After two bloody days of planning, researching information on Evie's laptop, which they'd found tucked away in his hideout, and scouting the area around Carlisle, Bram and Kai were ready to make their move. As much as Bram's dragon wanted to fly in and deal with the threat as it came, Bram wasn't about to risk Evie, Murray, or his two captured Protectors. He owed it to his people to bring everyone back alive, not just his mate.

Yet keeping his inner beast in check became harder with each passing hour. The incessant roaring inside his head was not only irritating, but also signaled how close Bram was to losing control. No amount of scolding, let alone reasoning, had been able to silence his inner beast.

As such, Bram would be infiltrating the hideout while still in his human form.

Looking up to the night sky, he could just make out the shadows of his clan members flying in the air. To the average person, they might hear the beat of wings and dismiss it as the wind. Bram, however, knew there were two wing formations of dragons circling as quietly as possible in the sky above.

He hoped they were quiet enough to avoid notice by the hunters.

Bram signaled to his team of five dragon-shifters in human form to wait. Once two dragons swooped down and gently landed on the four-story abandoned building in the distance, he nodded at his team and moved.

Surveillance and tapping their local contacts had confirmed the Carlisle hunters were still using one of the two tunnels reported in the DDA's reports. That was how Bram and his team would try to enter the hideout.

Bram crept through the bushes hiding the entrance until he found the branches concealing the door. Picking up a stick, he pushed aside the branches and held his breath, but he didn't see any sort of alarm or keypad. Simon Bourne and his hunters were clever enough to have silent alarms, but Kai and Bram had earlier decided to risk it. After all, Bram's break-in was a decoy meant to divide resources.

Raising a hand to signal for everyone to be ready to fight, Bram rammed his shoulder against the wooden door. On the second try, the old wooden frame splintered. The door gave way and he barreled inside the dark tunnel.

The blackness was no match for his keen dragon-shifter eyesight. With each step, his dragon pushed harder against the wall inside his mind. Bram's patience with his dragon was nearing its limit. He took what few precious seconds he could spare to say, You can help me soon. I need my human half for the plan to work.

Let me out. I will make you stronger.

When the time comes, I'll do that. For now, stop with the bloody roaring. You're acting like a two-year-old who didn't get the sweets he wanted at the shop.

His dragon huffed. I'll give you ten minutes of peace. If you don't use me by then, I'll find a way out of this prison.

Bram could just make out a door at the end of the tunnel. He quickly instructed his beast, Wait for my signal.

Slamming up the partition in his mind again, Bram stopped in front of the new door and put his ear against the cool, metal surface. He could hear more than a few pairs of footsteps on the other side as well as the shuffling of equipment and muffled shouts. Chances were the hunters knew the tunnel had been breached.

Good. If they were occupied with Bram and his team, they wouldn't notice the other dragons' approach.

He conjured up Evie's dark blue eyes and red hair. Using her face to focus, Bram shoved against the door, but the metal didn't give. Unable to shift, he'd brought along a gun. Taking it out, he flicked off the safety and shot the lock three times. With another shove against the door, it gave way and he burst into a giant room of chaos.

People were running about, picking up supplies. On the far side of the room, a large group of human men and women dressed in black formed a protective circle around a smaller group of humans in white lab coats. Before he could try to guess what they were moving, the white coats escaped the room via the exit on the far side.

It was then his eyes fell on the green, unmoving dragon in the corner. The restraints and tubes told him what had been done to Charlie, and his inner dragon howled with grief.

The female Protector was dead.

Bram growled. The grief and sadness would have to wait. More than just about anyone, Charlie would understand the need to focus on saving the living before grieving for the dead. Channeling some of his inner dragon's anger, Bram gave the signal and rushed toward the twenty or so black-clad humans still inside the large room.

It was time to give Kai the distraction he needed to save the others. Bram refused to believe Evie, Nikki, or Murray were also dead. No, if he had any say, no more of his clan members would die in this building at the hands of the hunters.

