Kate's breath hitched. “Love?” she whispered at last.
“Yes.” Zul looked straight into her eyes. “I know you've been hurt before. And maybe you're afraid to love again, but I'm asking you to give me a chance. I won't rush you or pressure you. I know we're just met, but I...care for you, Kate.” He took her hand and said earnestly, “Just give us a chance, and give love a chance. What do you say?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kate opened her mouth but Zul never heard her answer.
He leaped to his feet when he heard a soft hissing sound. In a flash, he had yanked on his clothes and moved swiftly to the front door.
Spinning round, he slipped into the kitchen and grabbed four knives from the knife block.
“Zul?” Kate said anxiously behind him. She had pulled on a pair of old jeans and a big t-shirt. “What is it?”
“They're near.”
“Who's near?” she said worriedly.
“The Slayors.”
“What…?”
He silenced her with a look. He saw her gasp and stagger back at the sight of his eyes. They were fully golden and glowing, his dragon rippling just beneath the surface of his skin. He was in full hunting mode now.
His enemies was near. He could hear them, scent them.
Zul grabbed Kate and pushed her behind him. The Slayors were very near, but they weren't in Kate's apartment.
Silently, he opened the front door. He put up a hand to order Kate to stay in her apartment and slid out.
Zul held the kitchen knives firmly in his fists. They weren't throwing knives, but even makeshift weapons in skilled hands could be very effective and deadly.
Zul flattened himself against the wall and listened. The hissing grew louder. The Slayors had come for Kate's sweet, grandfatherly next door neighbor, Jae.
There was a muffled cry, followed by a crash and a thud.
Zul put his shoulder to her neighbor's door. The door shuddered and slammed open.
A knife whizzed from Zul's hand and found its target. As he rushed into the apartment, one of Kate's kitchen knives was already buried in the heart of a Slayor.
Black blood oozed from the Slayor's chest as he crashed back against the wall. The yellow glow from his slitted eyes started to fade even as he hissed a warning in Syndorian to his comrades.
One down, three to go.
Zul threw another knife and hit a Slayor in the arm. He uttered a vicious, unprintable curse in Dracan. He was aiming to kill. What a waste of a good knife.
The Slayors hadn't shifted to their serpent forms. They were in their human shapes but their snake eyes, scales and forked tongues revealed their true nature.
Zul glanced at Jae, Kate's neighbor. The elderly Dracan was wielding a kitchen knife and a saucepan. The brave, silver-haired man was putting his kitchen utensils to good use and putting up a helluva fight.
Jae slashed angrily at one of the Slayors who was trying to make a grab for him. He waved his saucepan wildly and brought it down repeatedly on the Slayor's head. “Take that, and that and that!”
When Jae saw Zul, he gasped. “You...you're King Rohan's guard!”
Zul nodded and parried a blow from a Slayor. “Captain Zul Taerran at your service.”
“It's good to see you again, Captain,” Jae wheezed as he ducked just in time. The Slayor's fist slammed into the wall behind him.
Zul twisted away when a Slayor flashed his fangs and spat a stream of venom at him. The venom landed on the floor behind him and sizzled at Kate's bare feet.
“Kate! Get away!” Zul yelled over his shoulder. Shit, she had followed him into Jae's apartment. He should have ordered her to stay in her apartment and lock the damn door.
Kate was standing at the door, barefoot, immobile and completely stunned. She was staring at the Slayors in horror and disbelief.
“What are you?” she whispered to everyone and no one in particular.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kate raised a shaking finger at the Slayors. “They're not h-human,” she choked out.
“No, they're Slayors. They're snake shifters,” Zul snapped. “Now get the fuck out of here, Kate. Now!”
“Mr Jaerok...” Kate's frightened eyes darted to her gentle neighbor.
“I'm okay, I'm not human either,” Jae said with false bravado. “Run, Kate, just run!”
One of the Slayors lunged at Jae and the poor man dropped his knife with a clatter. He raised his saucepan in an attempt to shield himself from the Slayor's fangs.
