Kai jerked at the chains holding his wrists and ankles to the wall, but they refused to budge.

He remembered Aegis’s advice by heart from the book by now, and he supposed it applied to this situation well.

Never give up on what you want. If you love her, never let her go. —Emerald.

He wasn’t sure why he could fight his collar for little things like storms, but not access more of his dragon strength. Then again, the metal on these chains didn’t look like normal, human metal. They seemed enhanced somehow. Maybe with Liz’s magic that could paralyze things.

His whole body felt weak from how she’d frozen him, and he’d only relaxed when he’d slumped against the wall, totally bound, just glad to be free of her clutches.

She hadn’t been able to get any reaction out of him and had quickly left, saying she’d be back when he was ready to be reasonable.

He looked at the small window in the basement where he was kept. He didn’t want to be reasonable. He wanted to kill everyone in this compound, the scientists Liz had brought with her, those planning to help with a forced mating, and Liz herself for kidnapping him and telling lies to his mate.

All he could think of was Renee, alone and hurting. Would she believe the awful things Liz had said about him? He didn’t even know what she’d made up, but he could guess.

Not that he wanted to.

More than ever, he hated the collar around his neck. What was the point of all this if fate had brought him close to his mate only to tear her away from him?

He’d heard them talking upstairs and realized the problem was far larger than the gem dragons thought. An underground insurgence had been building. Underground labs. Plans for hybrid shifters using dragon blood. A gathering force backed by a shadowy Tribunal that would publicly deny their involvement.

An oncoming war between the wolves.

And him caught in the crossfire, with them hoping to use his blood or, worse, to gain an advantage.

He struggled against the chains, knowing it was futile but unable to stay still. His mate was out there. He should be with her, protecting her. Without his collar, he would have been able to.

Had he moved too slow? He’d gone as quickly as he was able.

He winced as he heard the door to the basement unlock and open, knowing Liz was probably coming back. She’d been checking on him hourly, getting impatient to move things along.

She poked her head around the corner. She was wearing a deep-blue, slinky dress, and her hair was down. She obviously expected him to find her beautiful, but nothing could have been further from the truth.

He wanted to spit in her face the way she had spit on his love.

“Look at you, so violent,” she said, waving a finger. “I’ll give you one more chance to calm down, and then I’ll let the scientists work on you.” She walked over to him slowly, then extended a claw and drew it down his chest, cutting his shirt open.

He glowered down at her, feeling the rage of his dragon pacing inside him.

This bitch was so dead.

She ran her claw gently over his skin, but the feel was like poison.

He snapped at her with human teeth, hoping to bite, and she jumped back.

“So nasty,” she said. “I guess I’ll have to be back. With help.”

He shook his head. “No help will ever make me want you, you freak.”

She laughed, but there was a hard edge to it. She walked to the stairs and glared at him. “We’ll see.”

Then she disappeared, and he heard the door to the basement close once more.

He lowered his head with a sigh. He couldn’t let anyone make him dishonor his mate. How the hell had he gotten into this? And where were the other dragons? Did they even know?

No, they didn’t think anyone knew about the water dragons awakening, or they wouldn’t have let him come there. Ever since Citrine had taken a wolf bride, things had changed in ways they must not have imagined.

But none of that mattered to him as he stared bleakly at the window he couldn’t reach, imagining Renee just beyond it.

And then, because he was probably hallucinating after being stuck here with no food or water, he did see her face looking around curiously as she bent down in front of the window.

Ah, it was good to see her, even if it were just a figment of his imagination.

Then another face joined him. Marina, looking around as well.

Their eyes lit on him together, and twin expressions of anger contorted their faces. Marina moved Renee back and raised a fist to hit the window, but Kai sent her a look of alarm, shaking his head.

She needed to be quiet.

Marina nodded, extending a claw-like nail and slowly drawing a circle in the glass in front of her. When it was nearly done, she put a hand on it, pulling it back. She’d made a clean hole big enough for her to reach in and find the latch to unlock the window so she could open it all the way. It was just big enough for her and Renee to climb in.

They landed on the floor with a thud, and Renee ran over to him, taking him in her arms.

Feeling her soft body against him was a revelation. Everything he’d ever wanted.

