Lifting her uninjured hand, Daryl opened the sunroof, then stood on the seat to put her head through it. Even as Ronan yanked her down, Kane swore violently.
“That’s a good way to get shot again,” he snapped.
“They’re too busy running,” Daryl retorted, slapping at Ronan’s hand. “And if I see a gun, I’ll drop down. This damn thing isn’t bulletproof anyway.”
“Dammit, girl,” Ronan muttered.
Her head and shoulders sticking up from the sunroof, Daryl gazed around. “Yep,” she shouted, the wind whipping her hair. “All three at six o’clock.”
Observing that Snowman’s driver headed out into open desert, just as he had hoped, and planned, they would, he glanced at Taylor. “You ready to take the wheel, baby?”
“Can you fly with a bullet in you?”
Kane laughed. “You know it.”
Giving the other limousine more time to speed away, he slowed his own, permitting those in the other car to believe they might actually escape. In truth, he needed a slower speed in order to climb out of the limo to go dragon without killing himself.
“You ready?” he asked Ronan.
“You know it.”
Opening the driver’s door as Taylor slid over to take the wheel, Kane climbed to the roof. From the other side, Ronan did the same while Daryl eyed them both from the sunroof with her upper lip curled.
“Burn them.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kane replied, then hit the air with his wings spread.
Ronan beside him, Kane felt the hot air from desert’s sand give him an effortless lift to his wings. Rising swiftly, he banked toward the fleeing limousine and the world’s most dangerous occupants within it. From above and behind him, Neil, Drake, and Jude joined him as he flew wingtip to wingtip beside Ronan.
Gaining on the limo, Kane recalled all he had learned about Bobrovsky and Moon, what they had planned for the world, and what they would do if he permitted them to live. Frightening them was not enough. Killing in cold blood, something he never wanted to ever do, was now his duty, and perhaps even his right.
Dragons live in the world the same as humans. We have the right to protect ourselves from men like these. We deserve to live.
They deserve to die.
Diving low, Kane’s flames engulfed the limo. Hovering, beating his wings in order to linger overhead, he directed burst after burst of his hottest fires at the stopped limo. His victims no doubt dead, he continued to feed his flames into the burning car.
Joined by Ronan, Neil, Drake, and Jude, Kane joined his flames to theirs as the car’s metal melted into a lump of blackened slag. Even then, Kane and his friends blasted their hottest flames at the thing until it no longer held any shape at all.
Kane banked away from the blackened spot where a limousine and four men had once stood and landed on the sand. He shifted forms as Taylor drove the limo toward him. He felt drained, exhausted, empty, as she stopped beside him and rolled the window down.
“Need a ride?”
Kane glanced as his brothers stood on their human legs, watching him. Just beyond them, the desert sand, whipped by the wind, covered the black spot. So, ends four lives and restores the world to whatever good we can make of it. So, the desert claims them. I’m done.
He turned back to his mate. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ronan
Daryl’s head on his shoulder, Ronan gazed out the small round window of the airplane. It blew over the runway, scored from countless landings, and slowly dropped its wheels to the rubber-covered asphalt. It bounced; jarring Daryl awake.
“Are we home?”
“Yeah, baby.” Ronan kissed her forehead. “We’re home.”
Glancing across the aisle, he observed Kane’s pale flesh, the dark circles under his eyes, and wondered if he would recover from this adventure. Will any of us?
Ronan lost count of the men killed in their attempt to stop a nuclear war. Daryl had been shot, Neil stabbed and shot, Drake cut to pieces by glass, Kane shot, Emily and Natalie held as hostages—would their scars ever fade? Or would they be a constant reminder of what they had been asked to do for their country? For their world?
The big plane taxied to the concourse at the Washington, D.C. airport, but Ronan had forgotten its name. It didn’t matter anyway. The ten of them would spend a few days with Smithfield, then they planned to finish their reunion in a nearby hotel. Ronan looked forward to returning to Oregon with Daryl, and yes, a few million dollars richer.
