I stood there in a frozen horror as the beast zeroed in on me. Smoke was coming out of its nostrils and it was stalking me like I was its prey. I had never seen any living creature that big. The threat of dragons, it was real, very real. Someone was shouting for me to move, but I couldn’t. My body was planted into the ground, my feet roots that spread into the earth keeping me right in front of the dragon. A chill spread across me the moment the best stopped, his eyes still on me.

My heart stilled as it opened its mouth. When the fire started moving toward me faster than could be humanly possible, I stopped breathing. I wouldn’t get out of the way in time – not even if I wasn’t paralyzed. I braced myself for the impact, the inevitable burn. I just prayed it would be over quick.

“Lana, look out!” Casian screamed as he tackled me to the ground, his body shielding mine. My muscles finally started working again, the reality of what we were facing hitting me like the flames should’ve been. But Casian was a lot bigger than I was and he shielded me completely.

“Casian, no!” I yelled as I started to struggle against him. I couldn’t let him get hurt because of me. That wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. I had been the one who couldn’t move. No. No. No.

But Casian didn’t budge and I started sobbing. His muscles were tense around me, the only sign that served to offer me some kind of relief as it indicated that he was still okay, at least for now. I continued to struggle as the flames continued to hit us. We’d both be dead if this continued any longer.

“Lana, stop fighting me! I’m trying to keep the flames from you and you are making my job very difficult!”

“I can’t let you get hurt because of me!” I yelled back, still thrashing against him.

His grip around me got tighter. “I can’t get hurt! I’m immune to fire, so stop worrying about me!”

I instantly stilled. Casian blew out a relieved breath, and continued to hold me down as the flames enveloped us. Sweat was dripping down the both of us from the unrelenting heat. I could make out the yelling of other people, but their words were distorted. The whooshing of the fire blocked out much else.

Just when I started to think it would never end, Casian got up and pulled me with him to my feet. He examined me quickly, tilting my face to the side and back to make sure there weren’t any burn marks on me. His eyes narrowed with concern and I wanted to reassure him that I was fine. I even wanted to thank him, but no words would cross my lips.

“Lana, are you okay?” he asked. And only then did I realize I was shaking.

Casian had amazing reflexes. Before I even knew my legs were unstable and they just started to give out under me, he caught me, keeping me upright. I placed my hand on his upper bicep to steady myself.

Andreas was suddenly standing by my side, concern etched into his usually neutral face. I glanced back between him and Casian. “I’m fine. Not even a scratch.”

“Not all scars are visible, little witch,” Andreas said as he took me from Casian. I tried to protest, but he lifted my feet off the ground.

“What are you doing?” I demanded with in a shrill voice.

“The dragon just took off after blasting fire at you, but I doubt he will stay gone for good. There has been no sign of his dragon lord and I need to get you out of here before they return.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could, we were already in my room. He placed me down on my bed like I was some helpless little damsel and I immediately sprung to my feet the moment his hands left me. He stared at me with his head titled to the side like I was some disobedient child. Crossing my arms over my chest certainly did not take away from the effect.

“Okay, so fire freaks me out. I’m still afraid. I’ve admitted it. But you are not locking me up in here when that dragon is coming back any second and could potentially kill everyone here I care about.”

I started to push past him to head outside again, but he stopped me effortlessly. “I will chain you to that bed if I have to. I’m not letting you go out there.”

“You were the one who told me I had to confront my fears!”

“Not like this! Are you insane? If it weren’t for Casian that dragon would’ve killed you!”

I balled my hands into fists. “I’m not going to stay in my room like some helpless child!”

“No one is calling you a helpless child! But you are untrained in your magic! The only thing you’d be doing is putting yourself and those around you in danger! I do not need to worry about you being targeted and getting hurt while we try and figure out how to defeat a dragon!”

“You don’t have to worry about me at all. You have never worried about me getting hurt before, and you really don’t need to start now.”

Andreas stepped back like I stabbed him in the gut. “That is not fair and you know it. The only thing I even do any more is worry about you getting hurt!”

“You could’ve fooled me.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “You. Are. The most frustrating. Person. I have ever met in my entire life!”

“You are calling me frustrating? That’s rich, especially coming from you.”

Andreas moved closer to me until we were almost touching and still didn’t stop his advance. I started moving backward, and he followed until he had me backed against a wall. His arms formed pillars next to me, keeping me in place. My heart rate sped up for several reasons.

“I almost lost you once. I will not be doing that again. Stay. In. This. Room.”

“You are not my boss!”

“Dammit, Lana! Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn? It’s a simple enough request that you just stay out of the way!”

I placed my hands on his chest and tried to push him away with to no avail. He was a block of concrete. “I’m not going to sit here while everyone else gets hurt!”

“No one else will get hurt!”

“You can’t guarantee that!”

His face was dangerously close to mine and I could feel the anger radiating off him. I tried to act like I wasn’t intimidated by him even though I so clearly was. I refused to sit here like a coward while everyone else was out there risking their lives. But somewhere, the logical part of my brain was telling me that Andreas was right. I would only get in the way if I joined them in fighting the dragon. I wasn’t about to let him know that.

“There is a better chance for the rest of us if we don’t have to worry about protecting you. And I am not saying that because you are helpless, I’m saying that because you simply aren’t prepared yet to fight! Please, Lana. Just this once listen to me.”

“No. I’m not going to allow everyone I care about to get hurt without trying to do something to help.”

“Lana, I swear to whatever god there might be above that I will find a way to lock you in this room if you don’t stay willingly.”

“Give it your best shot.”

Andreas pressed closer to me and breathing became a very difficult task. “It is unwise to underestimate me.”

“It is equally unwise to underestimate me.”

“I’ve never underestimated you a day in my life. The problem is that you underestimate yourself. That is the only reason you haven’t unlocked your true potential yet. You are afraid of yourself, of what’s inside you. And as long as that is true, you will be a liability on the battle field.”

I pushed at him again, and this time managed to push him away. “You don’t know what it’s like to fear what you are! To be afraid of whatever is inside you will take over and you’d no longer be yourself!”

Andreas scoffed. “Of course I know what it’s like. It’s something I battled on an hourly basis. But I don’t let that fear control me! I control it.”

“I’m not that strong.”

He reclosed the distance I had managed to put between us and cupped my cheeks between his hands. “You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for. But for right now, I need you to stay in this room.”

“No.”

“Stop. Being. So. Stubborn!”

“Stop telling me what to do!”

“I will the moment you listen to me.”

“That’s never going to happen!”

“Why can’t you see reason? I can’t afford to lose you, Lana.”

“I’m sure Leita will be more than willing to comfort you.”

Andreas let go of me and stepped back. “What the fuck does Leita have to do with anything?”

“You are the one sleeping with her, you tell me.”

“Past tense, little witch.”

I put more distance between us. “Stop calling me that! Do you even realize how annoying it is?”

“You don’t find it annoying.”

“And you don’t know what I think.”

“I know better than you may think, little witch.”

I groaned. “You are the most annoying, most frustrating, most infuriating, man I have ever –“ I didn’t get to finish my sentence before Andreas had me trapped against the wall again. I didn’t have time to think or even assess what was happening before his lips connected with mine, cutting me off in the midst of a word.