Evie had been abandoned to the dilapidated conference room for about twenty minutes. There was a guard outside her door, so escape wasn't an option.

After a quick check of the room and not finding any real faults, she sat down. Rather than processing everything she had seen in the last half-hour, the silence had brought back memories of the dying green dragon. A dragon who was most likely dead.

First, human sacrifices had died because of her. After today, a dragon's death would also be on her head.

For someone who had joined the DDA in hopes of protecting life, Evie saw more death than she liked. Even though she'd saved more lives than not, it was still difficult to digest.

Only remembering what she told Bram, about how she survived the two human sacrifices, helped with her guilt about the dragon. She would analyze what had caused the dragon's death later and find a way to prevent it from happening again. Evie refused to believe this old building full of dragon hunters and scientists would be her final resting place. Somehow, some way, she'd escape and find help.

The door opened behind her. The sound sharpened her focus, although it took everything she had not to ask what had taken so bloody long.

She turned to see a male dragon-shifter in human form swagger into the room. The dragonman's hair was longer and he sported a short beard, but there was no mistaking the eyes, the tattoo, or the slightly crooked nose of Neil Westhaven.

Instead of screaming "murderous traitor," Evie merely raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you want?"

The dragonman flipped around one of the chairs and sat with the back facing his front. "I'm guessing by your nonchalance you're either quite calm in stressful situations or you've seen my face before."

"Both, but I'm more curious about you. They're killing a dragon in this facility for their blood, yet you don't seem to care."

He shrugged. "Stonefire interfered in my private life. When they chose to protect the human sacrifice over one of their own, I stopped caring about them. I left and made sure the human female got what she deserved. The only good thing to come of it all is the child has secured my position here."

His tone was almost bored, the bastard. Punching him in the face won't accomplish anything. You need information, Evie Marie, or you'll never make it out of here.

Right, then. With a deep breath, she forced her voice to remain neutral when she said, "So they're starting a blood farm here, aren't they?"

Neil didn't so much as blink an eye at her question. "Clever human. I'm not sure how you found out about that piece of information, but it proves you might be more useful than the other DDA inspectors."

Evie clenched her hand into a fist under the table; otherwise, she would punch the dragonman in the nose. "If you've been working with Simon Bourne this whole time then you know it's only a matter of time before he discards you, too."

Neil waved a hand in the air. "You know nothing of my deal with Bourne." The dragonman leaned forward. "Now, enough chit chat. It's time for you to answer some questions." Evie opened her mouth to reply but Neil cut her off. "Don't try to bargain or use your wits to outsmart me. You do anything daft and we'll drain the other Protector. Her life is in your hands."

She gritted her teeth. "What do you want?"

"You're going to help me take down Bram Moore-Llewellyn."

Un-bloody-likely. "And what makes you think I can do that?"

"Don't play coy and waste my time. The only reason Bram would carry you to a secret hideout himself is that you mean something to him." Neil's nose scrunched up. "I reckon he wants to take you as his mate, not that I understand why he would choose a human female willingly."

Yes, her urge to punch him was growing harder to resist.

Luckily, her time down south with Clan Skyhunter had prepared her for dealing with dragons of the arsehole variety. "Listen, we can waste time while you make your snide, passive-aggressive remarks, or we can get to the point. Take your choice."

Neil's jaw clenched and she resisted a smile. The dragonman said, "Only because I'm not allowed to kill you will I let that slide, human. Now, tell me the truth: Does Bram intend to take you as his mate?"

Since Neil knew about Bram taking her to the cave hideout, Bourne's spies were probably everywhere. Lying would be pointless. The truth might just give her the time she needed. "Yes. But before you make a snide comment about how I stink or Bram must be desperate, tell me why you think Bram will trust me if I miraculously walk out of here and back to Stonefire?"

"Male dragon-shifters are careless when they think with their cocks."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

Neil growled. "I'm the one who will ask the questions from here on out. Bram will trust you. That's enough. So if you want the other captured dragon to live, you'll cooperate. Understand?"

