Dragon's Fire [PUP Squad Alpha 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Abby Blake Page A

change from human form to dragon that had adrenaline streaking through his body. He grabbed Ava, turning to shield her, knowing that this was going to hurt like hell. He sensed Brody changing, morphing into his dragon as well, trying to contain the fire that burst from Keira’s dragon throat.
     
    * * * *
     
    Brody shifted as quickly as he knew how, but it wasn’t fast enough. The room filled with flame in an instant. He wrapped his wings around Keira, taking the brunt of the fire, absorbing the heat, trying to protect Ava and Nathan. He didn’t dare look behind him, but he prayed that Nathan had gotten Ava to safety.
    Keira was panicking, her eyes rolling wildly as she tried to stop the flame. The more she freaked out, the worse it would get. She pawed the mattress, her nails scrapping against the metal railing as she fell backward off the bed. She hit the floor hard, her tail twisting and thrashing in terror even as Brody tried to calm her down.
    It felt like forever, but eventually the baby dragon took a deep, faltering breath, her flame dying as she held herself rigid. The entire room was on fire, but he took a chance, turning back into human form so that he could talk her through the change back. If she started the flame again it was going to hurt like hell, at least until he could morph back into dragon form.
     
    * * * *
     
    The air was still filled with flames, but somehow Nathan felt no pain. It didn’t bode well. Desperate to get Ava to safety, he pushed her toward the doorway. But she stopped him, her smile wide as she indicated with her eyes that he should look around him.
    Fire flickered over everything, but both Nathan and Ava seemed to be inside some sort of bubble. It was very effectively shielding them from the heat and flames. Ava stepped toward Brody, Keira’s distressed roaring reaching them through their protective bubble as the baby dragon cried out again and again in obvious distress.
     
    * * * *
     
    “Keira, you need to stay calm. Deep, slow breathing,” Brody said, trying to sound in control when fear for Ava, Nathan, and the baby threatened to overwhelm him. Keira stared at him, her eyes still filled with panic, but she managed to do as he asked. She dragged in another faltering breath and let it out slowly. “Good girl. Now we need for you to turn back into your other form. Concentrate on that body. How it felt to walk, to use your hands, to smile.”
    He breathed a sigh of relief as Keira slowly changed back into her human-shaped form. She sobbed quietly. “I killed them,” she said, sobbing harder. “I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t mean to do it. Please, please, Uncle Brody, please believe me. I didn’t mean to do it.” The child cried harder as he wrapped what was left of the blanket around his hips and then lifted her into his arms. He’d known the moment it happened that Keira’s first change into dragon form had been unintentional. If anyone was to blame for getting Ava and Nathan hurt, it was him. He should have realized this was a possibility. Extreme fear and heightened emotions had been known to force a juvenile into an early shift, often with disastrous consequences. He should never have let Ava anywhere near his niece.
    Fighting his own sense of hopelessness Brody turned to leave the room with his niece still crying in his arms. But he stopped dead at the sight before him.
    “Keira, sweetie,” Ava said as she stepped closer. “We’re okay. You didn’t hurt us.”
    Keira was as speechless as Brody. He’d prayed that Ava and Nathan would be okay, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined to find them both completely unscathed and standing behind him.
    Sheer terror gave him back his voice. “Get her out of here,” he yelled at Nathan, fear coursing through him even faster than before. Keira’s shock could lead to yet another uncontrolled shift, but Nathan just shook his head, a bemused smile on his face, and Ava stepped even closer to cover Keira with