by Rinelle Grey
Verrian’s heart was already beating in double time, but at that comment it sped up another notch. Did that mean Ultrima was within dragon speech range? If so, he could be here within minutes. He needed to finish this and get out of here before the stronger dragon arrived.
Because he might be able to beat this younger dragon, but he sure as hell didn’t stand a chance against Ultrima.
“How did you find us?” Lisa demanded.
To Verrian’s surprise, she stood beside him, her eyes blazing. She was as fired up as he was.
She looked stunning when she was stirred up like that. Verrian drunk in her shining eyes and clenched fists. Of course she wasn’t going to run. She was a true warrior, even if she didn’t think she was. His heart swelled with admiration. She had more spunk in her than she knew.
Together they could do anything.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” the Trima dragon jeered. “In this case though, you’re going to die never knowing. Isn’t that sad?”
He lifted his hand.
Verrian knew what was going to happen next. He’d already been on the receiving end of a lightning bolt and he had no wish to do it again.
His instinct was to fly at the Trima dragon, to attack before he could. But his only means of attack was physical and there just wasn’t room to transform inside this building. Not unless he wanted to be trapped.
Lisa’s comments just moments earlier entered his head. She’d said he was cunning. That that could be more useful than strength. In this case, she might have a point. What they needed right now was a distraction. That was something he was good at.
He set off three loud, low booms, in three directions behind the Trima dragon.
It worked.
The dragon swung around, his outstretched hand pointing in the direction the sounds had come from.
Verrian stepped towards the door, planning to get outside and attack before the Trima dragon realised what was happening, but he didn’t even make it two steps before Lisa had grabbed his hand and pulled him backwards, through the door into another room.
“Come on, we need to get out of here.”
Verrian hesitated. He’d told Lisa to run, but he’d had no intention of doing the same himself. Running was never going to work. Not long term. However, it was probably the last thing the Trima dragon expected.
That was a good thing, right?
*****
Lisa pulled Verrian through the ruined house, skirting the weak spots in the floorboards. He was probably going to be angry at her for dragging him away from the fight, but he’d live.
Which was more than he would do if he attacked. She’d seen Taurian fight one of these dragons—it hadn’t gone well at all, and he had a fire attack. Verrian wouldn’t last more than a few minutes.
She didn’t want that. She wanted him to live.
Even if he wasn’t with her.
They reached the other side of the house and Lisa slowed a little, her heart pounding. She pushed the door ajar with her foot and hesitated, torn between rushing to the car and needing to know the way was clear. When nothing happened, she peered around the door.
The back of the house was empty. No sign of the enemy dragon yet. He had the longer route, around the outside of the house. But they wouldn’t have long.
Not giving herself time to think, Lisa made a break for the shed where Paul’s four-wheel drive was hidden. She was glad Verrian had asked what they were going to do if Ultrima showed up earlier, because it meant she didn’t have to think. She already had a plan, she just had to carry through with it.
“Where is he?” Verrian twisted around, slowing her down.
“He’s not here,” she said shortly. “Keep moving.”
They were almost at the car when the roar behind her froze her to the spot.
The roar of a dragon.
They were so close.
But not close enough. The Trima dragon didn’t even have to reach them, all he had to do was throw some….
A loud crackle filled the air, the only warning they had.
“Watch out!” Verrian called out. Lisa felt a rush of wind behind her, then she was pushed to the ground with Verrian on top of her. She let out her breath in a whoosh.
The crackle of lightning passing nearby set all her hair standing on end.
This was it. They weren’t going to make it to the car.
*****
Verrian rolled off Lisa and sprang to his feet, beginning the transformation into his dragon form even as he stood up. His hands and feet extended into claws, scales spreading up his arms and legs as he whirled around to face his opponent.
He expected to find himself facing another lightning bolt—was prepared to shield Lisa with his body if necessary, so she had time to make it to the car.
What he found was entirely different, and enough to distract him from his transformation, pausing it half way through.
The Trima dragon had spun around to stare at two humans emerging from a yellow car.
The reporter and… Lisa’s brother.
While he was selfishly relieved not to be attacked, he wasn’t sure this was any better.
He’d been prepared to die to protect Lisa, but if the reporter got more photos, dying would not help protect his clan’s secret from being exposed.
There would be no hiding this one. Both of the humans held objects in their hands. One a phone, and the other a little bigger. Their purpose was clear.
These photos would not be blurry. They’d show the sliver dragon quite clearly.
That is, if they didn’t get singed.
For a moment, Verrian was sure that was what was going to happen. The Trima dragon took a step towards the humans, then another.
He had to give it to the reporter. She stood her ground and the object in her hand kept making clicking noises as she took more pictures.
Not so Lisa’s brother. As soon as the Trima dragon turned, he bolted for the car.
Verrian couldn’t find it in himself to admire his actions, even though it would probably save the man’s life. Especially not when he’d left the woman alone and unprotected.
Verrian had no such thoughts of running. This was his chance. The Trima dragon had its back to him, intent on the humans. He took a step forwards, intending to resume his interrupted transformation.
