Thane followed Bex’s scent all the way to the institute and parked outside. Suffering from last night’s whiskey binge, he opened a bottle of aspirin. He popped four in his mouth, then downed a bottle of water. The inside of his head felt like a rock concert playing inside. A reminder of why he left getting drunk to Stone and Jensen.

Many times during the long drive over, he’d rehearsed what he was going to say to Bex, but nothing was good enough. Finally, he threw the script away deciding he’d speak from the heart. He was willing to make changes in his life so they could be together. All Bex had to say was yes, and that she accepted him as her mate.

Giving himself one last glance in the rearview mirror, Thane raked his fingers through his hair and exhaled a nervous breath. He hoped Stone was right. If she turned him away a second time, there wouldn’t be a third attempt, the pain would be unbearable.

Thane stepped out of the car and was greeted by a gut-wrenching scream. Instantly, fear rippled down his spine. It was Bex… she was in trouble, he could feel it.

He took off running and entered the building like a raging bull. Not wanting to wait for the elevator, he took the stairs. Taking two at a time, he reached the third floor and kicked the door open. Thane strode down the hall, hot on Bex’s trail, sniffing out her lab. He swung the door open. “Bex!”

He rushed in. Holy hell, the lab had been ransacked. Overturned chairs were scattered, and it looked as if there had been a struggle. This wasn’t good. “Bex!”

Thane strode further inside and he rounded the corner, then slipped. Gaining his balance, he looked down and noticed several drops of blood on the floor. He kneeled and swiped his finger through the blood, then smelled it. By the mercy of the holy elders, it was Bex’s blood.

The urge to find her rushed through his veins, awakening his dragon. The shift was coming on. Black claws extended from his fingers. His bones ached, the ache he felt right before they cracked and broke from the shift. He was going airborne.

Tires screeched from the parking lot. Bex. Thane raced to the window just in time to see a silver Toyota fishtail out into the street. If his dragon senses were right, Bex was in that car.

Without hesitation, Thane rammed his shoulder into the glass and shattered it. Glass rained down like crystals falling from the sky. He took a few steps back, preparing for his departure. Running full speed toward the window, he dived out in a perfect swan dive.

Soaring to the ground, Thane unleashed the green beast. His massive wings brushed the asphalt, kicking dirt up as he swooped across the parking lot to gain altitude. In no time, he was flying high, his gaze fixed on the silver Toyota.

He followed them onto the highway. Fuck, six lanes of traffic and one enormous dragon. This wasn’t going to end well. He had to think this through, because his mate was inside that car and he couldn’t risk her life when he was supposed to be saving it.

It didn’t take him long to catch up. He was so close he could see the oh shit look on the drivers face through the rearview mirror. Bex was in the back seat. She turned around and looked out the back window. Her eyes grew wide as soon as she saw him. She mouthed his name as if she couldn’t believe he was right behind her. He couldn’t blame her for being surprised. It’s not every day you see a dragon out your back window.

The car jerked to the right, throwing Bex up against the door like a ragdoll and slamming her head against the window. The bastard was going to pay for that. The urge to blow fire and brimstone on this asshole coursed through his veins.

All of a sudden, the car came to a screeching halt. Thane couldn’t put the brakes on fast enough as he tried to avoid hitting it and flew head-over-ass over the Toyota. He tumbled to the ground. The force of the fall cracked the blacktop, leaving a web of trenches spanning into oncoming traffic. Cars screeched and swerved all around him, the drivers slamming on their brakes and beeping their horns.

Thane stood, shaking off the mental fog as a semi-truck skidded to a halt, inches from his body. The driver made eye contact, and Thane greeted him with a snarl. Scared to death like he’d just met Godzilla, the driver reached over and locked the door. Damn right, Thane didn’t have time to deal with that.

Back on the hunt, Thane searched the wreckage for Bex. His blood boiled as he saw the Toyota drive across the median and speed off into oncoming traffic. Mother fucker. In two long strides, Thane was airborne again and flying toward Bex. Like a raptor catching its prey, he swooped down, sinking his black claws through the roof of the car. The steel frame creaked as he pumped his wings faster, lifting it off the road. Now, let the bastard try to escape.

There was a cliff up ahead which looked safe enough to make a landing on and dispose of a body, because whoever had hurt his Bex was going to pay with his life. Thane felt movement inside the car, and as if the situation couldn’t get any worse, the car rocked back and forth causing one of his claws to slip. Bex screamed. Shit, he wished Bex would just shift. It would be a lot easier.

The driver’s door swung open and a man jumped out and spiraled toward the earth. Before Thane had a chance to react, the man morphed into a silver dragon and flew away. Thane couldn’t believe what he just saw. The car creaked, bringing his attention back to Bex. Hold on, baby.

Thane circled the cliff, slowing down before the landing. He hovered above the ground and released the car. He expected to see Bex bolt from her mangled prison, but she didn’t. Slowly, he bent his horned head down and looked inside. Bex was huddled in a ball in the backseat. “Is it over?” her voice shook.

“Yes, baby, it’s over.”

Bex looked out the window, finding Thane had shifted back to his human form. He opened the door and grabbed her hand as she stepped out and into his arms. “I’m so sorry…I should have never left you.”

“Shh, I should have ripped the engine out of your car so you couldn’t leave.” He felt a slight laugh against his chest. He took a step back and cupped her face. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head.

“What happened?”

“You won’t believe me.”

“I just saw a man jump out of that car in midair and shift into a dragon. There’s nothing you can say that can top that.”

Bex smiled. “I guess you’re right. Well, that man is Dr. Lars Valstrath. He’s the professor I worked for. Somehow, he found out what I was doing with the anti-shift serum. Basically, without me knowing, he wanted me to perfect it for his own use.”

“Why? We already know it doesn’t work.”

“Now it does, permanently.”

“What?”

“I know, it gets crazier. He said the missing piece to completing the serum was a hormone in mated she-dragons. He drugged me and collected my blood. He’s going to complete the serum.”

“Christ.” Thane shoved his hands through his hair. What in the hell was going on? Dr. Lars Valstrath, the name sounded familiar.

“You want to hear something crazier?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have a good feeling about this at all.”

“He claims to be my birthfather. He said my mom left him as soon as she found out that he was dragon. This was the reason he wanted to make the serum, so he would stay human and my mother would love him again. Personally, I call bullshit on the whole story. The man is insane.”

“But why did he kidnap you? Where was he taking you?”

Bex paused in thought. “He mentioned something about the lords. I don’t know. He was mumbling.”

“The lords?” Thane was instantly shaken.

“I think so.”

Not wanting to frighten Bex more, Thane dropped the subject. If his suspicions were right, trouble was brewing. He needed to call Stone and tell him everything. “Let’s take you home. You’ve been through hell.”

“If home is your place, I’ll go.” Bex wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. He held her tight. His mate was safe, but there was a dark cloud that threatened their happiness, the happiness of all Dragonkine. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the last he’d see of the crazy doc.

“Promise me one thing.” He kissed the top of her head.

“What?”

“First thing, I teach you how to shift.”

Bex looked up at him and grinned. “Promise.”