dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames

by Susan Illene

  A large blue shirt caught my eye, lying among other random objects strewn across the ground. Checking to be sure the dragons weren’t too close, I scooped it up and pulled it over my head. It was a man’s extra large and reached to my knees. The bigger, the better under the circumstances.

  Flames caught the corner of my eye. One of the dragons released a breath of fire that burned a hole in the front of the store. I shifted on my feet, debating what to do. Did I stick around and wait for Aidan to finish or did I get the heck out of there? There were already two dragons on one, so they didn’t need my help. I’d only get in the way. Plus, we’d be meeting again tomorrow and could talk then.

  The dragons rolled out of the new hole and into the front parking lot about fifty feet from me. Aidan and Donar tore gashes into the larger one, each taking a side of her. I took that as a sign I should go and dashed toward some trees behind the store. It was a shortcut and safer than running along a main street. When I hit a row of fences bordering people’s backyards, I followed alongside them. My body ached as I pushed myself to run faster. It was less than three miles to the library. I could do it.

  Lindsey Street appeared up ahead. I turned and raced across a parking lot, praying no one noticed me in my disheveled state. My back protested the pace I set and let me know it with every step I took. I’d made it about a half-mile down the road when a car came from the opposite direction. A man waved his arm out the driver’s side window and yelled.

  “Bailey!”

  I squinted at him. Was that Earl? He pulled into the parking lot as I slowed to a walk. Yep, that was definitely Earl’s old Monte Carlo he refused to sell no matter what anyone told him. He pulled it up next to me.

  “What are you doin’ out here?” he asked, giving me a horrified once-over.

  “Long story.” I hopped into the passenger seat and laid the sword in the back.

  He cleared his throat. “A long story that involves you losin’ most of your clothes, carrying a sword, and being miles from campus?” He guided the car back onto the road. “You know my imagination is goin’ in about a hundred directions right now.”

  My adrenaline was coming down and all I wanted was to catch my breath, not explain myself. I pushed my tangled hair from my face. “My group and I were out looking for supplies and ran into a dragon’s nest. It turned ugly and I got separated from them.”

  “It still don’t explain the clothes or the sword.” He gave me a disgruntled look.

  Couldn’t the damn man just leave it alone? “I thought maybe if I flashed the dragon with my tits it would distract it long enough for the others to get away. Then I poked it in the eye with my sword. There. Does that explain it well enough for you?”

  He let out a chuckle. “Bailey, that’s about the biggest bullshit story I’ve ever heard—and I’ve heard a lot.”

  “Take it or leave it.” I crossed my arms.

  At this point, I just wanted to put it behind me. I needed time to process Freddy’s death and everything else that happened. If Aidan hadn’t showed up when he did, I might have ended up dead, too. How had he known I was in trouble? Had he been watching me or was it a right place, right time sort of thing? He had found me through scent before.

  “You want to head back to the library?” Earl asked.

  The tension in my shoulders eased. He was letting it go.

  I nodded. “Yeah. They’re going to worry if I don’t get there soon.”

  Poor Conrad was probably convinced I was dead already.

  “Alright, I’ll take you there,” he said in a gruff voice. “Seems to me you need some time to deal with this, but I’m warnin’ you we will be discussin’ it again soon. Your parents would have a fit if they saw you now.”

  My lips twitched. “Grady would probably chain me down in the basement for my own good.”

  Earl barked out a laugh. “Lord knows I’m half-tempted to do that myself.”

  “Thank for picking me up, Earl.”

  He flexed his fingers on the wheel. “I was just goin’ to check on a friend. Ended up findin’ you instead. It’s no skin off my back.”

  “Still, I’m glad you saw me.”

  I’d never dreamed I’d need him for anything, but since the apocalypse began he’d done whatever he could for me. It meant a lot, even if I didn’t know how to say that to him. I really wasn’t very good at the mushy stuff.

  “I’m here, Bailey, any time you’re in trouble.” He paused. “And if things get too hot we can take you and a few of your friends in our neighborhood. Just can’t handle the whole group.”

  My gaze jerked toward him. “Really?”

  “Foraging for food, keeping the looters out, and buildin’ defenses takes a lot of manpower. Plus we’ve lost a few along the way. As long as you don’t bring too many, you’ll be welcome if you get tired of that musty library.”

  “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  It would be a good backup plan if nothing else. Though we’d lost a handful to the church, there were still too many of us for Earl’s neighborhood. New arrivals tended to show up every few days like Nate and Freddy. God, poor Freddy. I sucked in a deep breath. If only I’d remembered the pendant before the dragon first attacked. His dying was on me for not thinking of it soon enough.

  “Here’s your stop,” Earl said, turning onto Elm Avenue.

  I thanked him again and got out. As soon as his car disappeared around the block, Conrad came running toward me from the parking garage. He pulled me into a hug and lifted me off the ground.

  “Bailey, you made it!”

  “Yeah, but please…don’t squeeze…so hard.”

  “Oh, right.” Conrad set me down. “You’re probably injured. Sorry about that.”

