by Terra Wolf
Tonight, however, a distraction might be exactly what I needed.
Becky grabbed my arms, lifted them into the air, and then released them. They dropped to my sides and she laughed. “Loosen up! Have some fun. You look like you could use some!”
A chuckle rumbled through me as she grabbed my hand and began to twirl herself. My eyes scanned the crowd around us, searching to see who was watching while I made an idiot of myself. My gaze landed on a dark-haired guy at a table in the corner. He was drinking from a tall glass as his intense gaze scanned the faces of those around him. Disgust hardened his features and the muscles in his neck twitched and stiffened. It didn’t take me long to figure out why—he was a hunter surrounded by shifters.
Seven
Scarlet
I pulled up in front of Dylan’s apartment building and sat inside my car with the engine still running. It wasn’t that telling someone I wasn’t interested in them anymore was all new territory for me, it was that I hated seeing hurt in someone’s eyes because of me. Dylan was a sweet guy. He had a lot going for him. He just wasn’t for me, which was something I knew after sleeping with him the other night. The problem was: I knew he didn’t feel the same.
My eyes flashed to my cell sitting in the cup holder and I moved to scoop it up. I found the last text he’d sent me and reread it. Yeah, he totally thought the chemistry was there. I didn’t. Ending things with him would not go over well, but I couldn’t lead him on. Especially not after what happened between Batch and me earlier.
Lightning flashed and the rain started to pick up. If I didn’t get out of my car now I’d be dealing with a torrential downpour as I ran to his apartment. I cut the engine and grabbed the cherry-red umbrella I kept in the side door.
Even though I had coverage, I still ran until I reached the covered breezeway of Dylan’s building. I shook out my umbrella and shifted through the list of things I had planned to say to him. My heels clicked loudly against the concrete, echoing through the breezeway as I made my way to the stairs leading toward his apartment. His lights were on and music sounded from inside. I tried to remember what he had planned for the two of us tonight, but couldn’t. We’d only been out less than a handful of times, and there hadn’t been anything fantastic about any of the dates. They were all standard. Meet up at a club and hang out to dance. Meet at a restaurant for dinner. He wasn’t old enough to drink, so there wasn’t much we could do. In fact, the tequila we had the other night I’d bought for us.
I stood outside his door, listening. There weren’t any other voices, so that ruled out him having a group of friends over to introduce me to. This made me nervous because it meant he had either prepared dinner for us himself or had already gathered take-out so we could stay in for an intimate night. Before I decided ending things with him in person wasn’t the best idea and rushed to my car to send him a text or something just as lame, I reached out and knocked on the door. Dylan answered seconds later, as though he’d been standing at the door waiting. The sight of his collared shirt and baby smooth face had my stomach twisting in knots.
I’d broken my three date rule with him and now I was going to regret it.
Three dates. It was all I needed to know whether a guy was worth my time. If I was still insanely attracted to him after three dates, then we slept together to see if I could feel even a fraction of the spark I’d felt with Batch.
I never did.
I always ended things with them a day or two later, either in person or over the phone. I’d never had any issues with the way I did things until now.
As I stared into Dylan’s twinkling eyes, I realized this one had fallen hard and fast for me and when I said what I needed to, I was going to rip his heart out.
“Hey, you’re here.” He swung the door open wider for me to step in. “Let me take care of that for you.” He reached out and grabbed my umbrella before I could tell him no.
I tucked my hair behind my ears and stepped inside his apartment. The spicy scent of Mexican food hung in the air. Instantly, I knew it wasn’t something he’d prepared himself, but rather something ordered from my favorite place on the opposite side of town. We’d been there once together, and he’d obviously remembered me mentioning how much I loved their food.
“I hope you don’t mind that I ordered take-out for us tonight.” A blush crept across his cheeks, making him look even younger than he was. What had I been thinking dating someone who was only nineteen? I had almost four years on him. While it didn’t sound like much, in this situation it suddenly felt like it. God, I hoped this wasn’t how Batch thought of me. “I’m not much of a cook, but I wanted tonight to be special.”
Shit, he wanted tonight to be special? I swallowed hard, hating that our outlooks for the night were nowhere near the same.
“That’s okay.” I flashed him a small smile as I waved his words away.
“I remembered how much you liked eating at that place across town. The Mexican place. I hope I was right in ordering you their taco salad. Wasn’t that what you had last time?” He propped my umbrella against the wall beside the front door
“Yeah, it was.” I cleared my throat as I locked eyes with him. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to stay for dinner tonight.”
His head tipped to the side and a questioning look reflected through his eyes. “Okay, um. Why not?”
“I should have said something to you earlier today when you swung by the restaurant. I just…” My words failed me. There was no easy way to tell someone you weren’t interested in them, but I tried to find the gentlest words possible anyway.
The color in Dylan’s eyes darkened as though he could sense what was coming next and was growing angry. He crammed his hands in his front pockets as he stared at me. “You just what?”
His tone was harsh and scary calm all at once. I wasn’t sure what type of reaction I’d expected from him, but this wasn’t it. Dylan didn’t do mean and nasty. Or at least I thought he didn’t until now. His jaw seemed to stiffen and something in his demeanor shifted. This was an entirely new side to him I’d never witnessed.
