Avani is the last earth dragon in the world. He is also the last male dragon and has taken over as protector of the forest. The other three remaining elemental dragons – air, water, and fire – are all females. Their race will die out unless he mates with one of the other three dragons. Avani snubs the idea of finding a mate, refusing to allow anyone to claim him and therefore control him. The hunters are always searching for supernaturals to force into their Arenas, a modern-day gladiator fighting ring. Now they also capture supernaturals to experiment on, creating a new race of hybrid creatures. Because Avani can shift his emerald-green scales into the black of onyx to blend into the night, those he saves call him The Dark Protector. Merethyl is an elven princess. She and her brother, Yhendorn, are captured by hunters when her family is attacked, and her parents slaughtered. They are held captive and experimented on until they found a way to escape. As they flee, Yhendorn is recaptured sacrificing himself to make sure Merethyl gets away. The hunters chase her, trying to run her down. Avani hears her and flies to her rescue, killing the hunters that are after her. When he realizes that she smells better than anyone he’s ever smelled before, he knows he must get away from her. He cannot allow her to have the total control over him that claiming him would give her. But Merethyl has nowhere else to go and she needs Avani’s help to rescue her brother. Will Avani be able to resist the charms of the elven princess? Or will he fall to her, claimed, and bound to her, his rider for eternity?
This is book 2, death ,mayhem, mystery, and the spice is great. They hunt the chief down as he keeps capturing shifters, experimenting on them and making others fight in the arena.
The Dark Protector was sooo good!! 😍 From start to finish, I was completely hooked. I wasn’t sure what to think of Avani in book one, but wow… he really grew on me. There’s so much more to him than that arrogant exterior - he’s layered, complex, and honestly such a compelling character. 🔥
And Merethyl? Don’t even get me started. She is AMAZING. ✨ She might just be my favorite character in this entire book. She’s strong, compassionate, powerful, and just… everything. 💜 She’s backed by a stellar cast, too. There are a lot of characters (and yes, I struggled to keep them all straight at times 😅), but I was enthralled by every single one of them. The author did an incredible job making each feel unique and essential to the story.
I loved the plot too! We get to backtrack a bit from where book one ends to see Avani’s side of the story, but it also continues with the main storyline. Additionally, the author adds so many new layers that I never once got bored. I genuinely couldn’t put the book down. And THAT ending?! I can’t believe it! 😱 I’m already rushing to start book three because I need more!