"It's okay," I murmured, as I looked out the windshield and the side windows. "It's okay."
I doubted it was okay. Those screams were loud enough to broadcast our location for miles. With any luck, the darkness and the desert-camouflage paint on the car would hide us enough so that we wouldn't be seen. I reached up to open the hatch on the top of the car a little so I could hear better.
Omari sat quietly in my lap with his head tucked up against my shoulder, his heartbeat still fast.
A moment passed. Another.
Nothing.
Maybe we got lucky...
But then there was a sound, a slight shift in the air, a barely-there change in the air pressure.
Swallowing dryly, I looked up at the shadowy shape and my heart almost stopped.
The moonlight etched its outline in silver, highlighting the yards-long wingspan and the sinuous body. Its head was as sleek as the rest of it, built to slice through the air, its tail narrow and mobile.
I watched as it turned to circle above us. Maybe it didn't see us.
A deep rumble broke through the air.
All right.
There was some chance that we'd been spotted.
Chapter Six
"Omari, you need to get back into your seat and put your seat belt on, okay?" I murmured, my eyes still in the sky.
"Are there dragons outside?" he asked in a hushed whisper.
No use lying. He could just look through the window or the hatch.
"Yes," I said, helping him into his seat and pulling the seat belt over to secure him into place. "I'm going to go fast now," I said, and checked my own seat belt again.
He nodded, his eyes glued to the open hatch above us.
Here we go.
Putting the car back into gear, I slammed the pedal down. It lurched into motion. Chances of escaping were slim to none, but I had to try. Maybe if I could make it to the unused part of the city, I could take cover somewhere with Omari.
I had to protect him from them. Dragons and phoenixes were enemies. It was one of the facts everyone knew. Like the sky was blue. Or the air outside the domes wasn't good for humans.
Another roar and staccato growl came from above us. I was unable to resist looking up. Three more shapes were now gliding soundlessly through the air.
Clenching my jaw, I turned my attention back to the space ahead.
We hit a large rock and bounced over it, my teeth snapping shut from the abruptness. There was a reason why I hadn't been going faster than a crawl before. But now I was willing to risk it.
Omari gasped and I reached over so he could hold my hand. His small ones immediately took a tight hold on me.
Just a little further...
The sound of beating wings filled the night air.
I chanced another glance up and found more dragon-shapes lazily following the car. At any moment, one of them could choose to simply burn us. The armor was fire resistant, but not fireproof. No armor was. It could take a glancing blow but it couldn't take direct, sustained fire.
If it was just me in the car, I would have made peace that this was the end. I was an adult and my choices led me to this moment, where there were no choices left.
But I wasn't the only one the car. Giving up wasn't an option.
"Come on," I muttered to myself, trying to will the car to go faster. I frowned. Was the city moving?
No...the world was tilting...
Was the car flipping? Had I hit a rock?
A gust of hot wind blew my hair across my eyes. Oh no. My hand tightened on the wheel as I looked up.
Right into the underside of a dragon.
I squeezed Omari's hand as I looked out the windshield and realized we were being lifted. One of the dragons had literally taken hold of the car and was picking us up. I couldn’t even fathom how much strength that took.
Heart in my throat, I watched the world fall away, until the roofs of the buildings in the city were below us. It was larger than I'd thought it was. From this vantage point, it was clear that the inhabited part of the city was directly in the center of the vast ruins.
It was built taller, with the new parts showing above the older buildings, but I'd been too far away to make them out at night. It was also somewhat shielded from view by the unoccupied portions. The lower part of the center section was lit and people were walking around even at this time of night. They must have installed windows to deliberately block light in the upper floors of the tall buildings, to minimize how visible they were at night. It made sense as a security measure.
In one corner of that area, there was a flat, round clearing with tall walls encircling it. That was where our impromptu pilot took us.
The dragon slowly came to a hovering standstill above the clearing and carefully lowered us down onto the ground. The care with which the tires connected suggested that they weren't trying to kill us.
At least not immediately.
Maybe they were just waiting to interrogate me before incinerating us.
What a reassuring thought.
The round clearing was much larger than I'd realized from up above. The six dragons that were following us had plenty of room. The dragon that had picked us up landed directly in front of us. It lowered its long neck almost down to the ground and tilted its head to regard me through the windshield.
Its head was almost as big as the car.
I looked over to see that Omari had his eyes squeezed shut. I had the urge to do the same. I'd never seen a dragon or phoenix in their other form. Not in person.
The idea of a dragon had always seemed otherworldly, majestic. But the reality of the sheer size of it, of the power behind that enormous body, the intelligence behind those eyes...
Next to this giant, I seemed small and insignificant. Any one of those things could kill me in an instant without breaking a sweat. The idea of going after one with my bow and arrow was preposterous now that I was so close. How was I supposed to take one down with something so small?
It was dim, but I could see each individual scale, the three-foot-long talons at the end of each toe, the sharpness of the fangs when it opened its mouth slightly.