Jae yelped in terror as the Slayor shifted suddenly into a large serpent and flew at him.
Zul spun round and hurled his knife. The serpent twisted in the air as inky black blood spurted from the snake's head. The handle of the knife stuck out from between the serpent's eyes. With a heavy thud, the dead Slayor landed on Jae.
The two Slayors who had been fighting Zul glanced at the bodies of their fallen comrades. They hissed and turned away suddenly from Zul.
Jae was the easier target. They were going to finish the elderly Dracan off first.
Zul roared and threw himself forward.
One of the Slayors had shifted to snake form and was slithering towards Jae. Its jaws were widening as it prepared to sink its fangs into Jae's leg. Jae struggled frantically but he was pinned down by the carcass of a large black serpent. There was no way he could free himself and get away in time.
Zul threw the last knife in his hand and managed to slow the serpent down. The Slayor ducked its head to avoid the somersaulting blade and Zul managed to snatch Jae up from under the coiled body and push him away.
A sudden sharp pain sent Zul to his knees. Zul let out a string of expletives in Dracan and dropped to the ground.
The pain in his leg was like nothing he had ever felt before. Zul knew he had been bitten and he swore viciously at himself.
How could he have let himself get bitten? He was an experienced warrior. He had fought and killed hundreds of Slayors. He had seen how his fellow soldiers had fallen and convulsed in agony after they were bitten. The Slayors' venom was their most deadly weapon.
Zul heard his dragon roar in anguish as the beast tried to fight the venom. His dragon was trying to emerge but the venom was pulling his dragon down into a deep, dark abyss.
He couldn't shift into his dragon form, and he couldn't contact Rohan and Edriq. In dragon form, they could hear each other's thoughts but now, he was fast losing his hold on his dragon and his mind.
A scream made him surface from the crushing depths of his pain.
His eyes locked on the Slayor who was advancing towards her. “Kate!”
Kate had grabbed an umbrella from the umbrella stand and was using the flimsy umbrella to beat the Slayor off. She screamed at Jae to go help Zul.
“He's hurt! His leg, that bloody snake bit him! Get him away. Quick!”
Zul tried to roar at her. Why didn't she run away? Couldn't she see the terrible danger she was in?
Of course she did.
But she had stayed for him.
She had stayed to fight with them. Even though a cold-blooded Slayor was prowling towards her, she wasn't screaming for Jae to help her. She wanted Jae to help Zul instead.
Zul could feel his heart hammering painfully, deafeningly. Kate was terrified, yet she hadn't run away. She was using the umbrella admirably and inventively to ward off the Slayor, but she was no match for a well-trained, brutal killer.
Protect her! His dragon struggled valiantly to emerge but its strength was ebbing away.
Zul groaned and tried to push himself up. He needed to get up right now and protect Kate.
He got to his feet but only for an instant. His useless legs felt like jelly. They just wouldn't hold his weight. Besides, his head seemed to have turned to stone. Zul swore incoherently when he realized that the only way for him was down.
He smashed back onto the floor.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
&nbs
p; Kate bit down a scream and ducked when she saw the glint of the Slayor's dripping fangs. The venom flew towards her and hit the door behind her. With a panicked cry, Kate scrambled away as she watched the venom eat a hole right through the wooden door.
This was some scary shit all right. She wanted to pinch herself to see if she was in the throes of some unimaginable, horrible nightmare. But somehow she knew that this was no nightmare. This was real.
Her heart was pounding too fast and too loudly. She was definitely awake and alive. And if she wanted to stay that way, she had to think and act fast.
Something shiny caught her eye. Kate spun round and saw Jae's kitchen knife just a few feet from her. Without thinking, she lurched forward and snatched it up.
“Get away!” she shrieked, holding the knife out with both hands. “Leave us alone!”
The Slayor's forked tongue flicked out and his mouth stretched in an ugly smile. “What are you going to do, little human?”
Kate gulped. “I...I'll chop your fucking head off!”
