Scorpions rushed Dena and Taurian. The more she knocked back with the broom, the faster the insects came closer. If the hole were big enough for Taurian to squeeze through in his dragon form...if he could fly with the burn to his wing. Or stomp on all these scorpions and squish them all. But something told her that even as a massive dragon, there were too many and they’d find a way to hurt him.

With gas leaking from the broken stove pipe, she dared not use her makeshift flamethrower. She threw the empty can of hairspray at a cluster of scorpions, but they kept inching toward them. The lighter tucked away in her pocket.

One of the scorpions stabbed the back of her leg. She felt like a baseball bat had whacked her. She crashed to her knees. Pain radiating up her legs. Son of a bitch! And Taurian had sustained hundreds of these stings? How was it he was still moving?

“Dena!” Taurian roared.

In less than a second, he scooped her up in his arms. Without her batting the insects away, more and more crawled forward. Their stingers hitting her and Taurian. Sledgehammer pain striking every muscle in her body over and over again. Panic welled in her throat. How where they going to get out of this? She had no weapons and the gas was too strong for Taurian to use his dragonfire. They’d both disintegrate. Her heart hammered so hard in her chest that her ribs bruising.

Taurian turned his body to shield her from them. They were both doomed, why wasn’t he trying to save himself? His body trembled around her. How was he taking the brunt of the attack and not a crying heap? The fact he was shielding her, protecting her at his own expense made her heart swell. A wall of demon scorpions fell with more of the roof.

She coughed from the gas fumes. All they need was a spark, then this place and everything would explode. If it meant keeping people safe she'd click the lighter in her pocket right now. But if Taurian could fly…

“Can you get us out of here?” she begged. Taurian flying them out was their only escape.

He groaned in response. The vibration of his transformation buzzed against her back and under her hands. His skin heated, rippling the muscles and flesh. As if the pests knew what was planned, the insects stung faster, pain jolting through her. She screamed as unending pain hit her over and over again. She curled in on herself.

Taurian tucked her closer to his chest to protect her. Agony and sorrow slammed into her. Even now, he was trying to keep her safe and shield her from the onslaught as scorpions crawled all over them. How could he give so much of himself for her? But it wasn’t enough, stingers slammed into her every few seconds to where she couldn’t catch her breath. Pain making her nauseous.

His skin hardened to tight-fitting scales. Wings beat back some the scorpions, but not enough. He grunted, partially leaping into the air. But they fell back down on the tile before he could get enough leverage. Again he flapped hard, his muscles along his chest constricted with his movements. This time his wings raised them two feet off the floor.

Scorpions lurched to reach to them, one pinching her ankle. She kicked it off.

Inches from the opening, a horde of scorpions poured on top of them, crushing Taurian's wings and sending them plowing into the floor.

“There's too many,” Dena wheezed with her throat closing.

He pinned her to his chest, his thumping heart drowning out the sound of the thousands of bugs attacking them. Did he think this wasn’t going to work and they’d die here? How much more venom could he take before—

“Stay close to me.” His voice sounded hoarser than hers.

What did he plan on doing? Panic surged inside her. He closed his wings around them. The blinking fluorescent light sniffing out. She was completely enclosed.

“Taurian no!” She beat him. No, she couldn’t let him sacrifice himself for her, no matter how much she wanted to cower in a small ball. She couldn't let him do that. The plan had been to fly out of here. Then she could engage the lighter and drop it down into the gas pit. Not this, not him killing himself to protect just her. They were both supposed to get out of this alive! “Open up!” she screamed.

“If this doesn't work, tell Kohl what happened here,” his voice echoed in her head. “Someone has to warn my people and yours.”

His body twitched and she knew the insects were stinging him while she was trapped against his chest and his arms and wings pinning her in a cocoon.

“Taurian, what are you doing? Let me out.”

“Your plan is brilliant...just need a bit of fire...right?”

Was he going to blast them? No, her idea had been for them to fly out. “No, Taurian, there has to be another way. The explosion from your dragonfire will kill us both.” She panted and her heart went into triple time.

“I'm a dragon.” He grunted and his body shivered. “Remember?”

She tensed. “This is different. It's not a simple fire, it's millions of times stronger.” She pushed against his arms to free herself. The scorpions stabbed her legs, but she gritted past the pain. He couldn't do this. If they died together, fine. But not with him trying to protect her and thinking he was saving her when they were both doomed. “Let me out!”

His body jerked. She froze.

“Taurian?”

“If I don't make it,” he paused, cringing. “I-I want you to know that—” His face contorted for a moment from the pain. “I gladly give my life for yours,” he said.

“No, no, we'll figure something else out or let us take these bastards out togeth—”

“Dena, I love you.” His breath hitched.

The scent of fire hit her a split-second before the gas caught it and the world exploded around her.

* * *

Heat enveloped every fiber of her body. Yet Taurian was still around her. Her ears rang, but deep inside her, Taurian's words echoed. He loves me?

Taurian's embrace slackened and her heart stopped. No, no, no! He can't be dead.

Tears dripped down her face. When he fell back, she gripped his arms to ease him down. Maybe he was just knocked out from the blast. She placed her head against his chest, but couldn't hear anything but the ringing in her own ears. There was no thump of his heartbeat that she could feel either.

He's fine, he's fine. Unconscious then he'll laugh at her worrying and tell her in his arrogant way that a dragon can survive anything.

Ash floated around them, coating his sapphire scales that were scalded black. Dead scorpions were everywhere.

She cupped his face to know if he was breathing...he had to be alive.

No movement. Not even a twitch to give her hope.

Her hands clasped over his heart and she started CPR. Her breath into his mouth didn't even inflate his huge lungs. She punched his chest as hard as she could, her fingers cramping from the force. She blew past his dragon lips three times before his chest visibly rose the slightest degree.

She kept up her chest compressions and breaths on him until she could no longer lift her arms. Dizziness from hyperventilating making her have to stop. She couldn't give up, there had to be some way of helping him, damn it!

“Taurian,” she choked. “Please wake up.” No way could she say the words...not when they turned her throat raw just thinking about them. She couldn't ask him to breathe... to live...cause that would mean he wasn't.

Gingerly she kissed his charred cheeks. “You still have to show me your world, remember?” Life without him made her recoil from the thought. As hard as she'd tried to make her heart, she'd fallen for him.

“You can't tell me you love me and that's it,” she scrubbed a hand down her face. “Do you hear me? Talk is cheap, you better come back to me and show me you love me.” Her whole body shook as she watched him for a sign, anything. “Prove it! Wake up!”

But he didn't stir or blink and her heart refused to beat. She'd found love only to lose it.