I took a deep breath. I needed to keep calm. Freaking out wouldn't accomplish anything, even if that was really all I wanted to do.
I took another deep breath and let it out. I needed to see what they wanted.
Hopefully it wasn't a fresh, barbecued meal.
Chapter Seven
The dragon in front of us straightened and lifted its head.
It was a little brighter here, so I could just make out that he or she was probably a golden color. The others arranged around us in a circle also seemed to be various shades of gold, though none of them seemed to be quite as brilliant a gold as the first. At least as far as I could tell in this lighting. For all I knew they weren't gold at all but silver.
Not that any of that really mattered at this moment.
It wasn't like I was going to file a police report when I got back describing exactly what kind of dragon it was that picked up my car after I'd invaded dragon territory.
My attention returned to the dragon directly in front of us. Something about its positioning and the fact that it was slightly bigger than the rest told me that it was the one in charge.
I didn't have to wonder long.
A second later, the air around the dragon seemed to almost ripple, like heat emanating from the ground. I blinked as I watched, not knowing quite what I was seeing. It was like my eyes couldn't understand so they didn't see it.
Somehow, between one moment and the next, the massive dragon shape shrunk down into a much smaller one.
A humanoid one. Though small was a relative term.
Yes, the man was much smaller than his dragon form. But he looked to be well above six feet tall, closer to six and a half maybe. Not small by any standards.
And very naked.
As he strode forward towards the car, I took in his still-impressive shape. Broad sho
ulders narrowed into a slim waist and hips. He was carved down to pure muscle. His arms, the muscled planes of his chest, the cobblestone abs. Even his legs were thick with muscle, though not in the bodybuilding way. No, this was a man whose body was carved through actual effort. Not through steroids or hours with weights.
As he drew closer, I could make out details better. His hair was a little long, dark with light streaks that I couldn't quite make out the color of. His face was...masculine. That was the first word that came to mind. Defined jaw, straight nose, high cheekbones with hollows underneath, slashes of dark brows highlighted light-colored eyes, though I wasn’t sure if they were blue or green.
There was no denying that he was a head-turner. In the city dome, women and more than a few men would probably follow him with their eyes when he walked by. As it was, I tried my best not to focus on another very naked part of him.
I guess clothes didn't stay on when they shifted. Which, intellectually, made sense. I just never expected to be faced with that fact so blatantly.
He stopped about ten feet in front of the car, his gaze locked with mine as I sat inside with Omari clutching at my arm.
I stared back, not knowing how to react. I figured silence was a safe bet.
After a moment of staring at each other, he finally opened his mouth. "Get out of the car," he said in a calm, deep voice, the bass rumble of his dragon form hinted at in the tone.
I hesitated, not knowing if I should bring Omari out with me.
"Now," he added, his jaw tight.
Okay.
"Omari," I said quietly, turning to him. "I'm going to have to get out of the car for a second. Can you stay in your seat for now?"
He lifted his head a little, his eyes glancing outside. Swallowing hard, he asked, "Can I stay with you?"
"I'll be right outside," I reassured him. "It's safer for you to stay in here while I talk to them." I cupped the side of his face and leaned down so I could see his eyes. "Okay?"
His eyes were wide as he nodded. He still looked frightened and I didn't blame him. I was frightened myself.
I opened the door and stepped outside, closing it behind myself. Practically, I didn't know if he would be much safer in the car. But it made me worry less having some kind of barrier around him.
I circled around to the front of the car and leaned back against the hood, putting myself between the guy in front of me and the car. I crossed my arms over my chest in an effort to look less terrified but I wasn’t fooling anyone.
His eyes scanned down my body, cataloging everything. The glance was swift and efficient, but I knew without a doubt that he would be able to rattle off every detail of my appearance if he had to.
"Who are you?" he asked, making no move to draw closer.
"Mia Hill." Lying would probably not be smart if he had any way to confirm my identity. I didn't know if freely offering more information would be helpful or not, so I decided to simply stick to answering what he asked.
"Mia Hill," he repeated slowly. "What are you doing in my territory, Mia Hill?" His eyes glanced passed my shoulder over to Omari in the vehicle. I stepped to the side to block his view. He raised an eyebrow at me. "With a child no less."
I had to tell them something. After running through various possibilities, I decided the truth would actually serve me the best. I hoped it would be enough.
"I run a carrier business. The job I'm working right now requires that I bring this child to his family. I took a calculated risk and thought it might be faster and safer to bring him through your territory rather than go through the longer route that would take me around you."
He let me say my piece, his eyes focused on my face. The intensity of his attention was a little unnerving. Silence stretched as he considered what I'd said. He shook his head.
"You thought it would be safer to drive through the heart of my territory with the child."
Disbelief was clear in his voice. Considering what had just happened, I couldn't blame him.
I shrugged. "Yes."
He stared at me. "Well, Mia Hill, your calculated risk was stupid," he said bluntly.
My back stiffened. Way to rub it in. Yes, maybe this wasn't ideal but that didn't mean I wanted to have my face rubbed in it. However, for once I kept my mouth shut. Escalating the situation would not be in our best interest.
