Drake roared, releasing outrage and fear. Wingate scrambled to his feet and ran blindly into the night’s darkness. He’d deal with that bastard later. Drake drew a deep breath and released a giant fireball whose flame licked vertically toward the fleeing figure, enough to at least scorch his ass. Wingate was taken care of for the moment, he wouldn’t dare return and help his accomplices. Saving his own hide trumped a high-risk gamble for money.

For two seconds, he debated approaching the kidnappers in dragon form. Best to use his human persona, he decided. Daphne had suffered enough without subjecting her to the sight of a fire-breathing dragon. Too late, he realized he should have shared his secret with his daughters the first day he’d taken custody. After all, they were his family now.

Another mere second later, a gunfire fired.

A scream tore through the noise of an approaching car engine. His daughter. It was the most horrifying sound ever.

He raced to the front of the cabin. Don’t let her be dead. Don’t let her be dead. Don’t let . . .

More screams. As he rounded the corner, he spotted Daphne running away from a black sedan. But his relief was short-lived at the sight of Charles dragging Tansy into a car. He’d save Tansy, but first he needed to round up his daughter before she got mixed up in more trouble.

He glanced at the still body sprawled on the ground. Charles had nearly run over it in his hurry to escape. With the tip of his shoe, Drake rolled the head toward him.

Nathan Albright. Another employee, still wearing his Evers Enterprises uniform. He’d bled profusely from a shot to the chest. Good for Tansy. A shame she hadn’t had time to finish off Charles as well.

Two of the kidnappers down—one to go. Drake moved on.

“Daphne! Stop, it’s me.”

His daughter kept running, stumbling in the darkness, only to rise and run again. Poor girl must be in such a panic that she wasn’t thinking straight past the primitive instinct to flee. But her panic and youth were no match for his keen night vision and long-legged sprint.

“Daphne, wait. You’re safe now, hon.” He’d caught up to her.

She spun around at the sound of his voice, her blue eyes wide and wild—almost as if she was too terrified to recognize her own father. A ripped, man’s T-shirt hung on her skinny body at an angle, leaving one shoulder completely bare. His gaze dropped lower, down her jeans to her bare feet which were crisscrossed with bleeding cuts.

“Adam took my shoes,” she said dully. “Said he was afraid I’d run.”

“Are you okay? Did he . . . hurt you in any way?”

Tears streamed down her face and she looked at him—really looked at him as if only know recognizing who he was. “Not really. I-I thought Adam loved me. Where is he? Did you . . .”

“I didn’t kill him if that’s what you’re asking. The coward ran off. But don’t worry, you won’t ever see him again.”

She nodded and swallowed hard. “I was so stupid, Dad.”

“No, honey, no. Not stupid. Just young and too trusting.”

Drake opened his arms and she ran into his embrace, sobbing. His arms wrapped around her thin shoulder blades and skinny ribs. It seemed to him as though she were the most delicate, vulnerable child in the world. His very own child. He ran a hand through Daphne’s unevenly chopped hair, shuddering to imagine what his life would be like without his twin girls. He’d never let anyone hurt them again.

“Shh. It’s my fault, sweetie. Everything’s going to be okay now, I promise.”

“I lied to you, Dad. I’m sorry. People got hurt because of me.”

Drake placed his hands atop her small, rounded shoulders and drew back until they faced eye-level. “You listen to me. None of this is your fault. You were duped, that’s all. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I didn’t pay close enough attention.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve never told you and Ruby how much you mean to me.”

A small smile ghosted across her face. “Really, Dad?”

“Really. But before we go home, we’ve got one last thing to do.”

She cocked her head to the side, as though trying to guess his intentions.

“We’ve got to—”

“Your friend!” Daphne gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “That witch woman. Is she . . . is she dead, too?”

Fear sizzled like acid through his veins. “No, but Charlie’s got her, and we have to stop him.”

“How?” She glanced around the abandoned campground. “You got a car around here? Aren’t you gonna call the police?”

“Police would take too long. And I have a quicker method than driving a car.” Drake ran a hand through his hair. He’d kept his secret for so long that even now it was hard to open up. What if the sight of his dragon side terrorized his own daughter? What if she completely rejected him?

“What are you going to do, Dad?”

“Look, you can hide in one of the cabins until I return with Tansy, It won’t take long.”

“No.” Daphne vehemently shook her head. “I’m going with you. What if Adam comes back and finds me? I can’t go through that again.”

“Of course.” There was no hope for it. He’d have to tell Daphne the truth. “I know this is going to sound hard to believe, but I can . . . I can fly.”

A slow smile lit her face. “I know. We think it’s pretty cool.”

Of all the answers he’d envisioned after revealing his deep, dark secret, it wasn’t this. “How could you possibly—”

“Ruby and I were out on our balcony late one night and saw this huge, black thing fly off from your bedroom balcony. We were scared and ran to your room to see if you were okay. You were gone. We were afraid something bad might have happened to you and we almost called Charlie for help.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Daphne shrugged one shoulder. “You’re so secretive. We were afraid you’d get mad if we did. So we went back to our balcony and waited to see what happened. If you weren’t home by dawn, we were going to get help.”