Evie didn't want to make a blanket promise, but she was running out of ways to stall. The dragonman's eyes had flashed to slits a few times. If she wasn't careful, she would provoke the inner beast. Unlike Bram, she didn't think Neil would restrain himself. There was a lot he could do without killing her.

She was about to wing it when a light started flashing in the corner, near the ceiling.

Neil stood. "Fuck, there's been a breach." He looked at Evie. "No doubt, it's your dragonman. Stand up. You're coming with me."

While waiting earlier, Evie had inspected the boarded-up windows, hoping to find an escape route. While they were sealed up tight, maybe, just maybe, if there were dragons flying around outside they could scent Neil. They would be looking for any dragon-shifter inside the building. If she could make some noise to signal her location, it might speed along her and Neil's discovery.

It wasn't like she had the strength of a dragon-shifter to punch out the wood covering the windows. The chairs, however, were old and of the four-legged metal variety rather than the newer roller chairs every office in Britain sported these days. She could lift one and make as much noise as possible.

Decision made, Evie stood. As Neil reached for her, she dashed to the end of the conference table, picked up the plastic back of the chair, and hurled it at the nearest window with every iota of strength she possessed. The board held, but a large smack reverberated through the air. Please, oh, please, let that attract their attention.

In the next instant, Neil had her arms behind her back. He tugged and she drew in a breath at the pain radiating from her wrists and shoulders. Neil said, "You're trapped, human. Pull a stunt like that again, and I'll knock you unconscious."

Her heart thundered in her chest. Not because of the fear of the dragonman behind her, but rather she waited to see if her last ditch effort would save her.

Yet as Neil maneuvered her out the door of the conference room, her hope faded. Damn it. She'd failed. The remaining Protector was most certainly going to die because of her actions. Not to mention Murray's future would be as a prisoner in a cell.

Bram, where are you? Just because Evie was used to taking care of herself didn't mean she didn't need help. She was definitely in over her head. The instant she gave up her faith in Bram, it would be game over.

Neil dragged her to the end of the hallway when a loud crash sounded behind them. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a large, gold dragon staring straight at them. The conference room behind him was gone. The dragon was holding on to the edge of the remaining floor with his talons.

Neil pushed her forward, forcing her head to turn back around. Then she heard the faint crackling sound she'd heard before, when Bram had shifted. A male voice shouted, "Running won't help you now, laddie."

It was Finlay Stewart.

He whistled and another dragon crashed in front of them. If many more dragons made the same entrance, the building would collapse.

The red dragon snarled and Evie hoped it was intended for Neil and not her.

Neil extended and pressed a half-talon against her throat and said, "Fly away, mates, or I kill the human."

Before the red dragon in front of them could do anything, Evie heard a thud, and Neil dropped to the ground. She blinked, turned, and saw a piece of twisted metal poking out of Neil's back. Looking up, a very naked Finlay Stewart strode toward her. He said, "Not the smartest bloke in the world, giving me his back." He put out a hand. "Come, lass. I'm going to shift back and take you out of here."

Evie's momentary shock concerning the dead dragon-shifter at her feet wore off. "What about Murray and the others?"

Finn took her hand and pulled her toward the gaping hole in the side of the building. When she dug in her heels, he stopped and turned toward her. His eyes flashed to dragon slits and back as he said, "I don't have time for your stubbornness right now. Just know that Bram is providing a distraction to give the rest of us time to find you and the others. I don't have telepathic abilities, so I don't know if the others were rescued or not. But I do know the longer we dawdle, the greater the chance your male will be hurt."

Bram was in the same building as her. The thought warmed Evie's heart.

Looking at the Scottish leader, she wondered about trusting him. But if Arabella, who had been through hell and back, didn't mind his company, Evie would go with her gut feeling that Finn was only trying to help her.

Besides, once they were free and clear of the dragon hunters' den, Evie had inside information that might help Stonefire's rescue efforts.

Decision made, she put one foot in front of the other until she tugged Finn's arm and he matched her pace.