  I rubbed my aching ribs. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “You want to change your clothes before you go inside?” he suggested. “I haven’t gone in yet so Justin doesn’t have the full story. We can work on it if you want.”

  That was part of the reason I kept half my stuff in the truck. Leaving it all in one place under the circumstances didn’t seem like a good idea and it came in handy to have extra clothes with me when I went out. You never knew when a dragon might burn the outfit you were wearing. My mother would have been horrified to see me now.

  “What about Nate?” I asked. He could make things difficult for us since he might have seen that I didn’t get burned like his friend.

  “That dude is freaking out. He’s sitting in a corner of the garage right now, rocking back and forth and muttering to himself. I doubt he remembers what happened and even if he does no one would believe him. We should be alright.”

  Conrad and I started walking toward the garage.

  “Good,” I said. Not that I didn’t feel for Nate, but we needed to keep my slayer status a secret for as long as possible.

  “So how did you get out of there alive?” Conrad asked.

  “Aidan and his cousin showed up. I left while they were fighting the mother dragon.”

  He stumbled. “The what?”

  “Yeah, jackass.” I shook a finger at him. “You failed to notice the dragon egg nest at the back of the store. That’s why no one had raided the place yet.”

  He rubbed his face. “Shit. I had no idea they’d use a store. That explains why everything was knocked down or pushed off to the sides to clear a path. I’d just figured things got shifted during the earthquakes.”

  “Lesson learned.”

  “Yeah, too late, though,” he said quietly.

  Chapter 28

  Bailey

  The following afternoon Conrad and I pulled up to the training area. We cast each other nervous glances. Aidan and Donar stood at the end of the road with thunderous expressions on their faces and hands on their hips. Both had deep gashes on their faces and arms.

  “They look like something tore them up,” Conrad said.

  “Probably because something did.”

  He reclined back in his seat. “I’ll be in
the truck if you need me.”

  “Coward.” I glared at him.

  “Hey, you’re the slayer. I’m just the sidekick who points and laughs when you do something wrong. No way am I facing those two giants out there.”

  They did look larger than normal. Kind of like how cats fluffed out their fur to make themselves look bigger when they got angry. Except, these guys didn’t have fur. It had to be some sort of illusion they cast.

  “It’s your fault they’re pissed off,” I said.

  Conrad gave me an affronted look. “How was I supposed to know a dragon would lay her eggs in a store? It’s like that movie where the woman had a baby in Walmart. That’s just weird.”

  I could point out that not fully checking the store resulted in people getting hurt—and one guy killed—but I didn’t want to bring up that sore topic again. It’d only hurt Conrad if I reminded him. Neither of us had known Freddy that well, but we both felt guilty about his death. The best thing we could do was learn from it and try not to let the same thing happen next time.

  “Well, wish me luck.” I grabbed my sword.

  “Break a leg.”

  I let out a heavy sigh. “I probably will.”

  The two shape-shifters watched me approach with predatory eyes. You’d never guess they’d just saved my life the day before. They were so utterly still I kept expecting them to leap on me any second. Gripping my sword tighter, I came to stand before them.

  “Thanks for, uh, yesterday,” I said, figuring that was the appropriate thing to say.

  Aidan looked down on me. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”

  “The mother was gone. We didn’t know there was a nest in there.”

  Donar growled. “You didn’t think to check?”

  I could have given them the excuse that I was just the lookout and didn’t step foot in the place before the dragon arrived, but I doubted they’d care to hear that part.

  “We didn’t know dragons would lay eggs in a building.”

  “Where do you think they lay them?” Aidan asked.

  That was actually a good question. “Um, in a cave?”

  “And what do you think that building looked like to a mother who needed a place to lay her eggs?” he said in a deadly cold voice.

  The last thing I needed was another lecture right now. I straightened my back. “Have you considered this is all new for me? The only source of information I have on dragons is you, and you didn’t tell me anything about dragon nests.”

  Aidan looked at Donar and they had some kind of wordless conversation while I stood there wondering what I was missing. Then he returned his attention to me.

  “I had hoped to spend more time enhancing your skills with the sword before having you face a dragon, but I can see we must speed up your training. Go to the field and begin your exercises, we will join you in a moment.”

  “Fine.” I headed down the road, not looking back.

  Reaching the open space where we usually trained, I stretched for a moment before beginning the series of exercises he insisted I do every day. It involved various sword strokes and fancy footwork that helped build muscle memory, strength, and agility.

  I had done it hundreds of times already and could work my way through the pattern with my eyes shut. The fluttering of wings drew my attention. A petro hovered a couple feet away and let out a small burst of fire—the damn wannabe little dragon. I swung my sword, killing it before the flames could do any damage to my clothes.

  “Enough,” Aidan said in a booming voice from the edge of the clearing. “Now you will practice defending yourself against a real dragon.”

  Donar stood next to him on his hind legs with his wings folded behind him. He’d shifted while I’d been practicing. His dragon form triggered my slayer instincts. My senses heightened and a buzzing rose in my ears. Why hadn’t this happened yesterday when I needed it the most? Aidan had said my slayer abilities would come and go until I got through the rite of passage, but it couldn’t spark up while facing an enraged mother dragon?

