Melanie took out Tristan’s cell phone and dialed Samira’s number. Her friend answered on the second ring. After arranging for Samira to come get her, Melanie hung up the phone, put on her jeans, socks, and shoes, and sat down on a nearby boulder.
Now, all she could do was wait.
Chapter Two
Forty-five minutes later, Tristan and two of his clan members were on their way to where Miles had last been seen, according to the boy’s friends.
Two of Stonefire’s Protectors, Kai and Zain, flew on either side of him. The clan’s highly skilled Protectors were tasked with getting Miles out alive, but it was Tristan’s job to make sure the boy’s inner dragon could be contained and brought under control.
Or, if worse came to worse, to try to coax Miles’ inner dragon enough to ensure the boy didn’t try to commit suicide. That was always a possibility when a young dragon-shifter was pushed to emotional and physical boundaries. Not that the dragon hunters would care.
Normally, Ella, a fellow teacher, would be the one to go and wrestle or soothe the teenager’s inner beast since she had been his teacher for far longer than Tristan had. But the female dragon-shifter was two months pregnant and she’d decided to avoid angering her mate by sitting this one out.
Not that he could blame her. A male dragon-shifter with a pregnant mate was not something you messed with. He was fast learning that himself.
Tristan’s wings missed a beat at that thought. Since when had he started to think of Melanie as his mate? Her being unafraid and accepting his dragon-form was doing strange things to his mind.
If there had ever been a way for her to convince him that she wasn’t like other humans, it would be for her to caress his hide while in dragon-form. If that hadn’t been enough, she’d then gone and kissed him on the snout.
His dragon-half still hummed at the feeling of her lips against their hide. His inner beast was content to let his human-form take care of their female sexually, but his dragon liked the odd caress or two. Especially since she wasn’t afraid of them. Next time, his dragon wanted to lie down and have her lean against him, or maybe have her stroke the ridge of his wing. Yes, that would feel good. Maybe she would even scratch behind their ears. Dragonhide could be itchy.
Tristan pushed his dragon back before he started thinking of every way he wanted their female to pet him. His beast was clearly smitten.
Thankfully, the rock formation designating their target destination came into view, and Tristan put all thoughts of Melanie aside. If he didn’t concentrate one-hundred percent on this rescue, the teenage dragon-shifter might die.
No. He wasn’t about to let that happen.
Per their agreed upon plan, Tristan fell back to allow the two Protectors to the front of their formation as they landed in the clearing near their craggy landmark. Kai nodded to Zain and then shifted from his blue dragon form back into a tall blond-haired, blue-eyed human.
Then Kai jogged to the far side of the clearing and disappeared behind a series of tall rock formations where the two teenagers should be waiting for them.
Both Tristan and Zain remained alert, but Tristan neither scented any threats nor heard anything unusual. Glancing at the bronze dragon sharing the clearing with him, Zain was standing on all four legs with his wings slightly extended, but he was relaxed and not tensed to pounce. The other dragon didn’t sense a threat either.
A few minutes later, Kai reappeared with two rather scared looking teenage males.
The Protector ushered the two boys toward where Tristan and Zain were waiting in their dragon forms. Once they were about a half-dozen feet away, Kai said, “Okay, lads, tell them what you told me.”
One of the teenagers, the one with dark skin and a closely shaved head, darted a glance to Kai and then said, “W−we didn’t mean for this to happen. It was just a dare, you see. But Miles wanted to prove he was just as fierce as one of the Protectors. So we set him a challenge—to bring back something with the Carlisle dragon hunters’ logo on it.”
The Carlisle dragon hunters?
Bloody fantastic. The dragon hunters divided themselves into groups that were the equivalent of a cross between a gang and a motorcycle club, and the Carlisle branch were some of the nastiest and most brutal dragon hunters in the United Kingdom. Maybe even in all of Western Europe.
