Red Claw Alpha (Red Claw Rising Book 1)

by Zoey Harper

  Fenix Dragon

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  Chapter 1

  Narchis slowed his run to a halt, wiping sweat from his forehead as he looked down at the dense forest beneath him. High up on a mountainside in upstate New York, he couldn't help but stare at the beauty before him.

  His home planet of Brevia had beautiful scenery, but it was hard to find in the harsh conditions of the volatile weather they experienced. Brevia was home, but Earth had much to offer. Which was why Narchis stood on a mountainside in the middle of the day, out for a run he didn't need.

  A rock-hard, muscled body was the by-product of his dragon heritage and, while he didn't need the exercise, the run gave him a mental break when he needed it. And since he’d been reassigned to Brevia's Shadow Squad unit on Earth, this was all the time.

  It had only been a few months since his reassignment, but Narchis still felt the same loss and disappointment in himself that he had at the start.

  His entire life had focused on getting into the most elite units in the Brevian army, a goal he achieved younger than most. Narchis had worked relentlessly, pushing aside his personal life in favor of the next mission, seeking special assignments that would help him rise higher and faster than anyone his age.

  What Narchis hadn't counted on was the power of distraction. He'd been sent undercover to infiltrate a Gleonite cell that recruited suicide bombers through coercion. The group had been known to dispatch bombers to different planets, taking down key ruling members of their societies, setting up the perfect conditions for a Gleonite coup. If that wasn't bad enough, the Gleonites believed in the subjugation of lesser species, placing shifters at the top of their imaginary hierarchy.

  Narchis had gone undercover as a bear to explain his size and strength, but a late-night rendezvous with a member of the cell, a female mage, had revealed his dragon heritage when his pupils turned to slits and glowed a silver color.

  Narchis clenched his fist as he berated himself for the millionth time. He had been so focused all his life, and the one time he had some downtime and indulged in a few drinks, he fell into bed with the enemy. Narchis could still see his grandfather’s face when he informed him of his suspension, and his stomach dropped.

  His grandfather had taken Narchis, a bastard, and his mother in once his father's wife discovered their existence. His grandfather had only asked Narchis to do one thing: preserve the family name. Narchis had ruined his family’s exemplary military record with a suspension, and to make matters worse, a posting to the Shadow Squad, where nothing ever happened.

  The sound of a flock of birds shook Narchis out of his daydreaming. Reliving his worst mistakes wouldn't help a thing. He needed to focus on getting back into the good graces of Brevia's high ranking officials, and hope that his former team members would put in a good word for him.

  The thought was so ridiculous that Narchis scoffed at himself. His intense focus and dislike of distractions meant he often rubbed people the wrong way. Even now, as Captain of the Shadow Squad, he could sense the waves of dislike emanating off his teammates.

  Help from other soldiers wouldn't work. If Narchis wanted to get back to where the action was, he'd have to stay on his best behavior and hope for an opening. He turned and broke into a light jog, continuing up the trail, when his phone rang.

  Narchis dug into his back pocket and struggled to answer the device. His fingers were too large to swipe the icon on the screen, and he grunted as he tried to answer the call without breaking the fragile device. The technology was handy as it saved him from having to use too much magic to open communication portals, but Narchis had grown tired of it.

  "Hello."

  "Hello, Captain. Colonel Soros just called. Apparently, she's got a mission for us."

  "I'll be back in a few minutes."

  Narchis ended the call, took a deep breath, and smiled. Veilios' call came at the perfect time. It had been far too long since he’d seen any action.

  The Shadow Squad's job was to infiltrate difficult locations, retrieving assets, without causing a lot of noise. In and out, as quickly as possible, with minimal casualties. That was their mandate.

  Narchis missed the massive battles they waged on other planets, where shifters weren't in hiding. His dragon stirred within him, and he remembered the feel of the wind beneath his wings as he flew over entire armies, breathing fire down on Brevia's enemies.

  Narchis sighed. That would never happen on Earth, where humans knew little to nothing of shifters, but he had a job to do. And he would treat it as seriously as he would any elite mission that would determine the fate of Brevia.

  Placing his phone firmly in his back pocket, Narchis took off his shirt and stuffed it into the waistband of his jeans. He ran back down to the clearing where he’d earlier stood to admire the forest, half-shifting as he picked up speed. His wings sprouted to half their length, and gray scales covered his back as he took off. Flying at half capacity didn't feel as good as it did when he completely shifted, but it would have to do.

  The wind carried him, stoking the fire deep in his chest. Narchis didn't so much as glance at the rainbow of colors beneath him as he flew over the forest and the lake at its edge. The warrior in him welcomed the call of battle, and he let out a roar that would scare any shifter that would recognize it for what it was: a promise of death.

  Narchis landed with a soft thud and shifted back to his human form, dusting off the dirt on his knees as he got up. He walked up to the massive mansion they used as a base, pushing open the large dark brown doors without a thought. Anyone foolish enough to visit the property unwelcomed would have to deal with five fearsome dragons.

  Narchis stood in the hallway and put on his shirt as his second, Veilios, approached him.

  "Report."