“You just what, Scarlet? Figured you’d come here tonight and tell me you weren’t into me? Tell me you don’t want to see me again?”
I flinched at the tone of his voice, but didn’t deny what he said. Instead, I watched him as he took a step toward the door. His hand flicked out and before I realized what he was doing, he’d locked it.
“That’s fine, Scarlet. Honestly.” He grinned. His eyes grew so dark they were unrecognizable, and a sinister expression twisted onto his face. “Because I had no intentions of being with you after tonight either.”
“What?” I didn’t understand what was happening, but I knew he was giving me the creeps.
“You heard me.” He stalked forward, erasing the distance that had been separating us. “You thought you would dump me tonight, but I had other plans. You see, I happen to know what you are.”
His words caught me off guard, causing a lump to form in my throat. “What I am?”
“Don’t play games with me!” he snapped. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re another one of those shifter freaks.”
How the hell did he know what I was? I was always so careful. Not once had I shifted where I thought someone might see me since moving to this town. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re such a lying bitch.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Don’t call me that.” Fire burned through my veins. I wasn’t about to let him talk to me that way, no matter if I was lying or not.
Dylan paused in his slow stalk toward me. He dipped his head as a large smirk twisted at his lips. “You know, I really did like you. You aren’t like some of the others. There’s this fire inside you I’d love to see come out full-throttle.”
“The others? What are you talking about?” I took a step away from him as unease bloomed through the pit of my stomach. The more distance there was between us the easier it woul
d be for me to protect myself if the need should arise.
“The other shifters I’ve disposed of from this town, what else did you think I meant? I’ve been doing a fucking public service for years now.” He started to pace back and forth where he’d been standing. “You’ll be lucky number thirteen, and I can’t wait to add your heart to my shifter wall of fame.”
My heart thundered in my chest louder than the storm brewing above us. I’d never been in a situation like this before. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. My first instinct was to shift into my dragon form before Dylan went batshit crazy on me, but before I could contemplate the subject, Dylan reached into the waist of his pants and in the next second, plunged a silver dagger into my chest.
The pain of a thousand deaths burned through me, but I wasn’t about to go down without a fight. While wounds to the heart were generally a surefire way to kill a dragon, I could tell from the placement of Dylan’s attempt it wasn’t directly in my heart. He’d merely pierced the edge.
Still, it hurt like a mother.
I closed my eyes and focused on my halfway form. The sensation of spikes releasing from my flesh was odd when compared with the pain circling my heart. My eyes slanted as my vision widened. Sparkles danced before my eyes and my knees grew weak. I wouldn’t be able to change fully—the dagger was stopping me from shifting.
“See, I knew you were a lying little bitch,” Dylan muttered. His breath was hot and thick against my face. “Your kind disgust me. Abominations, that’s what you are.”
Anger raged through me. My hand extended and I swiped one of my claws across his stomach, cutting into his flesh. He stumbled backward with wide eyes as he pressed his hand against the gash.
“What did you do to me?”
“I poisoned you, asshole.” I grinned while trying to remain upright. “Dragon claws hold venom. Venom that can take down a man twice your size in minutes.”
“Fucking bitch,” he breathed just before his body slumped against the wall behind him.
He’d passed out. The amount of venom I’d injected into him wouldn’t be enough to kill him, but it would be enough to subdue him so I could get away. It only took one step for me to realize I wasn’t going anywhere, though. The dagger was too close to my heart. I fell to the ground, my body folding in on itself.
My skin smoothed out as my scales tucked away beneath the surface again and my claws retracted. I was back in my human form and I was bleeding. The coolness of the hardwood floors pressed against my cheek and my eyes fluttered as I fought to stay awake. I needed to get the dagger away from my heart, but I didn’t have the strength to do it.
I needed help.
I remembered having my cell with me, but I didn’t know what I’d done with it. I had to have dropped it when Dylan stabbed me. My eyes darted around, searching for where it could have landed. When I spotted it barely a foot away, I thought I might cry. I reached out and grabbed it. My thumb swiped at the screen blindly, entering in a number I hoped was still Batch’s. It rang four times before anyone answered.
“Hello?” Music filtered through the phone, mingling with Batch’s voice.
“Help.”
“Scarlet? Are you okay?”
“Batch… Help…”
“Where are you?”
A ragged breath escaped me as darkness began to blur the edges of my vision. I was fading, fast. “Dylan’s… My heart… Hurry…”
A wave of pain slammed into me and I gave into the darkness that tugged at me without a fight.
Eight
Batch
The phone went silent in my ear and I envisioned the worst. That punk kid had done something to Scarlet, something to her heart. A dragon’s heart was fragile. If pierced the right way, it could be fatal.
“Is everything okay, sugar?” Becky’s voice pulled me from my dark thoughts.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. Do you know where that Dylan guy Scarlet is dating lives?”
“Yeah, in the apartments off of Lemon Street. I’m pretty sure he’s in 3G. Why, what’s the matter?”
