no were to run

by Robyn Peterman

  Crappity crap crap.

  I wondered if his Dragon form was as beautiful as his human form. Hopefully I would never see his Dragon. If his human was this deadly, his Dragon would be a freakin’ nightmare.

  But damn, it would be fun to shift and have a bloody fight with someone—even a gorgeous jerk. I’d been on the lam and hiding my true nature for so long my own Dragon was angry with me.

  “By all means, go in and find you mate,” he replied with a smirk on his stupidly full and kissable lips. “Do you have a name, feisty girl?”

  “Nope, I don’t,” I replied as I turned on my flimsy heel and prayed it didn’t snap. “And if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you.”

  “Oh, I’ll get your name. That’s a promise,” he purred as he slipped back into the darkness preparing to scare the life out of the next unsuspecting guest.

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, big boy,” I said as I marched away, refusing to look back.

  “I don’t,” he said quietly. “Never have. Never will.”

  I whipped around to level him with an insult and a zap of fire that would make him hurt, but he was gone. I couldn’t scent him or see him. What the hell kind of Dragons did they have here in Chicago? This night couldn’t get any worse.

  Who was I kidding? It could always get worse.

  With one last scan of the parking lot, I shrugged and approached the warehouse. The guard was very good. I hoped that wasn’t telling of the power and skill inside—or maybe I did. If I were to ally myself with these Dragons it would be outstanding if they were all as crazy and powerful as the idiot standing guard.

  Only one way to find out.

  I pushed at the heavy metal door and it was quickly opened from the other side. My stomach lurched with a queasiness I hadn’t felt in ages—first the sexy killer in the parking lot and now this. The opulence of the interior blatantly belied its outer shell. It reminded me of my youth and not in a warm and fuzzy way. Could these people be as evil and materialistic as the ones I’d been running from for years?

  “May I take your wrap, Miss?” a formal, tuxedo attired attendant inquired in a monotone. He had as much emotion as the ornate marble covered floor. Handing him my invitation, I shook my head no as I stood at the mouth of Hell and knew I’d made an enormous mistake.

  Every instinct I had was to run. Trust was earned. I trusted no one here and as soon as my identity was revealed, I was certain no one would trust me either. What the hell had I been thinking when I told Seth, my kind-of sort-of boyfriend, I would join him? These people didn’t want my help and I didn’t want theirs. And where in God’s name was Seth?

  “Are you here alone?” the doorman asked as I stood frozen in my spot.

  “No. I’m looking for my escort,” I replied as I scanned the room trying my best not to let my distress show.

  That was impossible. My distress was very clear to the personality-free Dragon who’d requested my wrap. It was going to be obvious to every Dragon in the room—and there had to be at least two hundred of them present.

  Again. What the hell was I thinking? I was still breathing because I’d avoided my people for years and now I willingly entered a lair? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  “Perhaps I can be of assistance,” boring coat-taker dude suggested as he valiantly tried not to stare at my chest.

  Dwayne was a dead man. No wait, he was already dead. I had no one to blame but myself. I’d let the Vamp choose the scraps of material that somewhat covered my body. He’d insisted that all eyes would be on my chest and if I needed to make a quick get away my boobs would be an outstanding distraction. An hour ago it had made sense. Now…not so much.

  Note to self—never take fashion from a Vampyre who moonlights as a drag queen.

  Seth was nowhere to be found. This was not at all like him. I inhaled slowly through my nose and exhaled quietly through my mouth tamping down my anxiety. Pink and gold smoke wafted in thin delicate tendrils from my nose, but there was little I could do about it.

  Why was I so nervous? I was a freaking killing machine. I could shift in a heartbeat and probably take out half of the room before they knew what hit them. Poison laced daggers were strapped to my inner thighs. In my clutch I had a squirt gun filled with solution that could prohibit a Dragon shift and according to Dwayne, my boobs were freakin’ weapons.

  However, boobs were not going to save me tonight.

  This was a grave error on every level. I could feel it in my bones. I didn’t need these Dragons to remove my father from power. I was certain their correctly placed hatred of my father would transfer directly to me. I didn’t have time to die at the moment. I had to kill him before death caught up with me.

  Seth was wrong about me coming here. He was convinced that the leader of the Dragon resistance would welcome me. I now heartily disagreed. The leader, Nicolai was a notoriously egotistical, womanizing, hard-ass. Surprisingly, I’d never met him, but I’d heard stories about him for the last several hundred years.

  I’d already met one handsome deadly idiot in the crumbling parking lot. I wasn’t sure how polite I could be if I met another.

  “You must be new,” a delicate and lovely female Dragon said with a giggle as she took my hand in hers and led me into the room. “My my, you are just gorgeous! The men are going to want to eat you up! No worries, I’ll protect you.”

  WTH? I followed because I was certain I’d cause more of a scene by resisting the nutty chatterbox.

  “Um, okay,” I muttered as she pulled me along behind her.

