Healed by the Earth Dragon Prince: Dragon Shifter Romance (Elemental Dragon Warriors Book 4)

“What is the meaning of this?”
Skye steps between Raidyn and Varus. “John attacked me when we were alone together, searching for Lilly. If Raidyn hadn’t come along, he might have—” Her breath catches.
Raidyn says what she can’t. “He tried to force-mate her, Varus. I witnessed his crime with my own eyes. He deserves death.”
John? A rapist? Oh, Stars. I knew his account of how Skye was taken sounded odd, but now the story makes sense.
“Set him down,” Varus commands.
Reluctantly, Raidyn does, releasing his grip.
John crumples to the floor, trembling with fear as he stares up at Raidyn.
“Is this truth?” Varus shoots a lethal glare at John.
“I—I—” He stumbles over his words, scrambling to face Varus. “She wanted it.” He points accusingly at Skye. “She’s the one who came onto me!”
Skye’s expression darkens dangerously while she stalks toward him. “I rejected you several times, but you wouldn’t listen. How dare you try to lie about what you did! What would you have done after you’d raped me—killed me? Left me to die? You disgust me.”
Varus and Raidyn snarl at him, baring their fangs.
Suddenly John pulls a blaster from his belt and thrusts it toward Skye, sneering, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I would have done. And now, we can die together.”
My heart stops as a bright flash erupts from the barrel and races toward my friend. Raidyn jumps in front of her, spreading his wings wide to shield her from the blast. I watch in horror as the beam rips his wing and continues undeterred. Talia jumps up and pushes Skye out of the way at the last moment. She takes a hit to her side and crumples to the floor.
The room erupts into a flurry of chaos. I rush to her side, the sick smell of burning flesh clogging my nose. I stare in horror at the angry burn on her torso.
Prince Llyr hovers over her, panic marring his normally stoic face. “Talia!” he cries. “We need the Healer!”
“I’m here,” I tell him, but his face tells me he was hoping for someone else—one of the Earth Clan Healers. I may not have the ability to breathe healing fire, but I’m not entirely useless. I press my hands to her wound as Healer Ranas rushes up beside me and Kaj hurries to help Raidyn.
A feral roar splits the air, and I turn to catch Raidyn lunging for John.
John raises the blaster to fire again, but Raidyn knocks it from his grasp and swipes out with his claws, slicing his throat wide open.
John’s hands clamp over his neck. He opens his mouth, but only a choked gurgle escapes him. Crimson blood pours from the mortal wound, pooling around his body as the light fades from his eyes. One of the Healers rushes toward him, but I turn away to concentrate on Talia.
I’m a doctor—it’s my job to heal indiscriminately—but I can’t deny that I’m glad John is dead. He tried to rape Skye just like Edward tried to rape me. I’ll never forget the look on his face when I blew him out of the airlock. Everyone believes Edward’s death was an accident.
It’s my darkest secret. I never told anyone about the murder. As a doctor, I always thought it would be impossible for me to ever even contemplate intentionally taking a life. But with Edward, I wish I’d killed him sooner. If I had, he wouldn’t have been able to hurt anyone else.
Prince Llyr gathers Talia in his arms, frantically calling her name. I lift my hands from her wound so Ranas can run the scanner over her body.
“Place her back on the bed,” he orders Llyr. “And remove that.” He gestures to her robe.
Talia’s brother Milo stands frozen in shock as we watch Prince Llyr extend his claws and tear the fabric away to expose her wound. Sticky blood pools below the side of her torso.
If I weren’t so confident in Ranas’s healing fire abilities, I’d be terrified. But I’ve seen what the blue-green healing flame of the Earth Clan can do, and I know he’ll be able to heal her.
I am transfixed, watching her torn tissue knit together beneath Ranas’s ministrations, but when his eyes meet mine, I recognize his fatigue. He stops and sends Llyr a sorrowful look. “I have used up most of my energy healing the others, so I am unable to mend this wound for now. But I promise you, my friend, she will live.”
Llyr gapes at him. “You cannot leave her like this. She needs—” he starts, but Ranas raises a hand to silence him.
“I have already sent word to my Clan. A few of the Healers have already arrived and more are on the way. They should be entering the medical center shortly.”
I scan the med center for Kaj and motion him over. He nods and I turn my attention back to my patient.
“She’ll probably sleep for a few hours. It seems like the healing fire causes drowsiness in us humans.” I face Llyr. “You’re the one who saved her, right?”
He nods, and out of the corner of my eye, I notice Milo roll his eyes.
I give him a pointed look. After Skye’s disappearance, he doesn’t trust any of the Drakarians. I understand how he feels, but I also know that we have to be diplomatic if we want to survive here.
He frowns. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Prince Llyr saved your sister. The polite response would be to thank him, Milo.”
“Thanks for saving Talia,” he grumbles.
With a clenched jaw, Llyr lowers his gaze. “I am sorry for what the Wind Clan has done. It is not our way.”
Milo scoffs. “Not your way?” He gestures animatedly toward the door. “I just witnessed an epic dragon battle that suggests otherwise.”
He’s right. As much as I hate to admit it, even I’m not sure we’re as safe with these Drakarians as we thought. Despite all the kindness the Fire Clan has shown us, they are a lethal race of warriors. Since we’re