The Night Rising Audiobook

I’ve gained the magic of a dragon… and soon, it’ll end my existence.

My abilities have grown beyond imagining, and a dragon’s fire burns inside of me. Unfortunately, that same fire is burning me alive.

The only way to save the people I love is to unite my dragon’s power with its missing half, which exists inside my evil father. If we can defeat Paimon, the world will be safe… even if I die in the process of defeating him.

Shane refuses to give up hope. He believes there’s a way to stop my fiery demise, so we can find our forever. He wants to protect me, but no one can save me from the end I know is coming.

The only way to stop this is to let everything go up in smoke.

***

The Night Rising is a fated mates enemies-to-lovers paranormal romance. Wolf shifters, dragons, witches and vampires rule Juliana Haygert’s Rite World saga in a sexy urban fantasy universe that’s packed with action, revenge, and steam. The final book in the Rite World: Night Wolves series.

17+

Rite World: Night Wolves

The Night Calling (Book 1)

The Night Burning (Book 2)

The Night Hunting (Book 3)

The Night Rising (Book 4)

Chapter One

Fire covered Raika’s body, the flames high and strong like a bonfire.

For half a second, I watched in shock. Then I acted. “Raika?” my trembling voice called. Fear gripped my insides as I tried reaching for her. The fire flickered, sending embers my way, and the heat singed the hairs from my arms. I flinched, my despair growing.

I grabbed my phone and—

The fire died.

Just like that. One second, it felt like it would explode and spread across the entire village, the next it was gone.

Raika stood there, her eyes half-closed, her lips parted, her skin covered in soot. Her clothes were in tatters, but she wasn't burned.

“Raika?” I took a step closer to her. The heat was still there, but not nearly as bad as before.

Raika let out a long sigh and fell back.

I dashed to her and caught her before she hit the ground. Her hot body burned my skin, and I hissed. Cradling her in my arms, I ran to the infirmary.

Jay’s face paled as he saw us coming. “What—?”

“Help me,” I asked, my voice frantic.

“I …” He was in shock. “I don’t have supplies yet. It’s better if—”

I didn’t hear him finish. I ran to DuMoir Castle.

I yelled as I approached one of the guarded side doors. “Help!” The two vampire guards stood at attention. “I need a healer! Now!”

One of them disappeared inside the castle, while the other came to me. “What happened?” He glanced behind us, as if looking for an imminent threat. “Who did this?”

“No one,” I whispered, still stunned with what had happened. “It was her.”

The guard balked at me and halted. I ran into the castle, toward the infirmary. Rapid footsteps sounded through the corridors. Prince Killian and Lavinia faltered as they took in Raika in my arms.

“What happened?” Killian asked.

“I …” I shook my head and kept going. They followed me.

The infirmary was located in the east wing of the castle, on the first floor. It was a large room with a handful of hospital beds, and a couple of doors in the back led to private rooms. 

I laid Raika on one of the beds as a female vampire stepped closer. “What happened?” she asked. I growled at her, not willing to let anyone touch my mate. The female shot me a stern look. “If you want me to help her, back off.” She pushed me aside, her strength surprising.

When I moved only half a step, Killian caught my arm and pulled me back some more. “What happened, Shane?” he asked, his voice low.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Did I even know what had happened?

More footsteps echoed in the infirmary. Thea and Almae arrived. They took one look at Raika, and without hesitating, took over. They stood beside the vampire then hovered their hands over Raika’s body, using their magic to find any wound or injury.

As far as I knew, there was none.

The only thing consoling me right now was the fact that I could hear Raika’s heart beating and her breathing. She didn’t seem to be in any danger, though that had been scary as hell.

“Bring a washcloth and water,” Almae told the other female vampire. I had seen her a couple of times and didn’t remember her name. The vampire nodded and headed to a storage room where all the supplies were located. Then she turned to me. “How are you?”

I opened my mouth again. Closed it. Swallowed, my throat parched and hurting. “I don’t care about me,” I finally said, my voice rough. “I care about her.”

Lavinia stepped up to me and offered me a bottle of water. Where had she gotten this? I didn’t care. I took the bottle and chugged the water.

The vampire came back and handed the washcloth to Thea and Almae.

“Thank you, Meredith,” Almae said. That was her name.

The three of them dampened the washcloth and cleaned the soot from Raika’s skin. Raika let out a long sigh, as if the chilliness in the washcloths was a balm to her hot skin. Even from the edge of the bed, I still could feel the heat radiating from her body, though it was much better now.

