Chapter 16

16

C reed

My teeth crunch through muscle, sinew, and bone. The dragon beneath me lets out a shuddering breath before lying still. Its scales are blackened and burned on one side where I charred his flesh.

I look up and step forward toward the two remaining males. Then I growl as I shift back into my human form.

"Why are you listening to the male?" I bark. Tank told them to contain me while he went after Octavia, and they actually obeyed him. "You do realize that he is going to claim her for himself?"

It's probably happened already. My blood runs cold. Everything in me tightens with a possessiveness I have never felt before.

Mine!

Keep!

Find!

Octavia.

My dragon surges to the fore, railing against me. He wants me to go after her immediately. My hands start to turn to claws. I feel scales pop up all over my body. I hold him back. I have to. Right now, I need clarity.

"The male promised we could share her," one of the two says.

"He lies!" I snarl. "Do you really think a male like Tank will share anything?"

The one male looks at the other. I see doubt on their faces.

Good!

"A dominant male like Tank won't share! I can tell you that now," I bark out, my hands fisting at my sides. Why are they being such idiots? The answer comes to me right away. Because they're desperate. That's why.

The three remaining dragons cornered me and contained me, just like Tank asked them to. Eventually, I was forced to act. I shifted and fought one, taking him down.

"I am leaving now. You can try to stop me, but I will retaliate and kill you both." I'm posturing. Tank broke a couple of my ribs on my right side. I have a thick, bleeding gash along my thigh that hurts like a bitch. We were neck and neck when that male took Octavia. Truth be told, I was probably slightly on the back foot.

I'm very much on the back foot right now, but they can't know that. I have to act like I am at full strength, even if it hurts with every breath I take.

Tank went after that dragon and Octavia, with a promise to finish what he started. He plans on claiming Octavia. Broken ribs or no, I will kill him if he has hurt her in any way. If he has mated her against her will, I will make his death slow. I vow it.

"Stay, or we will fight you," one of the males says. "Tank is coming back with our female. He will be here any minute."

They can't believe that. I hear uncertainty in his words.

It takes everything in me to shift quickly. When going through the change, bones reshape and lengthen. Broken bones shift and pull. White-hot agony courses through my torso. I roar as I change, making sure I sound angry instead of in pain. Because I'm in fucking agony.

My body prickles as I take to the sky. I half-expect for them to come at me or to try to burn me from the sky, but they don't. They know I'm right about that bastard.

Tank won't share. It's as simple as that. I'm sure they must know it. I hear cracking behind me as I fly as fast as I can. I ignore the pain. My leg is bleeding again. I ignore that, too. I have to get to her.

I falter, hovering on the spot when I see them. Fifty or sixty dragons flying together. Together? Why?

What in all the scales!?

Go!

Fly!

Save her!

I have to wrestle for control for a moment. Octavia must be among them; she has to be. What the hell is going on? There is only one way to find out: I fly after them. I think I know where they are headed. A few minutes later, my suspicions are confirmed when they start their descent.

There is a large black dragon at the head. There is something in his claws. I'm sure it's Octavia.

She's alive.

They're flying together; they're not chasing Tank. Perhaps Octavia is still okay. She has to be. A dragon tries to get to her, and three others take it out, pulling the beast apart. They seem to be protecting her.

Why?

What is going on?

I roar, feeling my energy levels increase tenfold. I put all my emotions into flying. I force my wings to pump harder and faster.

There is a thundering noise as all the dragons land almost in unison. The open plain is big but is suddenly dwarfed by dragons of all colors. It's deafening when they roar and screech. I land as close to Tank as I can get, shoving a male out of the way and then another as I make my way to the asshole.

Octavia is standing next to him. She has her arms wrapped around herself. She looks terrified. She screams my name when she sees me, but I can hardly hear her through the commotion.

She starts to run toward me, but Tank shifts and grabs her a few strides later.

I shift, too. "Let her go!" I yell as the dragons behind me begin to shift.

"You have no authority here," Tank says. "In fact, you need not be here at all. You already stated that you didn't want to claim the female, and therefore, your attendance is not required."

Octavia strains against his hold, but it is useless; Tank holds on tightly around her waist. I note that she has grass stains and dirt on her jeans, which have been torn. One of her bra straps has been broken and tied back together. I don't think anything has happened, but I can't be sure. I wish I could go to her. I want to yank her out of his grasp, but I need to play it cool, or I will be overrun by the males around me and killed. More dragons land. More of them shift.