He looked forward to that.
But they had to get the formalities done away with first.
Two military SUVs whisked them away from the airport, and to the local airbase. Exhausted from jet lag, Ronan wanted to get Daryl into a warm bath in a hotel where she could at last rest. Kane limped, although he’d been shot in the shoulder, and Neil looked ready to pass out. Jordan’s arm through his held him upright as the saluting soldiers opened the SUVs doors.
Smithfield himself met them at the base’s front entrance. He, too, stood at attention and saluted as they approached. Shocked to his core, Ronan wondered if this was some sort of trick.
Smithfield looked them all in the eyes before he finally smiled. “You did it,” he said, shaking each of their hands. “Against the odds, you achieved something incredible.”
“All we want is to go home,” Kane said wearily. “Let’s get this debriefing done with so we can.”
Smithfield’s smile widened. “Oh? You’d rather return to Maine, or Oregon, or Chicago before spending two weeks in Cancun? Enjoying the sun, the sea, soaking up margaritas, all courtesy of the grateful governments of the world?”
Stunned, Ronan glanced at his companions, all as bewildered as himself, then back at Smithfield. “What?”
He shrugged, grinning. “Just an added bonus to the money you richly earned. Come inside, tell me what happened, and after two days of recovering, you’ll be on your way to Mexico.”
“No dictators there to kill?” Kane asked, walking at his side into the base, passing saluting soldiers. “No assassinations, no bodyguards trying to kill us?”
“Nope. Just the completion of your reunion,” Smithfield replied. “Oh, your elders may join you, though.”
Kane met Ronan’s eyes, confused. “What for?”
“Maybe to explain to you how dragons will slowly become incorporated into life with humans.” Smithfield’s brows rose. “And maybe how interspecies breeding will bring about a re-population of dragon-kind to the world. Interested?”
“What are you talking about?” Ronan demanded. “Our girlfriends will give birth to dragons?”
Smithfield shrugged. “So, we hope. It’ll certainly be a first. And to have the first true co-existence of two alien species living together in a mutual understanding.”
“So, we weren’t exiled to save the world?” Drake demanded. “But to bring dragons and humans together?”
Smithfield grinned. “Both.”
Want to read more hot sizzling shifter reads? CLICK HERE to get Serena Meadows new book “Rancher Wolf’s Girl Next Door” Book 1 of her series “Rancher Wolves”
Also By Serena Meadows
Alpha Shifter Bride Service Boxset
Brace yourself for powerful shifters, fated mates, scandals, and danger in these five steamy books that will keep you wanting more.
***
Wolf Daddy MateDate (Book 1: Shifters MateDate Agency)
I used to be a wolf shifter. Turning into a werewolf made me a stone-cold demon. I lost my faith in love and the dating agency shouldn’t have matched me with Melanie. Her beautiful eyes make me forget about the past. But she’s forbidden, tempting, and my son’s teacher. She’s also the only one who could free me. I need to make her mine against all odds… for the rest of eternity.
***
Hero Bear’s MateDate (Book 2: Shifters MateDate Agency)
The love of my life won’t accept me as a bear shifter and an assassin
. I’m everything she’s afraid of. We’ve both had tough childhoods and she’s after the one thing that will bring her peace; her father’s research that got him killed. It’s my job to keep her safe when her past catches up. I’m her future and no one else touches her as long as I’m alive.
***
Dragon’s Fated MateDate (Book 3: Shifters MateDate Agency)
My biggest secret is that she’s the love of my life. I’m a dragon shifter and I’m obsessed with Jemma. She has an evil father that I need to protect her from. The only way to do that is to first protect her from a potential fake husband. Jemma approached a dating agency so she could get fake married. But she still belongs to me. And I still vow to keep her safe from the man who raised her.
***
Lion’s Second Chance MateDate (Book4: Shifters MateDate Agency)
I hadn’t seen her for 13 long years. It wasn’t until I gave up my whole life and moved that I came across Julie again. I’m a lion shifter and she’s my mate. She’s also quite possibly the mother of my child. Julie has kept a secret from me. One that makes us family. I’m her protector and I’ll always keep my child safe. But what if we never even got the second chance we deserve?