“Let me look at you,” Meredith said.

I frowned. “Why?”

She held my wrists and extended my arms. I inhaled sharply as I took in the red, angry skin on my arms. Thankfully, my apprehension toward Raika and the adrenaline from the moment had prevented me from feeling any pain, and my healing had already kicked in.

Meredith pressed her lips tight. “Do you want anything to speed your healing up? Or for pain, perhaps?”

I shook my head and turned away from her. “So?” I took a step closer to Thea and Almae. “How is she?”

Thea placed a washcloth on Raika’s forehead. “She’s fine … for now.”

“For now?” What the hell did that mean?

“Tell us what happened.” Almae pulled a thin white blanket up to Raika’s chest.

This time, I inhaled deeply, pushed through the haziness in my mind, and told them what had happened. I had taken her to the lake, proposed to her, she said yes, we kissed, and she erupted into fire.

Lavinia pressed her hand over her mouth. “You’re engaged,” she whispered.

At the same time, Thea nodded. “As I thought. It’s the dragon’s magic. It’s acting faster than we predicted. It’s spreading and taking over her darkfire.”

I crossed my arms. “What does that mean?”

A soft moan came from the bed and Raika took a long breath. I stepped to her side and caught her hand in mine. It was hot, but not unbearably so. I leaned closer to her. “Hey, how are you?”

She blinked, taking another breath. “Like I was run over by a truck.” She started sitting up in bed. Meredith and I helped her and put more pillows behind her back. Raika glanced around. “What happen—?” Her eyes went wide. “Fire,” she whispered. I nodded. Horror filled her eyes. “Did I hurt you?”

I almost chuckled. Only her to care about others at a time like this. “No, you didn’t. But you gave me quite the scare.”

She pulled the blanket away, taking in her destroyed clothes. “By the moon …”

Thea and Almae stood on the other side of the bed. “Raika, what did you feel before the fire took over?” Almae asked.

Raika’s skin already had a reddish hue to it, but somehow, the red in her cheeks deepened. “I was with Shane, so …”

Thea nodded. “Magic is linked to emotions. Since the dragon’s magic is still unstable, strong emotion will trigger it.”

“How …?” I shut my mouth, not wanting to say the words, but curious. “How isn’t she dead right now?”

“Because the dragon’s magic is becoming a part of her,” Thea said. “The fire won’t burn her, though it’ll probably burn everything else.”

“These powers will only grow,” Almae said. “We can make an elixir for you that will slow it down, and perhaps it’ll help so you don’t explode every time something happens.”

“I would appreciate that,” Raika said.

“We also should schedule some training,” Thea added. “With training, you might have more control and eventually not need the elixir.”

Raika nodded. “That sounds good too.”

Almae rested a hand on Raika’s legs. “For now, we would like to keep you here. Just until we make the elixir and we’re sure it works.”

Raika looked at me, agony stamped in her beautiful eyes. “I wouldn’t want to hurt my family or friends, or burn down the village.” She sighed. “I’ll stay here for as long as is needed.”

My brows curled down. I didn’t like the idea of Raika staying here. I would probably stay with her, which meant I would have to ask Rue to watch Minsi and Tyren.

“Stay here, then,” Thea said. “Rest, sleep, recharge. If you feel anything happening, let Meredith know. She knows what to do when things get out of control.”

Meredith gave Raika a reassuring smile. Although, what would she do if things got out of control? If she hurt Raika, she would lose an arm, if not her head.

I smoothed a hand over my face and let out a long breath. This was my fear and protectiveness talking. No one would hurt Raika.

“We’ll work on the elixir,” Almae said. “We’ll be back as soon as we have it.” She looked at Lavinia. “Want to help us?”

Lavinia nodded. “I’ll be there in a minute.” Thea and Almae walked out of the room and Lavinia squealed. “You two are engaged?”

With a smile, Raika looked at the ring on her finger. Thankfully, it hadn’t been damaged like her clothes had. Her smile widened when she looked at me, and my heart lurched. 

Killian slapped my shoulder. “Congratulations.”

At that moment, I forced myself to push the thought of Raika on fire away from my mind, and focused on what had happened moments before and our promising future together.

Lavinia pulled a chair and sat beside Raika’s bed. “So … tell me all your plans. Big or small wedding? Beach, country, ballroom? White or beige dress?”

Lavinia went on, distracting Raika so she wouldn’t think of the dragon’s magic and how she could hurt any of us if she lost control. I was grateful for that.