  Dragons in human form wearing their finest eveningwear parted for her and nodded with respect. Some glanced at me curiously while others ignored me completely. Who was she? The woman didn’t seem very powerful, but older Dragons could mask that. I certainly did. It was never wise to show your hand. Dragons loved a challenge almost as much as sex. I hated having to kill those who wanted to see if they could best me.

  Was she the consort or mate of Nicolai the leader? I could tell she was mated by her scent, but it was faded—as if her partner might be dead. Her beauty was absurd, but I guessed she was a very old Dragon by the way she was treated. I said a quick thanks to the man upstairs that she’d been the one to grab me first. Without Seth, I was a lone female Dragon in a lair that wasn’t mine. This silly woman was a lifesaver. I was beginning to think she was far older than I’d assumed.

  We stopped aging in our mid thirties, but it was always obvious who our elders were.

  “You can sit at my table,” she went on as she greeted Dragons left and right.

  “I’m actually meeting someone here,” I told her as I was shoved unceremoniously into a seat at a large beautifully appointed table.

  “Oh really?” she asked with raised brows and a kind smile. “Who?”

  “Seth. Do you know him?” I asked cautiously. Dragons were quite unpredictable. The wrong name or expression could set off a three-alarm fire. I adored Seth, but maybe he was out of favor. I was certain he would become unpopular after his weyr found out who I was.

  My crazy new friend clapped with glee and then placed her slim, well-manicured hands on either side of my face. “You’re in luck! He’s at this exact table. What a wonderful coincidence.”

  Her smile was contagious and she almost made me comfortable. Again I reminded myself, looks were deceiving. Trusting strangers made you sloppy. I had no time to be careless—there was too much at stake. This silly woman might seem kind, but in reality it could be a façade.

  “I don’t believe in coincidences,” I said as I gently removed her hands and moved to a seat with my back against the wall.

  “Neither do I,” she admitted as she joined me and scooted close. “What do you think of some of the dresses here tonight?”

  Her nose was scrunched, but her eyes twinkled with naughty delight.

  “Well, um…I just got here and…” I started, not sure how to respond. My dress was scandalous. Where were we going with this?

  “This is a par
ty,” she huffed. “Half of the women here looked like they walked out of a Victorian painting. I mean I loved living in the Victorian era, but come on that was centuries ago.”

  I was correct about her age.

  “Well,” I said as diplomatically as I could. “Some of the gals could have checked the calendar year as a style guide.”

  “Agreed.” My benefactor nodded curtly and then turned her focus on me. “It’s wonderful to see a new face. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Elaina. Welcome to the Resistance.”

  “Thank you and, um…I’m a friend of Seth’s,” I replied with a wince of embarrassment at my lack of manners. Telling her my name could end the evening quickly. I needed Seth here for back up and to vouch for my character. Shit. Where was he?

  The beautiful creature stared at me with shrewd eyes for a brief moment and then smiled. “Well, Seth’s friend, it’s nice to meet you. He should be along shortly. Tell me what you think of the gala.”

  I let out an inaudible sigh of relief that she didn’t press for more information and didn’t call security on me. These Dragons had the same goal as I did and I didn’t want to have to kill them to save my own hide. As unsettling as it was I felt happy being amongst my own people again.

  “I find it curious you’re having a party at all,” I told her truthfully. “It would seem that this would make you sitting ducks for my…for the monarchy.”

  “Oh my dear,” she said kindly as she took my hands in hers. “When you don’t know if there will be a tomorrow, you must live today to the fullest. And we have outstanding protection here.”

  She winked and gave me a thumbs up. I found myself grinning at her. She was a lot smarter than I had originally thought and she reminded me a bit of my mother. If the security was anything like what was in the parking lot, she was correct. No one had ever come up behind me before and lived to tell about it.

  “Speaking of protection, you have a very um…overzealous guard outside,” I said carefully, not wanting to insult anyone and end up a pile of ash on the floor.

  “Yes,” she laughed and nodded. “He’s quite a character that one. However, there were far more out there than just the one you met.”

  “How do you know which one I met?” I asked, confused.

  “Darling, you’re a beautiful woman. He wouldn’t have let any of the others near you. He’s quite territorial that way,” she confided with a smirk that seemed vaguely familiar.

  Did I know her? I didn’t think so, but when you live for almost 500 years you meet a lot of Dragons. And when you’re the daughter of the most evil Dragon King alive, you meet more than your share. I couldn’t place her. Odd.

  “So the over-sexed jerk in the parking lot was an anomaly?” I asked with raised brows and a smirk of my own.

  Elaina’s giggle turned my smirk into a full-blown grin.

  “Ohhhhh, he is one of a kind. I’d love to hear you call him that to his face!”

  “I did call him a jackass,” I offered up hoping to hear her giggle again.

  She didn’t disappoint.

  “And you’re still alive. Amazing,” she said as she stared at me with open curiosity. “He doesn’t take well to backtalk, but I’m quite sure he deserved it. His manners are somewhat boorish even though his parentage is impeccable.”

