“We don’t know,” Roan said. “We’d have to see at the market.”
“Get off me,” the human said, trying to jerk away from Griffin, who was still checking her out.
Griffin caught her arm, holding it with the least amount of effort needed. God, she was fragile. And warm.
He breathed in, wondering how long it had been since he had scented a human.
Fuck, it made every part of him respond.
He let her go quickly as though he burned at her touch.
Perhaps he did.
“I will take her,” he said, voice booming out over the campground. “That will be your fees for one week.”
“No,” Roan said, snarling, taking another step forward. “No, I’m afraid this is where your tyranny ends, monster. There are many of us. We will fight you. We will win. And then, when we sell her, we will bring hell down on the bears who helped you reign over us until every one of them is dead.”
All of the wolves stepped closer, and Griffin stilled as he realized they were coming from behind as well.
He let out an aggrieved sigh as he straightened, cracking his neck. “Perhaps I need to remind you why you pay me.”
And then, with a roar, he unleashed dragon fire on the camp.
5
Anna
These wolves are going to sell me? I might get raped?
I’m still trying to get my mind around it as the tall redheaded asshole who thinks the world revolves around him opens his mouth and starts blowing actual fire around the campsite, lighting up the whole area like it’s daytime.
He actually laughs as he chases the wolves, blowing a stream of fire that catches on several of them, making them howl as the air fills with the scent of burnt fur.
There is screaming from the tents as wolves scatter around the clearing, most of them undecided between snarling and trying to run.
I hear a loud growl and see a wolf running toward me. I duck as it leaps toward the fire-breather, teeth bared, eyes vicious.
The tall stranger’s eyes go dark, and he blows enough fire that it’s just a white-hot pillar, burning through the wolf and turning it to ash before it can even land on the ground.
An angry snarl comes from a nearby wolf, and as it attacks and the man stops breathing fire again to punch it and knock it out, my heart is beating so hard it hurts.
Did this guy just… kill someone? I mean, these wolves are people. Or these people are wolves?
None of this was in that contract, though I suppose with risk of death and dismemberment, I shouldn’t be surprised at anything I find.
Most of all, I want to know who this jerk is that he’s enjoying himself so much while torturing others.
He laughs occasionally, chasing another group of scared wolves with a blast of fire as if he’s relishing his power over them.
Still feeling like I’m in a dream, I take a step forward because I don’t feel like I can watch anymore.
I don’t know if these people, these wolves, are bad, but I know they’re scared and I don’t think they could possibly deserve this.
I grab his sleeve, bracing myself for the inevitable burst of fire that might hit me. “Stop it.”
To my surprise, he does stop, turning to me with wide eyes and giving me a better look at his face, illuminated by everything that’s burning in the clearing.
I drop his sleeve as I realize he’s handsome.
Really handsome. As in, if he hadn’t been blowing fire like an asshole and I wasn’t clearly in some kind of fever dream, I would want to look at that face for a long time.
His lips curve up. “That can be arranged.”
“What can be arranged?”
“No one told you? Dragons can read thoughts. You think I’m hot.”
I blink in shock at the modern way he speaks and look slowly down his body to see he is wearing modern clothing. Jeans, work boots, and some kind of sporting jacket with a team logo I would know if I actually watched sports.
His hair looks reddish, and it’s short and tousled, a few inches long on the top and shorter on the sides.
His blue-gray eyes seem friendly but cold at the same time.
Looking over his massive build, I think what a shame it is that he’s such an asshole.
His eyes narrow, long lashes darkening the color of his irises. “I’m not an asshole.”
“Yes, you are,” I say, jabbing him in the chest. For some reason, I’m not afraid of him the way everyone else is. “You are frightening these wolves on purpose. You killed one of them.”
“They can regenerate,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Not the one you incinerated.”
“He was trying to kill me. And besides, every one of these wolves was fine with selling you off for their own skin.”
“They aren’t that bad,” I say. “They’re just afraid of you.”
He folds his arms, and I gulp, realizing he is massive. It’s not just that he’s six and a half feet tall. He also has the bulk of a body builder, except more natural-looking. “They should be afraid of me. I’m in charge in this region.”
“And who made you that way?” I ask, jabbing him in the chest again, trying not to think about how firm it feels. How much pec there is. “Who decided such a big bully would be in charge?”
He eyes the wolves, who are regrouping and prowling toward us once again. “So you want me to leave you with them?”
I glance at the wolves, then at the cart on the edge of the camp, piled high with cages. The hair on the back of my neck rises. “No.”
The stranger looks smug now as he stares down at me. “But aren’t you the expert on who is bad or not? Wouldn’t you prefer to stay with them?” He scents the air. “Damn, you really are a human. What are you doing here anyway?”
Without looking, he throws a fist back to knock away a wolf who had just lunged at us.
I gape at him, wondering at the ease with which he dispatches huge, terrifying creatures. Still, they are only trying to defend their home.