"That's not true!" Octavia yells. "Creed wants me just as much as all of you. He can fight for me. I refuse to take part in this unless he does."

Tank laughs. "You refuse? You can't refuse anything, human. You said you wanted us to fight for you. That the victor would get to keep you and that is what will happen. You will accept the male who wins in the end. You must."

Fuck!

What has she done? I'm sure it's exactly what she had to do to survive. I admire her strength and her ability to think on her feet when the chips are down. Still, this is bad. So fucking bad. At least it buys us time and gives us options.

"No, not unless Creed takes part." She folds her arms tightly over her chest. "He will beat all of you, mark my words." She glares at Tank. "Unless you are too afraid to go up against him."

Clever. I could kiss her.

Tank laughs. "Afraid?" He shakes his head, laughing harder. "If that male hadn't stolen you when he did, your lover over there would already be dead, female. I can kill him with one hand tied behind my back. Creed is a weakling."

"If that is the case, why not let him take part?" she says loudly so that everyone can hear.

"Because it wouldn't be right." Tank looks out over the large gathering of males. Most of them are in their human form. "The male said he didn't want to claim the human. He made himself very clear. The culling games are about to begin. You need to get yourself gone, Creed."

"The female made herself clear. She wants me to stand as her champion. I was trying to do the right thing. Trying to get her back home, but plans have changed. I wish to claim the female," I shout. "I wish to take part in the culling games."

"Go away!" Tank shouts. "I suggest you do so while you can still shift. While you can still breathe."

Several males start to move in, their eyes on me. With me gone, there would be one male less to fight. One less standing in the way of the prize.

Octavia.

"I want Creed to stand as my champion," Octavia shouts, taking my lead.

"Do you know what that means, female?" Tank says. "I'd take a guess that you don't."

"I know what it means," she says, her eyes on me. She doesn't have a clue.

"It means that Creed will get to fight the dragon who wins. The dragon who beats all the males you see before you. The final battle in each round is to the death. Your champion will die. Creed will die, and you will have to mate the male who kills him. You will have to carry his babies, and warm his bed. All of it. Can you do that, female?"

Her face drains of all color.

For a moment, I am worried that she will change her mind. If she does, I will be banished from taking part in the games. I will have to leave or be killed by this horde.

She looks at me, her gaze burning into mine. "Creed is my champion. He will win. It is his bed I will warm." She looks at me like she means it. For a moment, it feels good, but then I remind myself that it is all a show. Octavia doesn't really mean it. She wants to go home.

I bow my head to her. We need to find a way to escape before the final battle. I can't shoulder her fate. I refuse. The ache in my torso tells me that a final battle would be a strain on me. I'm not at full capacity. Broken bones will take several days to heal. I don't have that long. I'll have to find another way out of this.

Tank grins. "Have it your way, but be reminded that the male who stands against the champion in the end will have all the say over how the battle will take place. The advantage will be with them and not with you, Creed."

Octavia starts crying softly.

"It's too late for tears," Tank says as he shoves her toward me. Octavia lands on her knees before me with a yelp.

I close the distance between us, helping Octavia to her feet.

She throws her arms around me, burying her head in my chest.

"Enjoy her while you can." Tank chuckles. "But don't you dare put your seed inside her or try to mate her to prevent the games from taking place. The penalty will be death. The penalty for the female will be so much worse."

Octavia shudders against me. She's trying hard to hold in her tears and failing. I keep my arms tightly around her, trying to reassure her and failing. How can I reassure her when I don't feel confident?

"Unlike you, I am a male of honor," I tell Tank.

Tank snarls and starts toward me. Another male puts his hand on Tank's chest. "Save it for the ring," he says.

"Listen to Pyro," I tell Tank. "I will follow the rules; don't you worry."

Tank growls at me; his eyes are blazing and filled with hate.

"The first bout will begin at midday, with the final bout is scheduled for first light," Pyro says. "It has been many years since there were culling games," the male shouts, looking out over the gathering. "But you all still know the rules. We need to follow them or, as Tank rightly stated, the penalty is death."

A cheer goes through the crowd, followed by deafening silence. The only sounds are the gentle sniffs of the female in my arms.