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“ENOUGH!” I scream, the word ripping out of me so hard my throat burns. “Will you two stop trying to kill each other for one gods-cursed second and just fucking listen to me?!”

They both freeze.

I was panicked and worried before. Now, I’m just pissed. I’m done with this.

“You two are going to start listening right fucking now, or there’s going to be hell to pay!” I warn them in a tight voice.

It looks like the whole town has gathered and is watching, but I don’t care.

“Put me down,” I hiss, glaring at Tharion. “Now.”

His tail slowly lowers me and unwinds from my waist.

“And you,” I say, charging up to my father and shoving a finger into his face. “I don’t care what Lord Fuckface says or is paying you, you’re not killing my mate. Got it?”

“Ravena,” he says, his blue eyes softening. “He’s a condemned beast.”

“He’s a hero,” I say, pushing his sword away. “And he’s my mate.”

I charge up to Tharion, wrap my arms around his big body and look into his gorgeous eyes. “Take us out of here,” I whisper. “Please.”

The look he gives me is so full of love it makes my heart hurt.

“Yes, my mate,” he whispers, wrapping those big protective arms around me. His giant wings spread out and he takes us up in the air, flying away from the horrible scene.

“You’ll never be safe with him,” Father roars as he gets smaller and smaller. “Lord Harshballow will come after you! He has eyes everywhere!”

I cling to Tharion as he rises into the sky, easily lifting us into the air with those large powerful wings. Three flaps and we’ve crossed half of Moonbell Hollow.

“Where can we go?” I ask as he holds me to his chest. I wrap my legs around his waist and feel something harden between us. It makes my body roar with heat and need.

“I know a place where we can be safe,” he says, turning toward The Wildwood.

“In there?” I ask, my heart skipping a beat when I see the enchanted forest sprawling into the horizon.

It’s beautiful in the fall—each tree a different shade of red, yellow, gold, or brown. But beautiful things can also be deadly, and that’s certainly true for The Wildwood.

As kids we were always told to stay away from the ancient forest. You could never know what monsters were lurking in the darkness, eagerly waiting to snatch up a wandering child for lunch. So my body gets a little tight when Tharion swoops down toward it.

He senses my hesitation. Our bodies are already so in tune with each other.

“Nothing will hurt you,” he says, gripping me protectively.

“You sure?” I ask with a wobble in my voice. “There are scary beasts in The Wildwood.”

“None so scary as a gargoyle protecting his mate,” he whispers. “I give you my word. I will keep you safe.”

His tail wraps around my leg like it’s confirming his words. I got you, it seems to be saying.

“Alright,” I whisper as I hold him a little tighter. “I trust you, Tharion.”

He circles around an area as if he’s trying to find a certain spot. Finally, he grumbles when he finds it and heads down.

The view is spectacular from above the forest, but it gets even more beautiful as we descend under the canopy. Sunlight mixes with the golden colors of the leaves, giving the whole forest floor a magical feel.

“We’re going to camp in the forest?” I ask, wrapping my arms around myself as I look into the dark shadows with a tinge of worry in my stomach. I trust Tharion and all, but I don’t want to sleep in The Wildwood without even a tent. I can’t imagine what’s lurking around here at night, and I really don’t want to find out.

“Where is it?” he grumbles as he walks around, looking at everything, the dry leaves crunching under his massive feet.