensity and the surge of raw desire through her body was staggeringly real. The emerald and silver dragon roared, spewing dragonfire that singed her wingtips. He was magnificent and powerful, his torrent of flame hot and bright. She dodged it in the last minute, but still felt the wave of heat.
Something dissolved inside her, leaving her trembling, but Rania fought on.
Unlike Hadrian, she had room to move in the great room with its high ceiling. She dove for his eyes again but he batted her aside. She knocked over a floor lamp, which shattered, and the other two Pyr in the kitchen swore. They didn’t engage, though she wasn’t sure why.
She spun to attack once more, and this time, Hadrian was less gentle. She almost got his eyes before he seized her again and flung her toward the wall of windows. Rania shifted and turned so that her back broke the glass and she tumbled out the gap in human form. Before the shards had touched the earth, she shifted shape again and soared upward in her swan form, beating her wings hard.
She flew with all her strength, but it wasn’t enough. Hadrian was immediately behind her, so much larger and more powerful in his dragon form that he was gaining on her steadily. The brilliant white glow revealed his proximity. She couldn’t out-run him and her heart was already pounding.
Rania spared a glance back, unable to keep from admiring his majestic power, then pivoted and spiraled down toward him again. He spun with