  "Colonel Soros is ready, but Corrus has yet to return from his shopping trip."

  Out of all the five dragons in their squad, Corrus was the smallest, which wasn't saying much, considering they all towered over the average human. His size, combined with his calm disposition, made him the perfect dragon to run into town for the team’s various needs.

  "We'll have to start without him. Make sure you brief him when he gets back."

  Veilios nodded and fell into step behind Narchis, who opened the office door and stood in front of the large computer screen at the center of the room. He felt his team members form a half circle behind him, and he saluted the red-haired woman whose green eyes regarded him impatiently.

  "Colonel Soros."

  "We don't need to stand on formalities, Narchis. You're out in the field."

  "Yes, but you earned your rank, and I choose to honor it."

  Colonel Soros cracked a small smile, and Narchis inwardly congratulated himself. Colonel Soros was known as a no-nonsense woman who spared little time for pleasantries and small talk. Narchis admired her commitment to the job and the professionalism she brought to her role. It was an honor to serve her, and he believed that she was the type of person who would give him a fair shot at promotion if the opportunity opened.

  "Enough of the flattery, Narchis. I've known you since you were a young recruit struggling to breathe out even a lick of fire."

  Narchis heard his team smother snickers, and he felt his cheeks color. He should have known better than to try and best Colonel Soros, who was always two steps ahead of him. It had been that way when she was a few years ahead of him at the academy, and it was that way now.

  Narchis turned his head to the side, looking at the ground to his left, and his team quietened.

  "You said you had a mission for us?"

  "Yes. I need you to recover a package for us. A young woman, named Zara."

  "And why is she of importance to Brevia?"

  "I was just getting to that. As you know, Gleon has always sought to become the dominant power in our u
niverse. They've used all kinds of underhanded tactics in a bid to gather power, but even I am amazed by their latest ploy. Several hours ago, we received intel that a young woman, a dragon half-breed, was kidnapped by the Gleonites. Once we confirmed the intel was good, we looked into the matter and found that they moved her to a secure location for what we believe to be a series of experiments."

  "What would they want with a half-breed female? She poses no threat."

  "I wouldn't underestimate half-breeds if I were you. They have varying degrees of power, depending on the dragon blood passed on to them. Anyway, one of my spies on Gleon came across reports of magic extraction, and believe it or not, a breeding program, designed to make stronger dragon hybrids."

  Narchis drew a sharp breath as he felt his blood begin to boil. The Gleonites had done far too much over the centuries, and sometimes he wondered why they didn't just take an entire army of dragons and burn them all to the ground. Then he remembered that their enemy had a few of the most potent mages in existence and technology that would spot them a mile away. Not to mention several peace treaties, the breaking of which would place an even more prominent target on Brevia's back.

  The Gleonites were a disgusting species, as evidenced by the fact that there were few dragons among them. Dragons were honorable, which explained why they didn't use their almost unmatched abilities to set themselves up as dictators. The Gleonites had always picked on enemies of comparable power, but kidnapping a helpless half-breed was indeed a step too far.

  "Do we know her location?"

  "That we do. Some female half-breeds choose to live in communities to protect each other. The leader of one such community, an Earth dragon, reached out to us. Based on the details and time frame she gave us, we managed to pinpoint the most likely location where they took her. As you know, the Gleonites have few mages within their ranks and practically no dragons. That took portals out of the mix, so that we could track their movements fairly easily. She's in a warehouse just outside of South Carolina."

  "Will we have external support?"

  Colonel Soros smiled. "No. I know how good you are, Narchis. You and your team will find a way to deal with any problems that might come up. Your orders are to rescue the woman and bring her back to base, where we hope she'll give us more information on what the Gleonites are up to."

  "Understood. We'll move out in a few minutes."

  "Make that a few hours, Narchis."

  "Why?"

  "We don't know what condition we'll find the woman in. You need to prepare a room for her, and a set of clothes and shoes before you bring her back. She could be in a fragile condition mentally, and we want her to feel as safe as possible so she opens up."

  Narchis bit his cheek. If any of those disgusting Gleonites had touched her in any way, he'd have to go back and make sure each of them died. Raping a woman went beyond an act of war. It was an act against all of nature. One that he had to punish.

  "Understood."

  "Report back to me as soon as you return."

  Colonel Soros clicked off without a farewell, and Narchis turned to face his team. Penum had a bloodthirsty look in his bright green eyes, which worried Narchis. He'd heard reports of his excesses on missions and made a mental note to keep an eye on him.

  "Alright, this is our first mission together, and I want things to go smoothly. For that, you need to understand that I like to work as one body, moving swiftly. There will be no side trips," Narchis said, looking at Cimmeris.

  The brown-haired dragon cocked his head, his blue eyes glowing with a cheeky glint and said, "I don't know who you could be talking about."

  All four dragons laughed, and Veilios put an arm around Cimmeris, rubbing his head. "You know damn well who we're talking about."

  The fatherly way in which he teased Cimmeris, and the wrinkles around his eyes as he smiled made their age difference more pronounced. All dragons lived long lives, and as such, appeared younger than their years. Narchis, like most of his team, was much older than the twenty-something-year-old he looked like, but not Veilios. Narchis briefly wondered just how old his second was. He saw no gray in his black hair, and his brown eyes looked bright and alert. Narchis shook his head. It didn't matter. Veilios' level head and caring personality brought the team together.

