Clay POV
Fear, a novel sensation, clawed at me. Growing up with hunters, death held no sway, overshadowed by revenge. The lives of others? Trivial. Cruel, perhaps, but true.
Ahead, a smoke-choked road, Emma's brewing storm a tangible threat. The acrid smell of burning filled the air, a harsh counterpoint to the chilling wind whipping at the car. Terror, raw and visceral, ripped through me. Even Emma's reassurance couldn't quell the icy dread gripping my heart.
My trembling hand fumbled for the item in my pocket, a useless balm against this crippling weakness. Weaker than I'd ever been, ironically, at the height of my dragon-shifting power. This strength made me a danger to Emma, the girl who held my heart, the one I couldn't lose, the one I feared hurting.
"We won't hurt her," my dra