“Bullshit,” he says, reading my mind again. “They aren’t trying to defend their home. They are trying to get me out of the way so they can get to you. Because you, sweetheart, are not supposed to be in our world. It’s not safe here.”
I swallow because I don’t care what he says. Being here is my decision. And it’s not like the world I came from is that safe anyway.
People can die in front of you any day.
“You can talk,” he says. “I’m getting a little tired of reading your thoughts.”
I put a hand to my head as he turns and punches another wolf out. “I don’t get how reading my thoughts is possible. I don’t get how any of this is possible. I was just supposed to come here and find Griffin and—”
He freezes. “Griffin?”
“Yes,” I say. “He’s a dragon. A good one. Do you know him?”
“No,” he says softly. “I don’t know of any good dragons here.”
I frown. “You don’t?”
“No,” he says, punching another wolf behind him as he takes a step toward me, making me step back. “Good dragons don’t end up here. The only creatures here are as bad as it gets. Banished in groups or as families or all alone, like me. This isn’t a good place, and there’s no one you can trust here. You should just go back home.”
I take a deep breath, thinking about the foggy place where I woke up. The journey on the cart. The fact that I have no idea where I am and no idea how to do what I came here for. “I can’t.”
He swears under his breath. “We can’t talk here. Fuck it.” He turns and blows fire, but this time it’s clear he means only to move the wolves back, not burn them. They scatter but regroup quickly, and my heart increases in pace. “I’ll take you with me and sell you myself.”
I gasp at his words as he grabs my wrist, yanking me in against him. I struggle, kicking out and trying to bite his hand, but he simply gives me a look of confusion and wraps one arm around me like an iron ba
nd, trapping me and stifling my efforts.
“Be still, human. I’m going to cloak.”
Cloak? What? I’m still trying to fight back as I feel my feet leave the ground, and then wind surrounds us as I realize I can’t see my own feet. Or the man carrying me.
I can hear the beating of wings just as the arm releases me and I fall back to the ground in terror.
Just before I land, I feel cold, hard talons wrap around me, carrying me into the air. Above me is a giant, invisible creature, carrying us into the sky, keeping us from being seen.
I did manage to find a dragon. It’s just too bad I found the wrong one.
Flying through the clouds under a full moon the color of wine is the most surreal moment I’ve had in a very weird day.
I know I’ve just been kidnapped and that the creature carrying me is dangerous enough to scare even other kidnappers, but for some reason, I feel peace and even exhilaration as we fly over the clouds, little mountaintops poking through the fog and getting taller as we get closer to our destination.
When it’s clear we are headed toward a certain peak, we begin to get lower in the sky. When we pass through the fog, I hold my breath, and when we clear it, I see a beautiful forest below, as far as the eye can see.
As we fly farther, the trees part and I see a clearing in a level spot on the mountain, with little buildings in a circle amongst the pines.
It seems to be much more civilized than the wolves’ camp.
“Don’t count on it,” the dragon beneath me utters, and his voice is like the rumbling of an earthquake, shaking me to my core.
Oh my God, I’m being carried by an actual mythical creature.
“Don’t trust anyone but me. Don’t leave my sight,” he says. “And quit thinking at me. I’m not used to it.”
“What?”
“There aren’t a lot of beings who… think… a lot here. Most creatures here act on pure instinct. That’s what got them here in the first place.”
“What got you here?” I ask as he circles, preparing to land.
Down below, people are coming out of the cabins and looking up at him, raising their hands. They look like typical mountain people, with flannel shirts and jeans and work boots.
Definitely more civilized than the wolves.
“What got me here is none of your business,” the dragon says, flapping his wings in place as he begins to land.
Dust and dirt and dried pine needles fly out of the way as he hits the ground with a thump after dropping me clumsily from his talons.
I roll on my back and look up, hoping to see him, but he’s already back in his human form, his hands thrust cockily into his pockets as he walks toward the people running his way.
Several of them run up to hug him, particularly the younger women, and he’s gentle, patting them on the back with one hand while exchanging heartier hugs with the men.
Everyone here must be huge, because even with his height and size, he doesn’t dwarf them.
“Who is that?” One of the women pins me with a glare, folding her arms.
“Ah,” the dragon says. “She was their captive. Apparently, a very desirable commodity on the slave market.”
“Not a bear,” the woman says, sniffing the air. “Make sure and get rid of her.”
“I will,” the dragon says. “And by the way, don’t mark down the mud wolves as paid yet. I couldn’t collect because of… complications.”
This earns me another glare from the woman, who then puts her arm through one of the men’s and stomps away.
“Sorry about that,” the dragon says. Then he glares, peering down at me. “No. No, I’m not sorry. I still don’t understand why you’re here or why you stopped me from fighting back there or what on earth you want from the dragon you’re seeking.”
“I just… I’m doing someone a favor,” I say, putting a hand over my stomach as I realize I’m hungry.
His eyes flick down to my hand, and then he snorts. “Tell me not to read your mind.”
“Why?”
“Because then I won’t hear you,” he says quietly. “I don’t want to hear you at all.”
