Page 122 of Veiled

“He’ll tear her in half.”

“Is someone going to stop her?”

Their panic barely registers as I walk straight toward him.

Tyr’s molten-gold eyes lock onto me with a fury burning hot. The ground vibrates as he pivots, crouching low, wings half spread in a threat posture.

I hear Matt, “LEE, STOP! LEE—”

Tyr roars.

The sound slams into me like a physical blow—hot wind, spittle, and a ringing in my ears that has only helped to block out the voices behind me. Several recruits drop to the ground and cover their heads. One screams.

But I don’t stop.

“Okay,” I force my breath to stay even, even as adrenaline spikes, and my heart races so hard, I’m sure Tyr can hear it.

He lowers his head, his lips curling up into a snarl. His teeth are longer than my forearm. His breath smells like smoke and iron, like he’s tasted blood recently.

Not human blood. Not human blood. Not human blood. I remind myself as I take another step forward anyway.

The air goes still across the field as Tyr’s pupils contract to slits, his nostrils flare, and a ripple of tension moves through the muscle under his scales. I can feel his heat now, and it's so hot I feel like I could burst into flames without ever touching him.

“Hi,” I say, my voice shaky but strong. “You scared the hell out of me the other day. And while you aren’t the first monster to scare me, you will be the last.”

He isn’t moving, just listening and glaring like he can make me disappear if he stares hard enough.

“I spent too long being afraid, but I won’t waste another moment like that, not even for you.” I take a deep breath, collecting myself, “All this to say, if you aren’t going to kill me now, then please, kindly, fuck off and let me have a real shot at finding a bond.”

A collective gasp rises behind me.

Tyr lowers his head until he is eye level with me before he huffs a blast of scorching air straight into my face and growls.

And then I do the unthinkable—I push his face away from mine.

He freezes.

Not because I hurt him, or even moved him—of course I didn’t—but because I dared.

Because I touched him without permission. Because I challenged him.

I can hear Matt and Aiden shouting, but their voices sound too far away to hear.

He growls again, deeper this time, but I know he’s testing me. Testing everything I just said.

The ground shakes like an earthquake as a dragon, Hades, lands behind me, followed by a roar that’s just as terrifying as Tyr’s.

And then reality shifts, and we’re no longer squaring off. Now, Tyr’s massive body is curled around me, wings folding close enough to shield me from view, a cage of shadow and smoke making everyone watching break into a panic.

A heat scorches under my skin, racing from my hand up my arm, and down my spine. It feels like my bones might disintegrate, but then there’s a pulse, ancient and heavy, like a heartbeat that isn’t mine beating inside my bones.

He presses his forehead lightly against my chest.

And then I hear it.

“Mine.”

“What—what are you doing?” I whisper, staring down at this living nightmare wrapped around me with something that feels dangerously close to affection.