Provided the boy was still alive, getting him out was going to take some finesse. Luckily, Kai and Zain were the top tier of security for Stonefire and knew a thing or two about getting in and out of dangerous places undetected. Like most other dragon-shifter Protectors, they had spent some time helping out the human military in their early twenties. In exchange, the British military helped to keep the dragon hunters at bay.
Well, at least most of the time.
Eyeing the two teenage boys, Tristan decided to let out a soft growl for good measure, and they cringed a little. Good. Maybe they wouldn’t pull this stupid shit again.
Kai said to the boys, “You two are going to stay here while we fetch Miles. If you don’t hear from us in the next two hours, you call someone else. Don’t try to run off on your own. Understood?”
The two boys nodded and Kai looked up at Zain and Tristan. “The boys hadn’t mentioned it was the Carlisle group when they phoned earlier. Our previous plan won’t work.” Kai’s light blue gaze moved to him. “Time is of the essence when dealing with the Carlisle hunters and we can’t afford to wait for back-up. Instead of hanging back until we bring the boy to you, you’re going to have to fly in with us to rescue him. Are you up for it?”
Tristan lacked the special ops-like training of any of the Stonefire Protectors, but even so, neither his human-half nor his dragon-half would abandon a young to the Carlisle dragon hunters.
He nodded and Kai said, “Good. Here’s what we’re going to do...”
He listened and hoped he could pull this off. The alternative was him dying and abandoning Melanie and their child for good.
And he sure as hell wasn’t about to let that happen.
~~~
Melanie was sitting inside Samira and Liam’s cottage, reading a book to Samira’s son, Rhys, when a loud sound that could only be called an ear-splitting moan rent the air. Rhys jumped at the cry before cuddling against her chest. The boy was shaking.
As she made soothing sounds and stroked the boy’s back, his actions told her that the moan wasn’t an everyday sound around Stonefire. She hated not knowing what it meant.
Samira rushed into the room and Mel pounced on the chance to ask her, “What the hell was that?”
Her friend looked worried. “A dragon’s been hurt.”
Her heart skipped a beat as dread pooled in the pit of her stomach. If it was Tristan that had been hurt...
Stop it. She had no idea if it had been Tristan’s cry she’d heard or another dragon’s. There was no reason to get upset for nothing.
Forcing her voice to remain steady, she asked the all-important question, “Do you know who made that sound?”
Shaking her head, Samira came over to lift Rhys off Melanie’s lap. “No, and I can’t leave Rhys or risk taking him with me if there is indeed a wounded dragon. I hate not knowing who it is. Can you go check it out?”
The fact Samira had asked her to go check meant the world to Melanie because sitting around and fidgeting while her man was out doing something dangerous was not her style.
Of course, she still didn’t know everything about Stonefire yet and she wasn’t about to go out blind. She asked, “How do you know that was a wounded dragon?”
Samira cuddled her son close and her expression went grim. “Believe me, once you hear that sound, you never forget it. A dragon only cries that way when they’re close to dying.”
The eerie moan sounded off in the distance again and Melanie agreed. The pain and anguish in that cry was something she hoped never to hear again.
What if it was Tristan’s cry? No. She wouldn’t allow herself to worry. She’d managed to hope for the best with he
r brother and she could certainly do the same for her dragonman.
Mel stood up. “Where should I go to see what’s happening? And is there anything in particular I should know about approaching a wounded dragon?”
Samira studied her a second and then said, “If it’s an unknown dragon-shifter, then keep your distance. Often when dragons are wounded, their dragon-halves come to the forefront and are unpredictable, just like a wild animal would act if it was hurt.”
“Check. Stay away from the sharp teeth and claws.” Mel was just about to turn and get her things when she decided to stop being a coward and ask what was on her mind. She couldn’t rule out Tristan completely, and no matter what she found out, it was best to be prepared. If the heart-wrenching cry was indeed her dragon-shifter’s, she would need to act fast on arrival.