“Don’t read my mind,” I say quickly. As if I would want him to.
He sags in visible relief. “Good. I don’t do well with feelings. I don’t want to hear about them. Whatever motivated you to do this, whatever favor you are doing, it doesn’t matter to me. All that matters is what you can offer me.”
He starts walking in the direction of one of the cabins and turns back to glare at me when I don’t follow.
I hurry to catch up with him, trying not to stumble on the pine needles and dirt beneath us.
“What is this place?” I ask, looking around me. Cold faces stare from every direction, as most of the people haven’t gone back inside yet and seem to hate me instinctively.
“Hell,” he says, jerking open the door to his cabin. “Or the closest thing to it.”
“I mean, your clothes are modern,” I say. “So how did you end up here?”
“I told you none of your business,” he says. “Now, you want something to eat?”
I frown, wondering if I can trust him.
“I’m not going to poison you,” he says.
“I thought you couldn’t read my mind anymore,” I retort.
“I don’t need to read your mind to know what it means when you scowl at me. You’re so goddamn transparent.”
“And you’re rude,” I say. “Though, I’m glad you rescued me. If that’s what you did.”
He gives a lazy shrug as he opens a small, white appliance and pulls something out.
“You have a fridge?” I say.
“I trade with the high wolves sometimes,” he says. “They’ve been more successful at smuggling human luxuries into this world.” He hands me what looks like a crude ham sandwich, and I eye it skeptically.
“It’s just bologna,” he says. “Got that from the wolves as well.” He stands and stretches, then goes over to a dresser and pulls his shirt over his head, tossing it to the side.
My eyes widen as I see the scars crisscrossing his back.
He turns to scowl at me once more, hands on his slim hips. His Ken doll lines are deep, cut so hard I want to run my fingers down them.
My eyes roam up to perfect abdominals, rippling in the low light of the lamp that is glowing in the corner.
“You shouldn’t leave that on at all times,” I say. “It could burn something down.”
“My pack would watch out for me.”
“Your pack?”
“The bears here,” he says. “They aren’t officially a pack, and they were too awful to make peace in the human world, but they accepted me when I came here. They’re my family now.”
“They hate me,” I say.
“They don’t understand you,” he says. “And here, it’s safer to hate anyone than understand them.”
I decide my sandwich is to be trusted and take a big bite of it as I sit down on the edge of the bed.
Aside from some cupboards, the fridge, and a dresser, there isn’t much in the room.
He must not spend much time here.
He lets out a grunt as I sit on his bed, but when I go to stand, he waves his hand dismissively. “It’s fine.”
I start to grin but stop at his next words.
“You won’t be here long, after all.”
I lower the sandwich in my lap, ignoring my growling stomach. “Because you’re going to sell me?”
“I haven’t decided,” he says, resting an arm against the wall and leaning in thoughtfully.
He looks tired.
“You still haven’t told me your name yet,” I say, taking another bite of the sandwich. “Mine’s Anna.”
He stares at me for a moment, and the lamplight casts shadows under his perfect features. Deep-set eyes, long, straight nose. Hard jaw that’s just a little too stubborn. Full lips that could advertise anything someone wanted to put their mouth on.
“Red,�
�� he says. “My name is Red.”
“Gotcha,” I say.
“Who did you say sent you again?” Red asks.
“I didn’t say,” I retort, finishing up my sandwich. I’m not sure I should tell anyone but Griffin.
He puts a hand over his face, taking a deep breath and releasing it in a sigh before looking at me with aggravated eyes. “Whoever it was, they must have been trying to kill you. They didn’t prepare you at all.”
“They said I was supposed to not know anything. That was part of it.”
Red sighs and then his eyes light up for a moment. I realize that the edges of his irises are dark blue and the next part is silvery-gray.
Whatever he’s thinking right now, it’s making him feel a mix of emotions, making a muscle tick at the side of his jaw.
He turns away abruptly, putting his hand on the door handle as his shoulders sag. “No, it wouldn’t be possible.” He sends me a tired glance. “I’m going out. Lock the door behind me.”
And just like that, his wide shoulders disappear through the door and he’s gone.
6
I flop back on the bed, hands behind my head, and wonder if it’s truly safe to sleep or not.
I’m tired, and my head still aches a bit from being knocked out, but I’m puzzled by the way Red looked at me, almost stricken, before he left.
I wish I could read minds right now.
I stare at the ceiling, at the roughhewn wood, and listen to the sounds of people chatting outside.
Bears. Wolves. Oh my God, I didn’t know things like that existed.
I can hear other sounds, like the howls of animals I don’t recognize and the hoots of what must be owls.
The forest is also rustling in the wind, creaking and crackling as the trees bend.
All in all, it’s a peaceful moment compared to what has happened so far.
And it’s a relief, if I’m honest, that at least Lee will be paying the bills back home so I don’t have to—
A face appears though the ceiling, slowly floating closer, and I scream, scrabbling off the bed and running for the doorway.
Bad Dragons: Special Edition Complete Series Page 4
