“Is there anything I can do?” she asked
He shook his head. “Just stay safe.” He set Quill down. “And watch out for him.”
She nodded, and Draven blew dragon fire over them once again. With the sheer number of wolves, Drake and Ran would need him to fight.
He left Quill in her care and ran back in the room. It was a complete melee, one group around Ran, being knocked back fiercely, and one group around Drake, taking their turns at a pummeling.
There had to be at least twenty on each though, and his friends were wearing down. Ran had to be hoping to use his fire at any moment.
“Ran!” he shouted. “They’re safe!”
Drake let out a sigh of relief, backhanding a wolf into a wall with one fist, and Ran nodded and vaulted over the wave of wolves in front of him to join Drake and Draven at the front of the room.
“Ready?” he asked. “Draven, put up the shield.”
Draven did, feeling his pulse pound as the golden shield moved to encompass him, Ran, and Drake as Ran took a long, sinister-sounding breath, his chest puffing out.
The wolves seemed to sense something was wrong, but before they could retreat, Ran stuck his head out of the shield and let out a huge ball of fire that became a wave engulfing the room.
Draven had never seen so much fire. Ran’s body was shaking as he continued to fill the room, green fire covering everything.
The wolves howled as they died, and when the fire stopped burning, they saw a figure approaching, stepping over the bodies of the wolves that were charred and black, littering the room.
It was the alpha, looking even bigger and angrier, if possible. He was singed, his clothing blackened. But then he looked up at them, hatred glaring in his feral yellow eyes.
“You’ve taken everything, but I’ll take everything from you. He pulled someone out from behind him.
Melissa, still glowing with Draven’s shield.
Ran started forward, eyes blazingly angry, but the wolf put her in front of him like a screen.
“Go ahead,” he said. “Her shield is weakening. Go ahead and use your fire, dragon. I’ve taken the blood of the blue dragon. You can’t kill me.”
Draven gritted his teeth. Ran could kill him, but it would take an incomprehensible amount of dragon fire.
His dragon burned in him at another man threatening his mate, but he had to be careful how he acted.
If he breathed dragon fire to Melissa, it would only shield the wolf as well.
“Do it,” Ran rasped, sounding hoarse from using so much fire.
“But,” Draven said.
“Do it!” Ran said, charging forward.
Draven had no choice. He blew hard, sending his dragon breath to protect Melissa as Ran made his move.
Ran charged forward, taking their mate with one hand as his dragon claws came out and slashed the wolf across the face. He tossed Melissa back, and she landed in Drake’s strong arms.
Draven ran forward to help Ran.
“Get back,” Ran said.
“No,” Draven said. “I’m staying with you.”
“He’s too strong. Take care of our mate.”
“Ran, don’t—”
Ran whipped on him with angry, glowing green eyes. “I have to finish him. He’s healing at dragon rate.”
The wolf put a hand up to his face and hissed at the sizzling blood oozing from his wounds. “Damn you!”
Ran grinned. His talons were poisonous too.
“If I’m going to die, I’ll take you with me,” the wolf said. “I hope it takes all your dragon fire,” he screamed hysterically. “You took my son, and I’ll be happy to see you die in your own flames.”
Ran was already filling his lungs, ready to release dragon fire. Draven had no choice but to stay back, shielding himself and watching as his friend took on a foe only he could kill.
“I’m going for Quill,” Drake said.
Draven nodded. No amount of force could kill a wolf with super healing. It was all up to Ran now.
His fire erupted in fierce flames, flying as high as the ceiling as it covered the wolf in a towering pyre.
The wolf howled and lunged at Ran, digging his claws into Ran’s chest, and Ran choked at the deep wound.
Draven felt the pain as if it were his own. It wouldn’t have been so devastating, but Ran was already weakened by the poison surrounding him and inside him.
As the wolf howled in the flames, he twisted his claws in Ran’s chest. Ran let out a terrifying dragon shriek and bellowed fire onto the wolf in a white-green blaze stronger than anything Draven had seen.
Finally, the wolf wasn’t there, and when the fire faded to green and then red, the wolf could be seen slumped in a smoldering heap on the ground.
Ran fell to his knees and then onto his face.
Draven didn’t waste a minute, breathing dragon fire over everything, neutralizing Ran’s fire so it couldn’t hurt anyone else.