The Scars of Her Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 14) by Julia Mills

I’m gonna have to make love to you again. Then we’ll be even later and they will send Rory to fetch us and I’ll have to kill him for bothering us and...”
    “All right, all right.” She swatted at his chest and gave him a tiny push. “Unhand me, you beast,” she chuckled. “Go get your black coffee . I’ll be right down.”
    Kellan growled and kissed her neck, pretending to be eating her alive, which actually sounded like a good idea, before backing away and leaving the room. While pulling on her jeans, it dawned on Olive that Kellan wasn’t hiding his scars any more. He had his hair pulled back, was holding his head high, and his shoulders were back. She thought about having a little happy dance but settled for a fist pump as she pulled her favorite red T-shirt over her head.
    He’s feeling better...We can beat this. I know we can.
    A quick check of her face and hair in the mirror, the decision that it was as good as it was gonna get, had Olive all but skipping out of the room and down the stairs, collecting her entourage as she headed out the door.
    Walking through the enormous, solid walnut doors of the Blue Thunder Clan Grand Hall, the looks of horror and the rage radiating from everyone gathered around the huge, antique wooden table hit the group of newcomers like a ton of bricks.
    The little dove’s good mood completely evaporated when Claire’s voice sounded in her head, “This shit is bad, Olive. Really, really bad. Get ready.”
    Kellan’s grip on her hand tightened as she watched her loving, caring dragon change into the warrior she knew he could be. Gone was the grin. Gone were the dimples she loved so much. Gone was the twinkle in his eyes. Her mate had his game face on and was ready to do what had to be done...with one marked difference from the first time she’d met him...some of the guilt and self-loathing was miraculously absent and he wasn’t shutting her out. In its place was a fierce determination to right the wrongs of the past and bring the man responsible to justice. The darkness was threatening his newfound resolve, but her dragon was trying with all his might to hold them at bay and for that, she couldn’t be more proud of him.
    “I love you, Kellan Aherne, with all that I am, and I believe in you.” Olive spoke directly into his mind then pulled him down and kissed his cheek right before they reached the table where their friends and family stood waiting.
    “I love you too , mo bheannacht. Without you I would be lost.”
    Olive’s heart skipped a beat as Kellan called her his blessing . It was so meaningful because it had been said by the one man in all the world meant to be hers. Looking across the table, the little dove saw the goofy grins on everyone’s faces and chuckled. Their happy feeling for the couple rose above what lie ahead, the evidence of which was right in front of them.
    Unfortunately, the group’s respite from the heinous photos was cut short. Taking a deep breath, the little dove let Kellan lead her to the table and immediately contemplated running away to throw up. Strewn across the table were stacks and stacks of the most horrifying and unbearable photos Olive could’ve ever imagined.
    Shifters of all varieties and species, in every stage of transformation, frozen in terror while being subjected to what could only be described as inhumane and hideous torture. There was no denying it; the proof was right there before them. Someone, an absolute monster, was capturing and torturing her people, the magical beings of the world. And if that wasn’t enough, each picture contained a hypothesis; the tests the subject was subjected to and the outcome written in the margin.
    Some had been electrocuted, some poisoned, others drained of all but the last drop of their blood. Still others had been starved to near death then made to fight to the death for rancid scraps. Disembowelments, amputations, organ removal, even lobotomies were among the vast arrays of