They both jerked back when a glass shard pierced the Slayor's cheek. The Slayor raised his hand to wrench the shard out of his flesh. He spat out the black blood that was trickling into his mouth and pivoted to face Zul.
Zul had pushed himself up but his eyes were unfocused and his hand was shaking so badly it was a wonder he could throw anything at all.
Even in his agony, he had snatched up a piece of glass from the floor and aimed it at his enemy. A picture frame had shattered to the floor during the fight and Zul was groping blindly through the broken pieces trying to find another large, sharp piece of glass. He wasn't going to just lie down and surrender to the venom.
He would stop fighting only when he was dead.
The serpent that had bitten Zul shifted back to human shape and stood over Zul. Pulling out a dagger, the Slayor prepared to plunge his blade into Zul's heart.
His comrade raised a fist to halt the execution.
The Slayor lowered his dagger but kept it pointed at Zul. He looked at his leader and waited.
The leader hissed a command, keeping his eye on Zul. The Slayors shifted their attention to Zul and began to speak rapidly in a strange, foreign tongue. With a nod, the two Slayors stepped up to Zul and lifted him up. Zul raised his arm weakly, trying to fight them but he didn't have any strength left in him.
“No!” Kate yelled, rushing forward. “You're not taking him anywhere. Put him down right now!”
At the sound of her voice, Zul turned to her and his lips moved. His eyes tried to focus on her, and Kate thought she heard him whisper her name.
“No, Zul! Zul, wake up!” she screamed. “Please!”
Heedless to her own safety, Kate rushed at the Slayor but the Slayor simply seized her by the neck and flung her against the wall.
Kate slid to the floor, and for a few seconds, she saw nothing but flashing spots and stars. The Slayor had thrown her with such force that for an instant, she feared that she had broken every bone in her body. She heard a horrible ringing in her ears and the world seemed to be narrowing to a pinpoint.
No. No! She refused to lose consciousness. She curled her fingers into fists and dug her nails hard into her palms.
Get up, Kate! Get up and fight!
She winced and blinked repeatedly, trying to clear her vision. She could see moving shapes and she heard gruff, angry voices. She tried to get up but someone shoved her back down roughly.
“Don't touch me,” she croaked.
The Slayors laughed.
She didn't hear any footsteps but she saw blurred figures moving towards the door. She blinked again and the shadowy shapes disappeared.
“Kate, Kate!” It was Jae's voice. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I...” She swallowed and blinked her neighbor's worried face into focus. Her eyes flew around the apartment and she jerked upright.
“Where's Zul?” she cried at once.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kate tried to stay upright but her legs didn't get the memo. She half stumbled, half crawled to the door.
“I saw them go out the door,” she whispered.
Staring down the empty corridor, she whirled round to face Jae. “Did they take him?” Her voice rose to a hysterical screech. “Did they?”
“Yes,” Jae answered.
When she slumped against the door jamb, Jae hurried to help her up. “You should see a doctor,” he said, looking at her bruises. “There's a clinic down the road that's open at night. I'll drive you there right now...”
“I don't want to go to the doctor's,” Kate snarled, slapping his hand away.
“But...”
“I want to get Zul! What are we waiting for? We have to go after him!”
Jae shook his head. “I'm not a warrior. I'm just a civilian, and I'm no match for the Slayors. I can't save Zul, but I know who can.”
Ignoring her protests, Jae took her by the elbow and said, “I'll drive you to the clinic. Then I'm going straight to King Rohan.”
“King?” Kate gawked at him.
“Yes. King Rohan and his two royal guards are the last three weredragon warriors. Zul is one of King Rohan's guards.” Jae hesitated before saying, “You seem to care very much for Zul. You do know that he is a weredragon, don't you?'
“I...I saw his dragon tonight.” She winced. “I think. It was kind of translucent, but...yeah, I saw it.”
Jae nodded, looking relieved. “So you know about our people. Our people used to be able to shift into dragons, but most of the civilians have lost our shifting abilities when we came to Earth.”
Kate stared at him for a beat. Then she said, “I'm not going to the doctor's. I'm going to see King Rohan with you.”
“I don't think...”
