Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons

*Merikh*

A burst of flame shoots over my head as I drop to my stomach, the heat enough to make my skin feel as if I am standing too close to a bonfire. I roll to my left and up onto my knees, crouching low toward the massive jaded rock where Percy is hiding. Blood pours from above his right eye, but he wears a smile, nonetheless.

Not an excited smile, a manic psychotic one that says he hopes to go out in a literal blaze of glory. His fighting has been stellar aside from the few times he has left himself open to an attack of two I have had to blunder. The more I look at him, the more concerned I am that the openings are intentional.

"You are not allowed to let yourself get killed." I growl at him, watching as he responds to my command. There is a hint of annoyance in his eyes before he chuckles and nods.

"If I die, I will die doing my job." he grins, inching up the rock to take a peek over.

"We are pinned down." I murmur. "The assholes burned us into a fucking corner."

"I can distract them so you can run." Percy says immediately, and I shoot him a scowl. This kid's death wish is getting a little out of hand.

"Pinned down doesn't mean we are out of the fight, Perc. This isn't a game of chess, this is war." I say, scanning the area. "It just means we need to get a little creative."

He snorts, reaching up and pressing on the injury to his head.

"I'm not feeling all that creative, Alpha." He says.

Another blast encases the outside of the rock, flames licking around the side as we move closer together to avoid the heat. I sigh, closing my eyes as I try to process what to do next. In truth, I'm not feeling all that damn creative either. But I am feeling like I will do anything to get away.

"How about desperate?" I ask him with a smile, "You feeling that?" and he nods.

"Yea, feeling a lot desperate at the moment." Percy mutters, dropping his head against the rock. "This heat is making me fucking sweaty and irritable."

I couldn't agree more with him. As lycans, we run a little warmer anyway without faster metabolism. But this? This shit is unbearable and all I can think about is a tall glass of ice cold water and a cool dip in the healing waters with my luna. But if I want either of those things, we need to get a damn move on. And fast.

"How much time do we have between the bursts of flames?" I ask him.

periods of time. The only thing we have going for us

a minute, tops." He mutters, "Have you not heard

my head, licking my parched lips in frustration. It has been a solid fucking forty-five minutes of fighting. We lost our lycans over ten

out, or she was knocked unconscious and hidden deeper in their fortress of ash and death. "We can't leave her." Percy says, a look of

leave her here in this living hell, Perc. But we may need to escape and regroup.

then, the fire ceases and I make the split decision to grab his arm and run. I bolt up, yanking on Percy as I drag him along, tripping over the hot terrain in our bare feet. I can feel the way the hot rocks dip into my skin with

I command and he groans, kicking up

in heat ever again," he scoffs. "No more beach vacation, I'm going to the

a match struck on a rock and I glance back to see them lumbering behind us.

can." I say in my alpha command voice. He lycan takes over at once, looking labored and exhausted as he tries to fight my command

out, begging him for everything he has. He takes over, reluctantly,

then I see her frame. It has to be here. My lycan pushes himself harder once we focus on her. She stumbles to the ground and I see two figures rush to her and try to lift her as she

shiver running down my spine at

in front of me, his human form taking over as he grunts and remains unmoving. I stoop to pick him up, looking over my shoulder, begging the moon goddess for just a little more time. But there is no stopping what is already predetermined sometimes as

fall on top of Percy,

the heat and my skin feels like it may melt. I cry out in pain, roar unlike any I have

suddenly stops.

and I look around, realizing the cry isn't mine, but someone in the

gasp in relief and close my eyes, relishing the way it feels on my heated flesh. Tears may mix into the wetness pouring

I push off of Percy, standing to look around. The dragons rush forward, their flames drenched and unable to ignite again. I sprint through the wall of water, grabbing a slim, sharp rock. The dragon nearest me rears its head up before baring his teeth

shins as I jam the rock up and under one, of his scales. It squelches, and he roars, shifting back into human form, holding the rock under his arm as blood pours down. He sneers at me, taking three steps away, the other dragons stopping and waiting

spin on their heels, running away. I watch as the one with the rock embedded in his arm goes slack, his eyes red as he drops his hand and spins like

he rushes toward me. Leandra is heading toward Percy, and I look up to see someone on the ground and everyone else surrounding them. I hustle toward him, meeting him halfway while never removing my eyes from the figure

choke on the

"Yes."

I ask, looking at