  “Any tips?” I asked.

  A sly grin formed on Aidan’s face. “Avoid his teeth and claws.”

  Yeah, because I would never have thought of that. “Gee, thanks.”

  Donar scraped at the ground with his back left foot, digging up dirt and grass with his claws. He reminded me of a raging bull ready to charge. If only I had one of those red capes on hand. I spread my feet apart and brought my sword up to the ready position. Let him bring it. After yesterday, I needed a good fight to get my confidence back.

  He lowered himself, setting his hands with their frighteningly long talons on the ground. With the power of his larger hind legs, he dashed toward me. I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, watching him as he closed the distance. Come on, you little bastard. Come and get me. My plan was to rake his face with my sword, but at the last moment instincts took over. I kicked my leg out and slammed my foot into his jaw. He went flying sideways, rolling around once before stopping. I gaped at him, amazed that had actually worked.

  Donar got back to his feet and shook his head. Then he turned his rage-filled eyes toward me and charged again. His wings snapped open as he leaped into the air. I dropped onto my stomach and let him sail right over me. His talons raked across my back. I cried out as instant pain engulfed me. He landed a few feet away with a thud.

  “After you went to the ground you should have rolled,” Aidan said, coming to stand over me.

  I lifted my head and scowled. “You think?”

  “The wonderful thing about pain is it teaches you a lesson you’ll never forget.” He crossed his arms, not a hint of sympathy on his face.

  I didn’t want it, anyway. Pushing past the pain, I slowly got to my feet. This wasn’t the first time I’d ever gotten hurt and it wouldn’t be the last. How many times had a horse bucked me off and sent me flying onto the ground or into rocks? Too many to count. Unless I broke a bone, I never let it slow me down.

  “How very prosaic of you, Aidan,” I said, dusting myself off. “I’m glad you find my pain useful.”

  The skin on my back tightened where the claws had shredded through my t-shirt. Small trails of blood ran down my sides. The gashes weren’t very deep, but they were enough to hurt like hell and slow me down for the rest of the training session. I needed to get better at fighting and do it quickly.

  “If it’s any consolation.” Aidan took my chin. “I don’t like seeing you injured, but it is going to happen whether we like it or not.”

  I lowered my lashes. “What do you care?”

  “Each lesson I teach you could save your life. I can’t be there every time you’re in danger.” He dropped his hand away.

  “How did you know I was in trouble yesterday?” I asked. That had been bugging me since last night.

  “I have my ways,” he said.

  “But…”

  Before I could finish asking him what he meant, he held his hands out. A moment later a set of clothes made from the same black material as his pants and vest appeared. “These are for you. They are camrium and will act as armor against claws and other weapons. You will also find they do not burn like your clothes do.”

  I ran a hand over them, marveling at the foreign texture. It was rough and yet smooth. There was nothing quite like it on Earth that I’d ever seen.

  “Thanks.” I took the clothes from him, which included a set of boots. I couldn’t help feeling a thrill of excitement that he’d brought me a gift—one that I really needed. “But are you sure they’ll fit?”

  He gave me an arrogant smile. “They will.”

  “Okay, well, I’m just gonna go to those trees over there and put them on.” I started to move away.

  He grabbed my arm. “You have nothing left to hide from me, Bailey. I saw it all yesterday.”

  I blushed. I’d nearly forgotten he and Donar had showed up after most of my clothes had been burned off. How kind of him to remind me.

  “I’d still prefer to
change in privacy,” I said, holding my chin high. So what if he’d seen me naked?

  He lifted his brows. “Will you also tend to your own back?”

  “Don’t tell me you have a first aid kit in shiggara, too?”

  Aidan glanced down at one of the healing wounds on his arm. It was knitting together a lot faster than it would have for me. How quickly could dragons recover from injuries?

  “It is necessary to always keep a few things with me,” he replied. “Now sit.”

  With some reluctance, I cradled my new clothes and settled on the ground cross-legged. Donar waited nearby, watching us, but keeping his distance—to my relief. Aidan got on his knees behind me. He ripped through the back of my tattered shirt, opening it up further. A moment later a cool cloth touched my skin.

  I bowed my head, amazed that it barely hurt as he wiped the blood away and cleaned the wounds. His ministrations were light and gentle. I’d expected him to be a lot rougher. Once in a while his breath stirred across my back, sending chills down my spine. When he finished with the cloth, he began rubbing cream into my skin. It reduced the pain even more.

  “What is that?” I angled my head around.

  His yellow eyes were focused on my back. When he looked up to meet my gaze, there was something unfathomable in his expression. He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. “This will prevent infection and ease your suffering.”

  I sighed. “So you let Donar wound me and then you fix me?”

  “It is the way it must be. My cousin and I will hold back from causing you severe harm, but it is the way of the dragons to train hard. We learn faster by that method and so will you.” He paused, and his voice with its husky accent flowed over me. “But I will always tend to any of your wounds.”

  I couldn’t decide whether his ways were a good or bad thing. Would they really make me a stronger fighter? Or would they only make me weak because I’d be wounded all the time? I supposed I’d find out when I fought the next pure dragon.