Roam let out a deafening roar—a sound so powerful, it rattled the trees and sent shockwaves rolling across the clearing.
Spring stood frozen, her mouth parted, bloodied and shaking, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Roam…” she whispered.
He turned his enormous head toward her, slow and steady, lowering it until his glowing gaze met hers.
She was safe.
And anything that tried to hurt her now…
Would face more than the Guardian Protector. They would face the Dragonlings—which included a very protective, possessive, and giant Sarafin Prince.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cliffs above the Docks, Isle of the Giants
* * *
The wind whipped along the cliff’s edge, tugging at Roam’s thick fur as he sat with his massive paws dangling over the side. Drago’s storm-colored sails fluttered like enchanted wings.
He exhaled slowly, the breath coming out like a steam vent. A flock of birds scattered from the nearby cliff, startled by the low rumble that followed.
The others were loading up, laughter and voices echoing faintly upward. Adaline’s soft laugh, Zohar’s exaggerated storytelling, Bálint’s quiet instructions, Alice’s calm observations. They were together.
But he was up here.
Brooding.
Too big to join them.
Too monstrous to climb aboard anything smaller than a mountain.
His tail twitched behind him. The transformation had gifted him strength beyond imagining—trees shattered with a swipe, men flew with a flick of his tail. He’d saved Spring.
But none of that mattered to him now…
He dropped his gaze to his paws. Paws that couldn’t hold her hand. Couldn’t cup her cheek. Couldn’t pull her close.
He clenched them against the stone.
Great, he muttered to himself. I’m officially the world’s biggest cat with a broken heart.
Movement below caught his attention.
Drago was pointing at the ship, then at him.
Orion stood beside him, arms folded, nodding slowly. Their expressions were unreadable from this distance, but Roam didn’t need to hear the words to know what they were saying.
He couldn’t stay like this.
A flicker of white rose from the crowd below.
Spring.
Roam’s heart thudded.
She was flying toward the docks—no, toward someone.