“I'm fine. But Zul's not.” She rounded on Jae suddenly. “Am I too lowly and inferior to meet with your dragon king? Is that why you're so reluctant...”
“No, no! Not at all!” Jae waved frantically, genuinely taken aback. “You're mistaken. King Rohan isn't like that at all. In fact, he doesn't like us to call him 'King'. But in our hearts, in the hearts of all Dracans, Rohan is our king.”
Kate's expression softened. “Okay, then. Let's go. And don't tell me to go to the doctor's again. I need to do something to help Zul!”
Jae nodded and grabbed his car keys. As he pulled his battered front door closed, she glanced at the two dead bodies in his apartment and wrapped her arms around herself to try to stop herself from shivering.
“How are you going to get rid of t-those...those...?” She gulped.
“Slayors,” Jae finished for her. “I'll let King Rohan deal with them.”
As she got into Jae's car, she mumbled, “How could I not know that we have a dragon king living amongst us?”
Jae started the engine and said, “We keep a low profile. We fled across the galaxy to get away from our enemies. The Slayors destroyed everything, and now they've come to Earth to wipe out all the surviving Dracans. Razing Draca to the ground wasn't enough for them.” Jae glanced at her and added, “Draca—that's my home country. It's on the planet Korra.”
“You're from another planet,” Kate breathed. “Tell me about your planet.”
When Jaerok hesitated, Kate huffed and said irritably, “Just tell me the truth. I'm not your enemy. I'm your neighbor, and your friend. I want to help. You and Zul have been...kind to me.”
Jae smiled. “Zul is a good man.”
“So are you. I want to help Zul. I'll do anything to get him back. I won't leave him with those...those...”
“Slayors.”
“I don't know what they are, but they almost killed me. They tried to kill you, and they...” She closed her eyes, refusing to believe that Zul was dead.
“They won't kill Zul,” Jae said quietly. “Not yet. That's why they took him. They spoke in Syndorian but I understood what they were saying.”
&nb
sp; Kate's blood ran cold as she stared at Jae with anguished eyes. “They'll torture him,” she whispered.
Jae swallowed and glared straight ahead. “The Slayors want to use Zul to lure the rest of the weredragon warriors to them,” Jae said, stomping on the gas pedal. His winkled hand gripped the steering wheel tightly as he maneuvered his car skilfully but hair-raisingly through gaps in the traffic. Kate held on to her seat.
“Once they kill the warriors, they know that they will be able to wipe out the rest of the Dracans in no time. They won't stop until they kill us all.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As the car turned out of the busy highway and onto a long, quiet stretch of road, Kate released a slow, shaky breath.
She glanced down at her feet and started. “I'm not wearing any shoes.”
Jae turned to her, his eyes filled with emotion. “You weren't even thinking of yourself. You just rushed at the Slayor with nothing more than an umbrella. You are one of the bravest humans I have ever met, Kate. As a Dracan, I am very grateful and very touched that you care so much for one of our warriors.”
Kate nodded wordlessly. Her throat and chest felt too tight. She didn't want to think about what the Slayors were doing to Zul. “Tell me more about Draca,” she managed.
Jae sighed. “Draca is no more.”
“And...the Dracans?”
“Only one ship escaped from Draca. The rest of the Dracans were massacred.”
She recoiled in horror. “By the Slayors?”
“Yes. The Slayors are the soldiers of the Syndor army.”
Before she could ask, Jae went on, “Draca and Syndor are two continents on the planet Korra. Korra is a long, long way from Earth,” he said with a sad, wistful smile.
As he drove on, Jae told her about his past and his people. “The Dracans are a dragon-shifting, peace-loving people. King Rykor, Rohan's father, was a good king and Draca prospered under his rule. The Syndor Emperor wanted our country's riches and he ordered his soldiers to invade Draca. The Slayors were ruthless and brutal, and they vastly outnumbered our soldiers. Our soldiers fought hard but they couldn't stop the slaughter.”
To Love A Dragon: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Weredragon Warriors Book 3) Page 4