My mind was quick to supply an answer I thought might suffice without causing much alarm. “They just got into an argument and she wants me to come pick her up.”
“And why did she call you?” Mischievous suspicion entered her glare as the ghost of a smile twisted her lips.
“Because she couldn’t get ahold of her brother.” I didn’t know if there was any truth to my words, and frankly, I didn’t give a shit. All I cared about was getting to Scarlet.
That, and killing the bastard who’d hurt her.
“Well, dragon boy, I had a good time tonight.” Becky started walking toward the bar and I followed. “Tell Scarlet I warned her about that guy. I always thought there was something off about him, but she wouldn’t listen. Blinded by that pretty face of his, I guess.”
My scalp prickled. “What do you mean you thought there was something off about him?”
“I don’t know. I just always thought he could tell, you know?” She shrugged and then extended her hand as though she was waiting for one of her sisters to walk by and pass her drink to her again. “Like he knew what this town was all about, even though he was human. I know there are some who do, but this guy is different. I didn’t get the impression he was told. I always felt like he’d figured it out somehow and hated us for what we were. Maybe I’m wrong, though. I could be.” One of her sisters brought her drink and she took a sip while eyeing me.
My stomach hardened as Scarlet’s words replayed through my head again: “Dylan’s... My heart… Hurry…” What if he’d figured out she was a dragon and had somehow learned how to kill us? He would think he was being a freaking vigilante by doing so.
“I have to go. I need to make sure she’s okay,” I insisted.
“If she isn’t, and that shithead did something to her, give me a call. We’ll take care of his sorry ass together,” Becky surprised me by saying as she chewed on her straw.
A slight rumble of a laugh burst past my lips because she was one badass chick, and I liked that about her. “Deal.”
As I made my way to the door, my eyes landed on the hunter. My feet faltered. He was within reach. If I could lure him outside I could end this entire thing. No one else would have to get hurt, and Scarlet and her brothers wouldn’t have to sleep with one eye open.
“Batch… Help.” Scarlet’s voice sounded through my mind, reminding me her current well-being was more important.
I had to get her. The hunter would have to wait.
I stepped outside to find that the storm was still brewing. Thunder rolled in the distance, rain pelted my skin, and lightning continued to flash, illuminating the night sky above. I grabbed my cell out of my back pocket and dialed Silas’s number as I made my way to my bike. He needed to know what was happening with Scarlet and that I’d spotted the hunter as well.
Silas answered on the second ring.
“Hello?”
I fumbled with my key as I struggled to unlock my seat and pull out my helmet. The rain picked up, making it difficult. Frustration rippled through me and I toyed with the idea of shifting into my dragon form and forgetting my bike altogether.
“Silas, it’s Batch. Something happened to Scarlet. I don’t know details. All I know is that she’s with that young kid, Dylan, and she said something about her heart. I’m headed to get her now.” The words came out of me in a rush as I slammed my seat back down and hopped on my bike. “And the hunter is at The Den. I have to get to Scarlet, though. I hope you understand.” I hung up, crammed my cell in my pocket, and strapped my helmet in place before starting my engine.
Seconds later, I was weaving through the streets, riding the double yellow line between vehicles, thankful like I’d taken the time earlier to scope out the town and memorize the layout. I knew exactly where Dylan’s apartment complex was.
The complex consisted of four large buildings situated around one another so that they formed a square. As
I rolled into the parking lot, I noticed the signs staked in the yard of each telling which building was which. The moment I found building three I was off my bike and running through the breezeway. My eyes scanned the four doors within my view, taking note of their letters. I worked my way up, knowing G would be somewhere higher. When I found it, I didn’t knock. Instead, I gripped the cool metal knob and twisted, swinging the door open with force.
Music and the spicy scent of Mexican food assaulted my senses as soon as I stepped inside, slamming the door shut behind me. Whatever happened in here wasn’t something anyone else needed to see. Neither was what would happen when I got my hands on Dylan.
My eyes landed on Scarlet first. She was wearing the same white dress from earlier, but the front of it was now splashed with a deep red color that almost appeared black. She was lying on her side on the floor, her hair splayed over her face.
“Scarlet!” I was at her side, my hands hovering above her in an instant. “It’s okay, I’m here. I’m here, Scarlet.”
Using caution, I swiped her hair away from her face. Her eyes were closed and there was an ethereal quality to her that made her look as though she were an angel trapped in a deep sleep. My eyes traveled down the length of her body until my gaze settled on the hilt of a dagger protruding from her chest.
The bastard had stabbed her in the heart.
My entire body trembled. Scarlet was dead. She was gone. Never again would I have the chance to hear her sweet voice, to hold her in my arms, to kiss her, to taste her. Without thinking, I stood and spun around until I spotted the bastard responsible for taking her away from me. He was slumped against the wall opposite us. I wasn’t sure what happened here, but from the looks of it, it seemed as though Scarlet had gotten her claws into him at some point. That’s my girl, I thought to myself as I sauntered toward him. Dragon claws could be nasty. While the few scratches he seemed to have wouldn’t kill him, it would be enough to render him unconscious for a while. He deserved more for what he’d done, though.