Vyr couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight, couldn’t look away from his reflection in the two-way mirror glass. He looked awful, but in his eyes, he saw something he’d only begun to feel recently when Riyah had shown up—hope.

They were here? Torren? Nox? Did Nevada and Candace make it into the girls’ side on the west wing of the prison?

My crew, my crew.

The dragon clenched inside of him, and it was an unfamiliar feeling. It was desperation from the monster, but he’d never been desperate before. Only angry.

They were here. He let off a shaky breath and closed his eyes, reached out for them with his mind, but they weren’t there like Riyah was. He hadn’t seen Torren and Nox for six months, and he’d lost the connection to them. If he could just see them face to face, he could fix the broken bond, but there were too many walls between them right now.

The dragon writhed again, doubling Vyr over, and there it was—the anger. He was angry that he’d been cut off from his people.

Torren, Torren, Torren. Nox. Fuck, he wanted out. Needed out. Needed to see them.

“I just want to see them.”

“I know.” Riyah. She was still here, still in his head, and he was in hers.

He’d forgotten for a moment.

“I’m going to see what I can do, okay?” she said low. “I’m going to talk to the guards right now and see what I can find out.”

“Ask how they got in. Ask what they did to land in here. How much time did they each get? Are Nevada and Candace on the women’s side? Fuck. Riyah, I don’t feel right…”

“Vyr, you have to settle down. I can feel you getting riled up, feel the dragon, and you can’t do that right now. Go sit on the bed.”

He gritted out, “I’m not some dog you order to—”

“Sit.”

His growl rattled the room and shook the walls. Chips of cement rained down on him and the lights flickered. He was losing it.

“Steady breaths,” Riyah whispered. She must be walking where people were because she rarely whispered.

His body buckled, and he went to his knees on the way to the bed. Shit!

“Vyr, listen—”

“Where are you? I need…I need…” You. He wished he could say that last part, but he couldn’t get her hooked on him. Not when he was halfway to hell already. He couldn’t drag her with him. She deserved a good life.

“Babe, stop. Everything is okay. I’m stepping into the restroom…checking stalls…I’m alone. I just called you ‘babe.’”

Her tone sounded shocked, and Vyr huffed out a breath. “I liked it. I liked it. I’m babe. Fuck, Riyah, listen. You need to get out of the facility.”

“Oh my gosh. Vyr, I’m coming down to you.”

“No!” he yelled out loud. “Leave. Please!”

“I’m not leaving. You need to stop the Change. Stop it or you’ll put me in danger.”

“Riyah,” he snarled in an inhuman voice. Already he could feel the cutting pain of his wings scratching to burst out of his back. He could feel his Firestarter begging to be clicked. Could feel the burn of his fire that would explode from his throat. Emmitt called this place hell, but he was wrong. Hell dwelled inside of Vyr. And right now he was having serious trouble keeping the demons inside.

He could feel her coming. She was running toward the elevators. She slid her security card as fast as she could at every reader. He could hear the echo of her heels. Faster, faster. No, no, no.

“Riyah, please stop! It’s been too long. I just want to see them.” He was delirious with the pain, writhing on the ground as he tried to force the dragon back inside. There was chaos as guards surrounded him. Stinging pain as they shot him with the damn meds to try to quell the dragon. Warmth trickled down his lip to his chin. Drip, drip. The Sickening. The Sickening, and Riyah would see him again. But worse, she would see the Red Dragon, and if she survived him, she would never look at him the same.

Please, he begged the dragon. Let me keep her for a little while. Let me keep her. He couldn’t think. Everything hurt. Someone was singing. Riyah?

She was singing the lyrics to “Baby Got Back.” And she was actually doing a pretty decent job of rapping. If his body wasn’t on fire right now, he would’ve laughed.

She was really coming for him. Ridiculous woman didn’t understand what kind of danger she was in. This facility couldn’t hold the Red Dragon. Oh, the guards thought it could, but they were so fuckin’ wrong it was crazy. The people here were still breathing because of the monumental effort he made to keep some semblance of control over his evil side.

And yep, he fully believed the Red Dragon was evil. He didn’t feel. He didn’t care. He was hunger and vengeance. That’s it. That’s all. Hunger. Vengeance. Vyr cared very deeply for a few people, but the Red Dragon had cared about literally nothing.

Until Riyah.

You’ll hurt her. Vyr gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed as his wings ripped out of his body. Fuck. Stop. Stop, or you’ll kill her and then you’ll go back to having nothing and no one.

A roar screamed from his body, wracking him with a seizure and shaking the room. More cement rained down, and all the lights above him blew. And then there was fire, burning up his throat and illuminating the cell that wouldn’t hold his monster.

And as the dragon ripped from him, cell by cell, taking over his mind like black poison… Vyr went to the dark, once again.