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“I thought he came alone,” I say.
“So did he.” The man is behind me.
My fangs bared, I spin to face him. A golden chain whips from the shadows and wraps around one of my hind legs. It stings. I growl. Another chain curls around my neck. I claw at the gold tightening at my throat, while the pain deepens to a sickening throb in my bones.
No. Not gold. Aellurium.
An alloy with the magic to force a dragon shifter into human form.
From the shadows, a man walks, the chains glinting around his fists. His eyes burn like embers. Wicked horns, jet-black, curl from his silver hair. His skin is a darker silver, the color of a tarnished coin.
Of course. He has demon blood.
Demons can see in the dark. Demons have a chance of killing a dragon.
“Change,” he commands.
“No.” My voice catches on the word.
I drag on the chains, but the muscles in his arms bunch and he holds me there. Stronger than I expected. Despite his pale hair, he’s a young man with undeniable virility. When his red eyes lock with mine, a thrill jolts me in the pit of my stomach. I forget to breathe for a moment. Tension thickens the air between us.
Why does this feel like recognition? I’ve never seen him before. No, deeper than that, this feels like a realignment of the stars.
Mine.
I want him.
What the fuck is wrong with me? Stronger than lust, a yearning to claim him aches in the marrow of my bones. It’s yet another way he has power over me. I refuse to let him know that he brings out such weakness in me.
“Change,” he says, “and it will hurt less.”
The aellurium bends my skeleton out of shape, but I fight the transformation, unwilling to surrender to the enchantment.
“Fuck you,” I spit the words.
He blinks with mild surprise, then yanks the chains tighter.
Gritting my teeth against a scream, I double over as a cramp rips through my gut. Crimson scales vanish into skin. My wings and claws retreat. The sleek, armored angles of my body melt into the soft shape of a woman. Trembling, I hug myself. Naked. Weak. Chains cling to my neck and one of my thighs. I’m smaller as a woman, so the chains must have tightened around me as part of the enchantment.
The demon-blooded man grunts. “Red.” He’s staring at my hair.
I glare at him, my eyes blurry with unshed tears. “I’m a red fucking dragon. Surprised?”
“No.”
With aellurium binding me, my magic lurks out of reach. I’m a shifter without the power to shift. Pain lingers, even though I’m not fighting anymore. I pry my nails under the chain at my neck, failing to free myself. The enchanted metal bites into my skin.
Panic closes my throat. I start to choke.
“Stop,” he says, as if I would follow orders from him.
Still clutching the chains, he advances on me. He takes a collar from his belt. It’s also aellurium, no doubt, twisted into a golden torque with two snarling dragons at the ends. It’s beautiful, but I’m sure it’s imbued with evil magic designed to enslave me.
“What do you want?” I ask, hoarsely. “To leash me like a dog?”
“Well.” He tilts his head as if considering. “To keep you from incinerating me alive.”
I breathe through my fear and fake a smile. “I can be good. Promise.”