Lisa’s hand on his arm stopped him. “You can’t let her get a photo of you too.”
Verrian stared at her. Didn’t she see that it didn’t matter? It wasn’t himself he was trying to protect, but his clan. Photos of the silver lightning dragon would be just as dangerous as photos of himself.
Either way, Lisa didn’t expect him to just let the human get fried, did she? She was one of Lisa’s kind. Even if Lisa wanted to protect the dragons, she wouldn’t be happy with that, would she?
He had only seconds to make up his mind as the Trima dragon advanced on the human. Why he hadn’t already fried her Verrian wasn’t sure.
The car started up behind her. Verrian could see the panicked look on Paul’s face as it kicked into reverse, tyres spinning. Terror had obviously overcome his caution, because he backed straight into a fence post.
That wasn’t enough to stop him though. The fence post gave way under the car’s weight and force, not an impediment.
But Paul wasn’t getting away. The car’s movement successfully distracted the Trima dragon’s attention. He abandoned the woman, heading for Paul instead.
A single blast of lightning stopped the car in its tracks. Inside, Paul was unharmed, staring through the windscreen, face white. He held up his hands, waving them frantically. Whether the gesture was meant as a sign of surrender or an attempt to ward off the dragon’s magic, Verrian wasn’t sure.
He did know that neither was going to be effective.
As the Trima dragon continued to advance, Paul picked up his phone and started frantically pressing buttons.
What was he doing?
“He’s calling the police.” Lisa�
��s voice was low. “This is not good. We need to get that dragon out of here. Now.”
Now she wanted him to do something about the dragon?
Verrian didn’t need to be asked twice. With a growl, he launched himself towards the silver dragon, transforming as he went.
Somehow alerted, the Trima dragon turned from the car just as Verrian barrelled into him.
The weight of his attack carried them both into the car. Verrian felt his opponent’s body shudder as it hit the heavy metal vehicle, but he didn’t pause. He couldn’t afford to give the Trima dragon any chance. He needed to end this, quickly.
Before the other dragon realised he had absolutely no idea how to fight.
Chapter 7
Lisa’s heart skipped a beat as Verrian’s sleek purple body crashed into the Trima dragon’s silver one. The look of abject fear on Paul’s face as the two dragons battled on the bonnet of the car would have been priceless.
In any other situation.
But any enjoyment she might have felt was completely ruined by the fact that Verrian was in danger. If he managed to survive this battle, and given his earlier concerns she wasn’t sure if he stood a chance or not, then they still had to deal with the fact that Rita had real, irrefutable photos of two dragons.
Two dragons fighting.
The reporter still stood there, ignorant of the danger, snapping more photos.
Lisa felt sick. This was all her fault. If she’d just buckled down and waited it out at her parents, none of this would have happened.
Her discomfort, the situation that had seemed so impossible yesterday, somehow seemed insignificant compared to this.
How could she have been so stupid?
How could she have been so selfish?
She felt so bad that if she could have manifested claws, she would have raced in there and torn at the Trima dragon’s flesh like Verrian was.
Lisa wasn’t the bloodthirsty type. In fact, she even looked way during gory scenes in movies. But right now, she could understand the pure, visceral pleasure that could come from hurting someone who had hurt you.
Or who was hurting someone you cared about.
The two dragons circled around, occasionally jumping in and scratching at each other. Both had drawn blood, but so far, this fight didn’t look so bad. It was nothing like Taurian’s fight with Ultrima. Both of them had been in the air, throwing magic at each other almost from the start of the fight.
It hit her with a sickening thud. The real fight hadn’t started yet. They were sizing each other up. Or maybe the other dragon was stalling, hoping Ultrima would arrive.
They’d be sitting ducks if that happened. Verrian would have no chance against the Trima clan leader.
Even though Lisa could barely breathe, she knew she had to do something.
Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone, almost dropping it in her haste. Why did her body do this when she needed it most? The adrenaline that flooded her blood was supposed to help her, not make her shake so hard it was almost impossible to hit the right numbers on the tiny keyboard.
Even when she managed to dial, all she got was the same message. Chase didn’t pick up the phone either. Of course Karla was unreachable when they needed her most. Lisa felt like crying. She didn’t know what to do.
She had no idea how to fight a dragon. Not without help from the others. She hadn’t even brought her bow and arrows in her haste. Not that they’d do much against tough dragon hide. And Verrian couldn’t do this on his own. He’d said quite clearly that his skills didn’t lie with fighting.
What was she going to do?
*****
Verrian paced around the Trima dragon, trying to figure out what he was going to do next. So far, this wasn’t much different to the scuffles he’d gotten into as a youth. But he knew that it was going to get worse. Much worse.
The Trima dragon glanced away for a second, over towards the car that hadn’t moved since he’d blasted it.
Verrian didn’t look to see if it was moving now. He took the opportunity to spring towards his opponent, planning to sink his teeth into his neck.
His only hope of surviving this was to get it over early.
The other dragon’s neck snaked back around before he could close the distance, meeting him with teeth barred.