Reaching the edge of the gaping hole, he released her hand and rolled his shoulders before giving her a piercing stare. "You try to run away while I'm shifting, and I won't be so gentle next time. Understand?"

His tone was full of dominance and brooked no argument. She was starting to see why Finn was a clan leader.

Evie nodded and watched as Finn ran and jumped into the hole. Before she could even reach the edge of what was left of the floor, a gold dragon's talon swooped inside and wrapped gently around her. Finn beat his wings and took them into the sky.

It took her a second to catch her breath as the city of Carlisle and then the English countryside sped beneath her. She might not be afraid of heights, but Finlay Stewart was going to receive an earful once they landed and she ensured everyone was safe.

She was also going to ask him how he shifted mid-air. In all her years working with dragons, she had never heard of anyone being able to do that.

As each mile passed below them, Evie hoped she had made the right decision to go with Finn. She had always been a reasonable person and made the most rational choices. In this instant, however, she was doubting herself. Would the other dragons find Murray and the remaining Protector? Would Bram make it out alive? Judging from her experiences with his inner dragon, he probably wasn't helping matters. If the inner beast was too distracting, Bram could die.

And if anyone else died because of her, she wasn't sure how she could face the clan again.

Chapter Seven.

Bram ducked another fist and swept the hunter bastard's leg with his foot. Once the man was on his back, Bram crouched down, smacked the human male's head against the ground, and turned toward the next dragon hunter.

While some of the hunters had escaped, Bram and his team were working their way through the rest. None of these low-level hunters had anything resembling the periwinkle and mandrake root concoction used on Quinn several days ago. That told him the use of the mixture wasn't widespread.

If nothing else, he'd succeeded in that part of his mission.

As he moved to the side to dodge another blow, he punched the human male in the kidney. It was time to finish them. His effectiveness at being a distraction had worn off. If his people hadn't rescued Evie and the others already, they probably never would.

He signaled his team to shift and take care of the remaining humans. One by one, the five people in his team shifted into a multitude of dragons colors. A few seconds of knocking hunters against the wall with their forelegs and tails, and it was done.

Looking at the five dragons towering over him, Bram instructed, "Sniff out the exits and ensure everyone in the room is unconscious. I'm going to take care of Charlie."

Trusting his people to do their jobs, he rushed toward the unmoving bulk in the corner. Since the dragon was no longer a threat, the cage door was open. Bram went inside and put a hand on his fallen clan member's head. He whispered, "I'm sorry we failed you, Charlie. I will look after your mate and child and protect them to the best of my ability."

The green dragon didn't move or respond, and Bram's inner dragon released a mournful croon.

Patting Charlie's head one more time, he reached into one of the pockets on the vest he wore and pulled out a syringe. He lifted Charlie's right eyelid and plunged the syringe through the eye to the brain. Once he inserted all of the contents, he pulled out the needle and stepped back.

Even dead and drained of blood, Charlie was only freshly dead. When put directly into a dragon-shifter's brain, the chemicals in the mixture Dr. Sid gave him should force one last shift back.

He held his breath, hoping it wasn't too late. As much as he didn't want to leave her, there was no way they could carry her body in its dragon form back with them.

Another second ticked by and Charlie's body flashed. She lay on her stomach in human form, pale and motionless.

His throat choked up at the once strong and loyal dragonwoman. Charlie had been one of the first females ever to become a Protector in Clan Stonefire. She had been one of the handful he trusted enough to guard his mate.

Even now, he didn't blame Charlie for Evie's capture. Bram's own pride and cockiness had cost him. No location would ever be secure as long as Simon Bourne was still free.

Noticing his dragon brethren moving toward the exits, Bram pushed aside his memories and anger. Charlie may be dead, but hundreds of others still depended on him.

Clearing the emotion in his throat, he scooped up his fallen clan member into his arms and headed back toward their escape point. Four members of his team were back in human form, with one remaining in his dragon form to stand guard. They all glanced down at Charlie's body.