  "Your exiting captain told me all about you, Cimmeris. Honestly, who stops in the middle of a mission to sample a feast?"

  "I hadn't eaten, and we left at the last minute. Would you rather I face a room full of wolves on an empty stomach?"

  Narchis smiled, then sobered up. They were about to head into battle. This was not the time to lose focus.

  "Okay. Someone call Corrus and tell him to buy clothing and supplies for our visitor. We don't know what she looks like, but, if she's part dragon, a lithe build will be likely, so average sizes should do. The rest of you, prepare for our exit. I know what Colonel Soros said, but I'd like to surprise her with an update before the night is over. We'll be leaving in exactly two hours. Move out."

  Veilios turned to leave, but Narchis asked him to stay back.

  "You have a lot more experience with these types of missions than I do. I'd appreciate your thoughts on tactics."

  Veilios smiled. "I wasn't expecting that. Most of the captains we get down here view this place as a punishment. I'm glad to see you want to be here."

  Narchis felt his stomach sink at the misplaced praise. In all honesty, getting your second on your side was one of the best moves any leader could make. That way, he could be the hard, unrelenting one, and Veilios could be the soft voice of reason that would convince the team to go along with Narchis’ ideas.

  Narchis cleared his throat. "I want to do my best, no matter where I am. Teamwork is part of that. Come on. There are a few Gleonites with my name on them, and I don't want to keep them waiting."

  Chapter 2

  Zara woke, her head fuzzy, and found her arms cuffed behind a chair. She instinctively jerked back and almost tipped over. She looked down and saw her feet cuffed to the legs of the chair as well. A wave of dizziness engulfed her, and Zara did her best to calm her racing heartbeat.

  What the hell had happened to her?

  As her body calmed, her memories returned. Zara had been out in the woods as part of a training exercise. Kira, who trained all the women in the evening, asked Zara to act out what she would do if she knew someone was following her. Zara, who had only joined their group recently, was excited to outsmart Kira on her first trial. Unfortunately for her, she'd performed a little too well. Before Kira found her, a group of large men grabbed her and threw her in the back of a van.

  What is it with creeps and vans?

  The white fluorescent light above her made it difficult for Zara to open her eyes. Once she adjusted to the brightness, she took in the room around her. Tall, concrete walls and a large red metal door surrounded her, and a thin bed lay at the far end of the room. Zara swallowed thickly as she realized that she was in a cell, making her a prisoner.

  Zara drew a shaky breath and forced back the tears that threatened to run down her face. Why had she insisted on heading into the woods that she knew so little about? How would Kira find her, and, more importantly, how would she survive until then?

  Zara had no notions of escaping. Her training with Kira had only begun a few months ago, and the fact that she walked right into her real enemies’ hands at her first opportunity proved that she didn't have the kind of instincts that she liked to think she did.

  The red cell door slammed open, and Zara leaned back in her chair, as two large men walked in. The first had dark, almost black eyes, and he regarded her with an interest that told Zara that he saw her as nothing more than a piece of meat. The second man, on the other hand, regarded her with anger that had his blue eyes flashing.

  Before Zara could spare a thought for why the man's anger seemed directed at her, he took two giant steps toward her and hit her with a backhanded slap that sent her and her chair tipping over.

/>   "How dare you hit me? You dumb, half-breed whore!"

  Lying on her side on the cold concrete floor, Zara struggled to pull in deeper breaths, as her body went into shock. She could hear the man get dragged out of the cell by the first man, and tears fell down her face, as the severity of her situation hit her.

  Zara had dealt with a lot of adversity, but she had never felt this helpless. Not even when she had to put her mother, whose Alzheimer's had worsened, into a nursing home. Zara lay still, ignoring the pain in her left shoulder, and the tingling of her fingers, as the first man approached her.

  The dark-eyed man lifted Zara and her chair into an upright position before he stood back and studied her.

  "I need you to take off your clothes."

  Those words cut through the fog in Zara's brain, and her eyes widened. "No. I'm not doing that," she said, her voice scratchy.

  The dark-eyed man took a step forward and leaned over Zara's shoulder, unlocking the cuffs around her hands. He turned his head to her neck and sniffed, moaning as Zara did her best to lean away from him.

  "You need to get rid of everything you came with, but you can keep your shoes for now. I wouldn't want your cute little feet getting cold and dirty," he said, straightening. He walked out of the cell and returned with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that he tossed on the little bed. "You can either change by yourself, or I will be happy to do it for you."

  "Why do I have to change my clothes?"

  The man grinned, baring sharp, ugly teeth.

  "You still don't get it, do you? You have no say here, half-breed. You're in our hands, and you've got to do whatever we tell you to. Don't worry. I'm not going to touch you yet. I want to take my time with you when that happens."

  Zara shut her eyes, unable to stomach the man's leer, and focused her mind. Her options were limited, and from what little she remembered of Kira's advice, putting up a fight before you had a plan was a terrible idea.