He hadn’t been distracted at all.
So much for being cunning. The Trima dragon was better at it than he was.
There wasn’t time for him to pull up his attack, so he carried on doggedly, even if it wasn’t the surprise he had hoped. The Trima dragon’s movement threw off his bite, leaving his teeth just grazing the surface of his scales.
It was ready for him, sinking its teeth into his wing and hanging on.
Pain lanced up Verrian’s wing and through his body. He gritted his teeth to stop a scream.
Pulling his weight back on his haunches, he lifted his front claws to rake down the Trima dragon’s chest. From this angle, he couldn’t get a good grip, but it was enough to startle the other dragon into letting go.
They both pulled back and circled again.
Pain stabbed through Verrian’s wing with every step, no matter how much he tried to ignore it. Hopefully it wasn’t broken. That would tie him to the ground, which was the beginning of the end. He moved it experimentally, trying to be subtle, and was relieved that it still functioned.
This time, the Trima dragon made the first move, his claws going for Verrian’s other wing. Not the bones though, he aimed for the thin membrane that stretched between them. A tear would disable Verrian’s ability to fly as readily as a broken bone.
Verrian’s heart thudded in his chest as he scrambled to deflect the dragon’s claws with his body. The pain across his chest was almost a welcome relief, because it wasn’t his wings.
They both pulled back again, watching each other.
Verrian waited for an opening. He needed to get close, but he couldn’t risk a more serious injury.
This time, instead of coming at him the Trima dragon stepped back.
For a moment, Verrian thought he was going to give up.
Then it hit him. The Trima dragon wasn’t retreating, he was getting into position for his final attack.
Verrian’s heart sank. He couldn’t help glancing over at Lisa, staring at him frozen.
He couldn’t give up. She needed him.
*****
As Lisa watched, the Trima dragon pulled back, disengaged, and tried to retreat. It didn’t get more than a couple of meters before Verrian was on it, his teeth sinking into the other dragon’s neck.
It gave as good as it got, biting his other wing, blood pouring out.
Then it tried to retreat again.
Verrian followed immediately, his movements almost desperate. He sunk his claws into the other dragon’s chest, as though to hold him there by force.
Why was he still fighting? If the other dragon wanted to leave, let him.
Lisa could understand wanting revenge, but not if her own life was at stake. Let the dragon run. They could catch him later. When they had more backup.
A thought hit her with a chill, and she stared at both of them, assessing the situation.
She didn’t know much about dragon wounds, but really, neither of them looked that bad. Not compared to how Taurian had looked after his fight with Ultrima. Just lots of bloody scratches and bites. Verrian’s wing looked the worst, but she didn’t think it was enough stop him flying or fighting.
So why did the Trima dragon want to retreat?
It wasn’t because he wanted to run. He just wanted some distance.
Enough distance to hit Verrian with his lightning power.
Of course the other dragon didn’t want to electrocute Verrian while he was close enough for the electricity to arc back to him.
Verrian couldn’t afford to let him get that far away.
Suddenly, the dance the two dragons were engaged in seemed a lot more deadly. The Trima dragon clearly thought it had
the upper hand, and all Verrian was doing was desperately trying to stop him.
Lisa’s knees felt weak, and for a moment, she was tempted to take this chance to head for the four-wheel drive and hightail it out of here. That would be the sensible thing to do, wouldn’t it?
What was she doing involved in this? She’d just wanted a little fun. A little sex. She’d wanted to be in a romance film, not an action one.
Trouble was, there was a lot more to a romance movie than just fun and sex.
Light bounced off Verrian’s purple scales as they rippled in the sun, and her heart skipped a beat. He was every inch the hero. Loyal, determined, he’d do anything to protect her.
She was the one who didn’t fit in. The heroine in a romance novel didn’t just run when someone attacked the hero. She stayed and fought at his side.
For a moment, Lisa had a glimpse at what it would be like to be that heroine. Someone who did what was right and fought for what they believed in.
The Trima dragon pulled back. This time, Verrian stumbled as he followed him, a large rent on his left foreleg slowing him down. His teeth grazed the silver dragon’s hide, but didn’t find a purchase.
Fear gripped Lisa in a tight vice, making it impossible for her to breathe, let alone move.
Frozen with fear, she could only watch.
The Trima dragon danced back, out of Verrian’s reach, his mouth twisted in a smile.
The clicking of Rita’s camera, speeding up if anything, sank into Lisa’s brain. Didn’t she care? How could she be still taking photographs at a time like this? Would she photograph the end of the battle too? And the dead dragon who lost?
How could she be so insensitive?
With each click, Lisa’s irritation clicked up a notch, and since Rita was clicking so quickly, her anger reached boiling point in only a few moments.
Without even thinking about it, she jumped forwards and snatched the camera out of Rita’s hands. “How dare you!”
“Hey!” Rita said loudly. “That’s mine.”
“I won’t let you expose the dragon’s secret,” Lisa said, her voice shaking a little at the thrill of actually standing up to someone.