No matter what it took, if Tristan was hurt, she would find a way to save him. He was too stubborn to die.
She clenched and released her fists to help ease her pent-up worry. Then she took one last fortifying breath and spit out, “And if it’s Tristan? What can I do then?”
“For your sake, I hope it’s not Tristan. If it is, you more than anyone have a chance at calming him down enough to let the healers do their work.”
“Because of our child?”
“No. Because his dragon is attached to you. Talk to him and try to find a way to let him sniff your skin, and the dragon should calm down. Hurting you would destroy both halves of Tristan.”
While she didn’t want to admit it, this wasn’t the time to rule out all possibilities. She whispered, “And what if I can’t find a way to calm him down?”
Sadness flashed in Samira’s eyes. “Then Tristan might die. For all that dragon-shifters are powerful creatures, when they’re injured and their human-halves lose control, it’s hard to heal them. That’s the single biggest cause of dragon deaths apart from old age.”
“Talk about pressure.”
Samira gave a weak smile. “It may not be him, so don’t stress yourself out beforehand. It’s not good for the baby.”
For a second, Melanie had forgotten about her baby. But no matter what, if it was Tristan, she would find a way to help him, pregnant or not. She didn’t want to live without him.
Wait a second, where had that come from? She barely knew the man.
Stop lying to yourself. Between the instant he’d allowed her to see him shift to when she’d kissed his long dragon snout, she’d realized that she could never be with anyone else. Tristan was hers, and she would fight for him if she had to.
“I’ll be as careful as I can, but I won’t abandon him, Samira. I can’t do it.”
Her friend shifted her son to her other arm. “I hope Tristan realizes what he has in you.”
I hope so too. But she didn’t want to have that discussion right now. She needed to find out which dragon was injured, and stat. “Where will they take the hurt dragon?”
“There’s an emergency surgery next to the main landing area. The dragon would be there.”
Another moan pierced the air, shooting straight to her heart. She couldn’t afford to waste any more time, so Mel nodded. “Right. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
She then turned to grab her cell phone and exited the door just as another cry pierced the air. If one sound could ever encompass the epitome of pain, the anguished dragon’s cry was it.
~~~
Twenty minutes later, Mel approached the main landing area and couldn’t believe how many people were standing near but not too close to it. She hoped it was for support rather than as a spectacle. Dragons were too big to have any sort of privacy when hurt, and she might not be a doctor, but surely the stress of so many nearby couldn’t be good for a dragon moaning in pain.
Still, as she looked around the crowd, maybe one of them knew who was hurt. Otherwise it was going to take some creative ideas to get through the throng of tall, strong-ass dragon-shifters.
She’d had about a fifty-fifty success rate when it came to meeting friendly dragon-shifters during her time here. However, she wasn’t about to let that deter her. Tristan might need her.
Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath for confidence. What’s the worst they could do? Call her a whore again?
She went to the nearest female and asked, “Who’s been hurt?”
The dragonwoman turned and stared down at her with her piercing brown eyes, her expression unreadable. The woman may tower over her, but Mel wasn’t going to be intimidated. Especially not when Tristan’s life could be at stake.
The woman finally gave a sad smile and Mel’s stomach dropped as the dragonwoman said, “You are quite the brave one, human. Normally, I’d like to see what else you’re made of before giving out information, but I’ll make an exception in this case.” She gestured toward the landing area. “Go. Your Tristan is dying.”
Her heart skipped a beat. No. It couldn’t be true. Tristan was strong and brave, to an unbelievable alpha degree. He couldn’t be dying.
Mel turned toward the crowd. She’d just have to find him and convince his stubborn ass to fight for his life.
She searched out a path to the landing area and for once wished she had wings so she could fly over all these people. However, before she could ask anyone to move out of the way, the woman behind her yelled something in the dragon language. All eyes went to Melanie. Gone were the looks of contempt, disgust, or curiosity. Instead, they were now eyeing her with varying degrees of sadness and pity.