  “He doesn’t have any manners at all as far as I could tell,” I replied enjoying the gossip. Clearly she didn’t think too highly of Parking Lot Rambo either. “He was quite powerful though.”

  “That’s an understatement, child. There is no other like him anywhere in the world.”

  “Your leader, Nicolai must be happy to have the guard pig in the weyr—even as uncouth as he is,” I said with a shrug as I remembered how good the big oaf’s hands felt on me.

  “An uncouth jackass and a guard pig,” Elaina repeated with delight. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone brave enough to call him that.”

  “You’ve been hanging out with the wrong people,” I told her, liking her more and more.

  “Perhaps you’re right! Although you should probably know…” she started, but the rest of her sentence was drowned out by loud cheering.

  “Who’s here?” I shouted over the din.

  “It’s Seth,” she yelled back as she pointed to the door. “Nicolai will be along in just a moment. This is protocol.”

  What the hell was she talking about? Was Seth part of the government of the Resistance? He never mentioned that little fact. In my experience the first in was the Seer. Was Seth the freakin’ Seer? Oh my God, no wonder we hadn’t had sex. Seers were celibate. Had he been playing me?

  Kill me now.

  I’d told the guard dog that I was mated to a damn Seer. Wait…I hadn’t said Seth’s name. Thank God for that. And I’d only told Elaina I was his guest.

  I had to get the hell out of here. Immediately.

  Of course there was one way in and one way out. Dragons were not stupid, but apparently I was. How had I trusted Seth? He’d seemed so wonderful and kind. We wanted the same thing—to end my father’s reign of terror. I thought he was my boyfriend or at the very least, my friend.

  I’d lost my edge where my people were concerned. We were not nice. We couldn’t be trusted. We were foolish if we trusted others. I was all kinds of a fool, but I wasn’t going to be a dead fool. I had a child and a limited amount of time left on this earth. I needed to accomplish my goal so my son could live in relative safety and not have to be on the run as I’d been for most of my life.

  It was becoming abundantly clear to me that Seth had tricked me—lured me here to use me for leverage against my father. Little did he know, that wouldn’t work. My father wanted me dead just as much as I wanted him dead. Maybe these Dragons planned to hand me over to him in exchange for I don’t even know what.

  I was so out of here. Getting killed was something I could do all by myself. I didn’t need any help in that department.

  With my head down, I quickly edged my way along the wall toward the exit. Seth was moving into the room and I was certain their leader Nicolai was close behind. The excited chaos was to my advantage. I’d just get near the exit and slip out after the arrogant man in charge made his entrance.

  Not my best plan, but it would have to do. Sadly my boobs were not working in my favor as every male I passed ogled them. I was going to kick Dwayne’s undead ass if I made it out of here alive.

  Nicolai was clearly a dawdler because the guard pig from hell was the next in. Time was not on my side. Seth was scanning the crowd for me. Getting out was my only goal. I had a trick up my sleeve that I would only use in the most dire circumstances. It was a gift from my mother. It hadn’t saved her life, but it might save mine.

  As Seth’s eyes landed on me a huge gentle smile pulled at his lips. My God, his acting skills were impeccable. If I wasn’t onto his plan for my demise, I’d think he was genuinely happy to see me. Note to self…have the words gullible idiot tattooed to my forehead. Never again would I trust a male Dragon. They were all bad.

  Screw Nicolai, I didn’t have the luxury of his entrance as a distraction to aid in my escape. Getting past Rambo presented a challenge, but as long as he wasn’t behind me I could take him if I had to.

  The midnight oil was burning and I only had seconds before Seth reached me. No time like the present to make the party more exciting.

  “Move it, you uncouth, jackass guard pig,” I hissed as I shoved hard at the enormous sexy Dragon and tried to get away.

  The expression of shock on his face would have made me laugh if I didn’t have to run like hell. Clearly no one had ever spoken to him as I’d just done. Asshole Dragons like him needed to be taken down a peg or two. It would be very satisfying to continue but I had death coming toward me at a rapid rate and no time to have fun.

  Wait. What was happening?

  The cheering had stopped abruptly and I could feel every eye in the room glued to me. The silence was deafening. This was not part of my escape plan. This was
a clusterfuck. Who exactly had I just insulted?

  A sick feeling rolled through my gut. I was pretty sure Rambo wasn’t just a guard.

  A stupidly sexy, evil smile lit his face and his attention was focused solely on me. For the briefest moment I wished that his smile was real and that he was truly happy to see me in the way a lover would be. His lust was unmistakable. Unfortunately mine was as well. Dragons had a distinct scent when aroused—a clean scent that could be best described as the ocean after a storm. Part of me wanted to run him over and get the hell out of Dodge and the other part wanted to run to him and wrap his strong arms around me.

  However, there was my life to think about.

  “Dima, my dear, I see you’ve met Nicolai,” Seth said warmly as he took in the standoff in the entryway with interest.