He gave a rueful chuckle. “Should have known I couldn’t keep that secret with two teenagers in the house.”

“We saw you fly back to the house and when we checked your room, you were back. Not hard to put that together. We’ve wanted to ask ever since, but were afraid . . . can we, are we . . . dragons too?”

“No. We’ll discuss the finer genetic points later. First, we have to find Tansy. If not for her, Wingate and the others might have got away with their scheme.”

Her eyes widened. “Can I fly with you?”

“We have no choice.” Much as he hated bringing Daphne back into proximity with Charles, he couldn’t risk leaving her alone in the middle of the woods at night. “Stand back by the edge of that cabin over there. Don’t want you to get hurt by a stray burst of sparks. Sometimes I can’t control that. Once I’ve shifted, come over and climb on one of my wings. You’ll find a hollowed recessed area behind them you can sit in.”

“Wait until I tell Ruby. She’ll be so jealous!” Daphne hurried to the empty cabin he’d pointed to, seemingly eager to take flight. And to think he’d been worried. His daughter was strong—made of much sterner stuff than he’d ever imagined. Once this harrowing day was over, he’d know to look deeper, beyond the giggles and chatter, to the fine young women of character ready to spread their own wings—not literally like his own dragon wings—but their own brand of special.

He inhaled sharply, ready to shift, when a sudden realization hit. There was the matter of his clothes—and the lack thereof, when he shifted back to human form. “Wait a minute,” he called out.

Daphne turned and regarded him with one brow quirked.

“Once I catch up to them, I’ll stop nearby. When I do, hop down and take cover somewhere. And don’t look.”

She giggled. “So you can get dressed again?”

“Glad you’re amused. Just mind me, okay? Don’t turn around until I give the word.” Let her believe modesty was the only issue. She’d been through enough, he wouldn’t traumatize her further by watching him toast Charlie once he caught up with the bastard.

Her face grew solemn and timid. “Yes, sir.”

Drake didn’t realize until that moment how much he hated his daughters addressing him as sir. He’d have to find a way to lighten up. Just because he ordered around employees, didn’t mean he should use the same authoritarian voice with his girls. Something else he’d have to work on when life returned to normal.

Skin morphed to scales, and his body ignited with heat as it expanded to more than ten times its size. With his talons, Drake painstakingly gathered his strewn clothes and tucked them beneath his wing. “Ready?” he asked, in a deep, lumbering tone that sparked and crackled.

“Ready.” She hurried to him, and he noted with relief that she appeared awed—but in a that’s-so-cool kind of way versus a this-is-monstrous way. In no time, Daphne scrambled onto his left wing and tucked herself in as a passenger. She patted his scales, which he took as a go signal.

At once, he took flight. How much time had lapsed since Charles absconded with Tansy? Maybe five or ten minutes? He’d catch up. There was only one road out of Angel Falls. His biggest concern was that another vehicle would pass by and he’d have to waste time taking cover until the coast cleared. Wingate and Charles had both seen his dragon, but who’d believe two criminals claiming to be thwarted by a dragon? So far, containment of his secret wasn’t an issue and he aimed to keep it under wraps.

Drake soared above the treetops and easily spotted headlight beams snaking down the mountain. About eight miles ahead, he figured. Best of all, not another vehicle or residence in sight. Surging forward, melding with the night, his heart once again drummed a prayer. This time it wasn’t for Daphne, it was for Tansy. Hang on, my love. I’m coming for you.

In less than a dozen heartbeats, he hovered over the sedan and bellowed a fiery warning. “Stop, Charlie. This is your only chance to escape with your life.”

The sedan accelerated, taking S turns with a dangerous speed that whiplashed its metal frame like a pinball racing downward to death. Drake stayed with the sedan and breathed a fireball overhead, enough to singe the vehicle’s roof, but not enough to blow it up in flames. If only Charles occupied the vehicle, he’d have no hesitation. But Tansy would perish in those same flames, so it was out of the question.

They’d almost reached the bottom of the mountain. In about five miles, the county road would wind into the small community of Booger Hollow. Someone might be awake and witness the strange sight of a dragon flying through their town. He’d have to make a strategic move in minutes. But what? Forcibly halting the sedan might result in a wreck and endanger Tansy’s life. He weighed a grim choice. Crash the sedan—or do nothing and hope that Charlie would release Tansy on his own, when or if the man ever came to his senses.

And there was Daphne to consider as well. No doubt he faced severe injury of his own by throwing his body in front of the car, but that was a minor matter.

Decision made, Drake slowed, allowing the sedan to momentarily slip away. He abruptly landed on the side of the road. Adam wouldn’t know where to find her now. “Get out, Daphne,” he called over his shoulder. “Take cover and I’ll be back for you shortly.”

Surprisingly, she obeyed without protest, slipping behind a copse of pines by the roadside.

Drake took flight, back in pursuit. Hang on, my love. I’m coming for you.