That definitely wasn’t good news.
Tears threatened to fall, but she forced them back. Get it together, Hall. You can’t help him if you turn into a blubbery mess.
As a path magically cleared for her, she kept her head high as she half-ran, half-jogged toward the landing area. She wasn’t in the best shape, but she ignored the shortness of her breath and kept up her pace. She wasn’t about to let a little thing like being overweight stop her from reaching her man.
Besides, Bram hadn’t tried to contact her, and if Tristan were truly dying, he would have.
For now, she had to believe that rumors about her dragonman were inflated. After all, gossip tended to do that to the truth.
She only hoped that was the case this time because if Tristan was dying, she might not be able to keep herself together. She’d not only start crying, but her heart would break. Not just because her baby would be without a father, but also because she would miss the odd combination of his grumpiness and his tenderness.
Please, Tristan, hold on for me. I’m coming.
Chapter Three
Pain. Blood. Death.
Those three words repeated themselves over and over inside Tristan and his dragon’s head. Tristan’s human-half was weak, and the dragon-half had taken control, which meant his beast had fallen back on instinct.
The human part of him was vaguely aware of the other dragon-shifters trying to help him, but his dragon-half was snarling and whooshing its tail through the air to keep everyone away. They would pounce on his weakness. They would kill him. He must keep them away.
No, they want to help us, he shouted at his beast. But his words fell on deaf ears.
He tried to muster the strength necessary to push his dragon back, but none of the tricks every dragon-shifter learned as a child had any affect on his beast’s pain-induced rage. Not even Tristan’s stubbornness was working. Due to the gaping, bleeding wounds on his chest and shoulders, Tristan’s usual inner strength was all but gone.
Yet if he couldn’t get control of his dragon, he would die.
All of the sudden, an image of Melanie naked in the grass, her gorgeous, pale curves on display and her eyes full of stubbornness, came into his mind. In his vision, she was rubbing her clit and beckoning him to thrust his long, hard cock inside her.
It was strange the things that came into your mind when you thought you were dying.
But then remembering Melanie also brought back the fact he might never see his child.
He tried to use the loss of Melanie and their baby as a way to garner the dragon-half’s attention, and for a second, he stilled. Then his beast’s pain-induced fit started up again and Tristan mentally let out a frustrated sigh.
If only he could see Melanie one last time. Maybe then he could find the strength to push his inner beast back and have a chance to survive. Not just for their baby, but for her as well. In this moment he wasn’t about to lie to himself. He cared for his little human.
However, she had no way of knowing he was injured, and even if she did, it was nearly too late. If he didn’t receive the attention he needed within the next thirty minutes, he would die.
Even then, survival wasn’t guaranteed.
Another group of healers approached him. His dragon snarled at them and then knocked two of the dragon-shifters flat on their arses with his tail. Three more dragon-shifters tried to approach him from a different direction, but Tristan knew their chances of success weren’t going to be any better; a dragon in pain would use up any and all strength to keep away perceived threats.
Before his three clan members were close enough to swat away, his dragon moaned into the air again. The constant, throbbing pain confused the beast. He wanted it to stop.
Even in the midst of his frustration with his dragon, he couldn’t help but try to send soothing thoughts.
Then all of the sudden the healers turned and ran toward an oncoming figure. If his dragon would only stretch its neck, Tristan could see who had come. If not Melanie, then he hoped Bram. His clan leader had a better chance at helping him than the current group of nearby dragon-shifters in the landing area.
But with the other dragon-shifters gone, there was no threat and his dragon laid his head down on the ground and struggled to stay awake. Sleep would bring relief. The pain would vanish. He could make it stop.
Stay awake, dragon. Tristan knew that as soon as his dragon fell asleep, that would be it. He wouldn’t wake up again.
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part Four Page 2