When I didn't respond, the man took a step closer.
My hand automatically went to the hilt of my dagger at my side.
He raised his eyebrows at that and paused. "If I was going to kill you, you would already be dead," he pointed out bluntly. "If you try to attack me with that tiny knife, you would be dead even if you were to succeed, which you wouldn't. My skein here would take care of you right away." His eyes went back to the car behind me. "And I would rather not have that happen in front of this audience."
My eyes locked with his when they turned back to me, taking his measure. He kept his expression calm and still. I couldn't read him. But everything he'd said was true enough. I let my hand slide away from my knife. It wouldn't help me right now anyway.
He nodded slightly in acknowledgment of the move and closed the distance between us. He stopped maybe a foot and a half away from me. Close enough that I knew exactly how large and intimidating he was. He took in a deep, deliberate breath.
What was he doing?
His eyes narrowed and he took a partial step closer to me still. Right into my personal space. Leaning in he took another breath. Was he smelling me?
Not knowing what else to do, I just stood there, fighting the urge to take a step back. Hey, if all he wanted to do was smell me, I would take that over being engulfed in flames any day.
He finally moved back again, his eyes considering me.
A moment passed.
This guy was really into his dramatic silences.
I forced myself to stay still and not block him as he stepped past me and opened the door to the car. I really wanted to pull him back. He ducked his head inside, but he made no move to actually enter. After a few seconds, he straightened again.
He moved so he was standing in front of me. "My name is Ashur Jah. I am the Dragon Lord for this area. You and the child will be my guests tonight."
There was a formality in that statement that made it sound official somehow. And there was no hint of invitation in his tone. It was clearly an order.
"That's very gracious of you," I tried, carefully. "But I'm trying to make good time."
"You will stay here tonight," he repeated.
My mouth tightened as my eyes locked with his. I really didn't like being told what to do. I also wasn't stupid, despite what he might believe. Sometimes there was no choice.
"We'd love to," I said, unable to completely keep the sarcasm from my voice.
The corners of his mouth twitched. "I'm glad to hear it," he replied seriously.
He turned and gestured to someone lurking in the shadows. Or multiple someones. A man and a woman, both dressed in t-shirts and jeans, walked over. At least they weren't naked.
"Hathai and Enzi will show you to your room."
A petite woman and a wiry, dark-haired man both nodded at me. If someone had told me the day before that I was going to be experiencing dragon hospitality, I would have laughed. As it was, I couldn't find much humor in the situation.
I turned to the car, opened the door, and leaned in.
"Come on, Omari," I called out to him. "We're staying here tonight." I hoped it would be only tonight.
He scrambled across to the driver's side and latched on to me. I grunted. That was a strong grip. I stood up holding him, though I could probably let go since he was now attached with both arms and legs. He looked around for a moment, but then buried his face against my neck.
"Are they going to eat us?" he whispered.
But, apparently, it wasn't quietly enough. The Dragon Lord still heard.
"We don't eat children," Ashur said gently, amusement clear in his voice.
O
mari looked over my shoulder at him. "Promise?"
Ashur nodded. "I promise."
Omari's hold on me loosened a little. "Okay." That apparently settled things to his satisfaction.
I turned to follow our guides out of what amounted to a stage or a playing field.
Now that I wasn't so focused on Ashur, I realized we were in some kind of theater. The curved sides along the edges of the packed-earth circle hosted benches at an incline so the view would be clear to anyone sitting down, even in the back.
What did they use this place for? I puzzled over that as we neared the edge of the circle, where our guides had emerged. My neck tingled as we reached the darker shadows. I glanced back over my shoulder.
Ashur was watching us as we walked away, his gaze intense and steady.
I turned away, shivering a little. That wasn't a man I wanted to cross. No matter how gentle he seemed towards Omari, he was a predator.
And he didn't even pretend to hide it.
Chapter Eight
Hathai and Enzi led us out of the arena through part of the city that looked completely different. Each structure was so tall that I was surprised I hadn't spotted them before.
The streets were much wider than I was used to, though I supposed out here they had all the room they wanted to work with. They weren't constrained with any kind of physical boundary.
Streetlights were placed at even intervals, their soft glow lighting the way.
Something was different. It took me a moment to realize what it was. There was no delineation between the road and the sidewalk. That made me frown.
"No sidewalks?" I asked.
Enzi answered, "We rarely use cars. Wings are much more efficient."
Well, that put me in my place. Maybe driving a car right through the streets here hadn't been the best idea then. Though maybe if I'd hugged the seemingly empty ruins on the edges. Now I would never know.
There were a few people walking along the well-lit road, their eyes following us curiously. More than a couple of them lifted their noses and sniffed discreetly. I was starting to wonder if I needed a shower or something. I bent my head to my shoulder and sniffed at my shirt. Smelled okay to me. I moved Omari from one hip to the other. Carrying a sturdy six-year-old was a bit more taxing than toting a slim briefcase.
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