Then he heard someone move upstairs, and panic went through him. “You have to go,” he hissed at Marina. “There are way too many of them.”

“We aren’t leaving you,” Marina said, standing in front of him, shaking her head.

“You can’t take your dragon form,” he said. “And besides, you hate fighting.”

She glared at him. “If you think I wouldn’t fight to the death for you, you’re wrong.”

He looked in alarm as more noises sounded above him. “There are too many. Get the other dragons. And get my mate to safety.”

Marina looked at Renee, who shook her head and stubbornly clung to Kai. Renee noticed his torn shirt and let out a growl of anger.

“What the fuck is she doing to you?”

Kai looked away, not really wanting to say.

“Oh, those gross bastards,” Marina said with a growl. “Kai, let me handle this.”

“Even if you wanted to, you can’t without your dragon form,” he said ruefully. “You aren’t collared, but the oracle is still suppressing us.”

Marina paced for a moment, thinking. “We can’t leave you, Kai. I can’t imagine what they’d do to you while we’re gone. There’s no time to get help.”

“What else can we do?”

Marina looked at Renee. “You know, there is one exception to the suppression spell and the collar. The oracle mentioned it once when she was explaining what she’d done with the gem dragons when they awakened.”

“And what’s that?”

Marina bit her lip. “You won’t like it. Renee, come here.”

“No,” Kai said. “What are you doing?”

“The only thing I can do under the circumstances,” Marina said. “Renee, come here.”

Renee looked at him warily, and though he silently begged her not to, she went to Marina.

He watched helplessly as Marina pulled her in, whispering something in her ear and then checking for Renee’s reaction.

Renee’s eyes went wide, but she nodded, looking over at Kai. “I said I’d do anything to save him.”

“No!” Kai hissed. “Whatever you’re planning, stop it now.”

Marina laughed, glared at him, and then caught Renee by the throat, lifting her in the air. Renee squeaked in surprise and kicked her legs, quickly suffocating in Marina’s strong hold.

“Stop,” Kai said, not wanting to alert their captors but unable to believe he was watching his sister hurt his mate. He’d loved her, protected her. Why was she doing this?

Marina looked into his eyes, raising an eyebrow, and Kai was alarmed to see Renee was turning slightly red now, struggling with Marina’s hands.

He jerked at the chains frantically. Was Marina possessed? What was happening—

And then he heard a snap and the shattering of concrete on the floor as his power surged through him, more than he’d felt in so long.

He burst forward as the chains broke free of the wall, still attached to his wrists but hanging limp. He reached up to touch his collar. It was just cold metal now. He felt no restraint from it. In fact, he felt almost afraid of the sheer force of the raging dragon inside.

He shot toward Marina, but she quickly released his mate, setting her on the ground, gasping. Kai grabbed Renee, pulling her against him as she held him tight, and he turned on Marina.

“What the hell were you doing?”

“Freeing you,” Marina said simply. “I didn’t want to, but she did agree to do anything to help you, and the only override for the collar is a human or your mate in danger. It’s not permanent, though, so you better hurry and take all those guys out.”

Kai cracked his knuckles, ready to take revenge and keep them from doing this to anyone else. “Go outside. Find somewhere to hide. Now that the chains are broken, it’s only a matter of time. Take Renee with you. I want you away from here and safe.”

“If you say so,” Marina said. “Or I can fight.”

“Protect my mate,” he said. “And thank you.” Then he turned to Renee, who was looking at him.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “What did she mean by mate? And what’s going on? And what powers is she talking about? What dragon form?” Her thoughts were clearly racing, and Kai wished he could tell her everything now, but there was no time.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wish I could tell you everything, but I can’t right now.” He brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead, needing her touch after everything that had happened. “But I will. Soon. Stay safe.”

She nodded. “I never believed Liz about you.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, brushing her hair behind her ear. He couldn’t resist dipping to kiss her one more time, just in case things went wrong.

But as their lips joined, and he felt even more of his strength coming back to him, he knew there was no way he could let himself fail.

He let her go, telling her and Marina to hurry as he heard alarms sounding all around him.

No matter what, he was going to make sure they all got out of here safely.

His dragon would see to that.