Vale's POV
The floor exploded beneath our feet.
I grabbed Dante's hand and threw myself sideways just as molten lava shot up through the cracks. The heat singed my hair and burned my lungs.
"Move!" Jake shouted to his pack. "Everyone out!"
But there was nowhere to run. The warehouse was surrounded by Vincent's men, and now the Dragon King was waking up below us.
"Papa!" I screamed as a chunk of burning concrete nearly crushed him.
He rolled away at the last second, but I could see terror in his eyes. Real, bone-deep fear that made my stomach twist into knots.
"The marriage thing," I said desperately as we dodged another spray of lava. "What did you mean?"
"Ancient law!" Papa shouted over the roaring from below. "The Dragon King can only be controlled by his queen! If you marry him, you can command him to sleep again!"
"But I don't want to marry some dragon!" I protested. "I want to marry Dante!"
