Read Taken by the Dragon King for Free Online

like a beacon in the dark. As soon as I touch their power, I feel them feed it to me, willing me to take it in. It’s incredible. Each new addition amplifies the warmth growing in my core.
    Moving to the inner circle, I find Ruby’s energy first. It’s bubbly and fizzy and seems to fit with her personality. Moving to Cadence, I find hers to be mellow yet happy. Finally reaching for Delilah, I perceive her to be loud and overwhelming, like static from a TV. It’s not pleasant, but I still pull it in and add it to the others. Lastly, I find my own and complete the orb of power swirling inside me. I feel my body start to get warm and then hot, uncomfortably hot. Sweat breaks out on my forehead and my skin itches all over. I wonder if this is how it’s supposed to feel? What if this isn’t right? There’s no turning back now. I have to try.
    Flames lick at my skin and I open my eyes. Like before when I got overwhelmed, the fire crawls up my arms and my heart races impossibly fast. Ash has his eyes closed, but they are darting around under the lids. I wish his eyes were open. I wish he could calm me down like before. A single tear leaks down my face, but before I can pull my hand away to wipe it off it sizzles and evaporates. It’s now or never. I repeat the words in my head once more before saying them aloud.
    The flames subside as the energy passes through my hands and into Asher’s. Excited that it’s working, I eagerly feed more of the coven’s combined magic into our connection.
    A gasp from behind me breaks my focus and I turn my head. One of the women in the outer circle crumples to the ground. Shit. The remaining outer coven wanes. I feel the inner three concentrate and boost their energy to compensate for our lost member, but I can’t handle it. I’ve lost my focus. Panic sets in and I look at Ash. I know he can feel that something is going wrong. His eyes open just as my vision starts to blur and my head spins. I push back the energy from the others as hard as I can. Flames erupt around us and I can’t fight the wave of exhaustion. My knees buckle and I hit the ground. The world goes black.
    The scene changes every time I fade in and out of consciousness. I see Ash’s face hovering over my own, worry etched into his handsome features. He shakes my shoulders and his lips form my name, but I can’t hear his voice. That’s odd. Georgia’s thick warm fingers find my wrist, checking my pulse.
    Asher’s back arches and his mouth opens wide. I imagine the guttural roar of the dragon fighting to get free. I know he’s trying not to shift. I can’t let him change into a dragon in here. He will destroy this place! Oh gosh and all the people... I’ve got to do something.
    I attempt to lift my arm and touch him. I want desperately to tell him I’m okay, but I can’t figure out how. His whole body is tense, revealing muscle on top of more muscle. God, he’s so hot when he’s angry. I just want his strong arms to hold me. If he would just hold me I would be okay, this would all be okay.
    My hearing returns. It’s mostly muffled noise, but there is also an obnoxious ringing noise. Ash appears to be yelling back and forth with someone. I push myself up into an awkward sitting position, swaying with dizziness. I feel sweat trickle down my face and I lift my hand to brush it away. Wiping my hand on my pants leaves a trail of red sticky blood. Oh shit! I try to hastily wipe the rest off and find a small weeping cut on my head. Damn head wounds, they always bleed excessively.
    The yelling suddenly stops. I hear Ash take a deep breath through his nose, whirling around and glaring at me wildly with narrowed eyes. Another drop of blood rolls down my face and I watch his eyes trace its path as it drips to the floor. The sight of my blood triggers something in Ash and he starts to shift.
    “Wait!” I say feebly, knowing that it’s too late. I still feel a little woozy but I try, unsuccessfully, to stand. Georgia