***
Billionaire Wolf’s MateDate (Book 5: Shifters MateDate Agency)
Marrying her meant putting her in harm’s way. I was obsessed with her even though she was my best friend’s sister. A dating agency matched us, and then I found out that we already had a marriage contract in place. That’s when things got complicated, but she was my mate… and I wasn’t going to back down without claiming all of her.
***
Wolf’s Fake Marriage MateDate (Book 6: Shifters MateDate Agency)
Marrying her meant putting her in harm’s way. I was obsessed with her even though she was my best friend’s sister. A dating agency matched us, and then I found out that we already had a marriage contract in place. That’s when things got complicated, but she was my mate… and I wasn’t going to back down without claiming all of her.
***
Guardian Dragons of Prospect Falls
Dragon Savior
Dragon Mates Secret
Dragon Hero
Dragon Destiny
Guardian Dragons of Prospect Falls
***
Fae of Ballantine
The Fae Prince (Book1)
The Fae Warrior (Book2)
Rescued by the Fae Prince (Book3)
Fae Mistaken (Book4)
Fae of Ballantine Box Set
***
Daddy Wolves of the Wild Series
Mountain Wolf’s Nanny (Book1)
Mountain Wolf’s Curse (Book2)
Mountain Wolf Playboy (Book3)
Mountain Wolf’s Courage (Book4)
Daddy Wolves of The Wild Box Set
***
Dragons Secret Society Series
A sinister mastermind and his coven of witches are determined to annihilate the world’s shifters, once and for all. Facing impossible opposition, courageous alphas and their clans fight claw and fang to protect their innocent kin. But the only antidote to death is new life, and the only force greater than evil, is love. In this heart-stopping series, virile alphas and their men must learn to seduce instead of slaughter and bare their hearts along with their weapons.
Dragon’s First Shift (Book1)
Dragon’s Forbidden Mate (Book2)
Dragon’s Flame (Book3)
Dragon’s Prophecy (Book4)
Dragons Secret Society Box Set
***
Wolves of Gypsum Creek Series
The tiny town of Gypsum Creek is home to a high number of brooding, sexy-as-sin men that disappear with each full moon. The heroes in this boxset of steamy, standalone stories will get your heart racing…and tongue wagging. But you’d better watch out. The howling has started, and no lady is safe when the wolves of Gypsum Creek go on the hunt.
Third Time a Charm (Book1)
Triumph (Book2)
Young Love (Book3)
Restoration (Book4)
Her White Wolf (Book5)
Wolves of Gypsum Creek Box Set
***
Fairplay Shifters Series
Sexy shifters who desire more than power… Bold, sassy witches who want to take control of their own lives… What is stronger: love, or the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy everything they hold dear?
Justin (Book1)
Jake (Book2)
Quinten (Book3)
Steven (Book4)
Dalton (Book5)
Daniel (Book6)
FairPlay Shifters Box Set (Books 1-6)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Serena Meadows has always been obsessed with writing short stories since she was in junior high school. She writes paranormal romance stories of all types but writing about sexy steamy alpha shifters is her passion. She lives in Denver with her two dogs. On her downtime (which is rare), she enjoys hiking and camping in the mountains or riding her bike with her own alpha male to keep her safe and warm. Typically she enjoys an evening curled up buried in a good book or watching Netflix. She also enjoys time with good friends.
HOW TO CONNECT WITH ME:
Sign up to my newsletter to stay updated with all my new releases, and free giveaways!
If you prefer, you can follow me on Bookbub or Amazon to stay updated with my new releases.
Feel free to email me at [email protected]
Thank You!
Serena Meadows
Subscribe to Serena Meadows newsletter and receive special offers, new release details, and a welcome gift delivered right to your inbox.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!
Dragon Fever: Limited Edition Holiday Romance Boxset Page 78