by Susan Illene
Still on his knees, Aidan brought his sword down onto his opponent’s neck, cutting down the side of it. Falcon winced as blood trickled down his neck. It wasn’t too deep, but it had to hurt. Aidan hauled in deep breaths as he looked down at his opponent and waited for Throm to make the call. His inner dragon purred in contentment. Perhaps the beast would give Aidan a break for a while now that he’d given them a win.
“Well done, young warrior,” Falcon said.
“I don’t need your praise.”
“No, you don’t.”
The pendragon walked up. “Finished!”
Aidan lifted his sword and struggled to his feet. Cheers went up through the crowd, the excitement palpable. As he made his way off the field, he overheard members of his clan chatting amongst each other. They remarked on his shocking win.
Numerous men clasped his arms as he passed them, giving him congratulations. A few women tried to plant kisses on his cheeks and lips, but he turned his face from them. Bloodthirsty wenches. A self-respecting female dragon made the male chase after her.
“I’m proud of you, son.” The pendragon joined him.
Aidan sent his sword back to shiggara. “What was this about, father?”
The pendragon cast him a look. There was more than a millennia of living and experience in his eyes, but he was getting too old. The skin under his eyes sagged and wrinkles lined his forehead. His hair had begun graying in the last few years, prompting him to cut it short. Once a shape-shifter dragon reached full maturity they aged very slowly. They didn’t truly begin to look old until near their end.
“I needed to know,” his father answered.
“Know what?”
They reached the clan healer—an older man with a stooped back, scraggly hair, and a long beard. He waited within a circle of seventeen gray standing stones that rose high enough Aidan couldn’t quite touch the top of them with his arm extended.
Along with the fortress, they’d crossed over from the other realm and appeared just outside the walls. The smooth-faced rock was rare and precious to the dragons for its innate powers—if one had the ability to draw from them. Less than a handful of his clan members could do it. They had a few sorcerers there who were capable, but they were kept cloistered out of sight.
“Whether or not you have what it takes to lead,” his father replied.
Aidan scowled at him. “You’ve got two other sons vying for your position. I want nothing to do with it.”
The pendragon put a hand on his shoulder. “We must think of what is best for the clan and rumor has it you were the one to lead our defenses during the last attack.”
Back to that again. “I knew what to do. That is all.”
“Which is exactly my point,” Throm said. “No one else did.”
“Good day, father.”
Aidan spun on his heels and entered the stones, leaving the pendragon to growl at him. A moment later Throm left. He’d have to return to the contest and announce the next participants. Aidan had counted on that.
“Sit,” the healer ordered.
He sank onto the grass and crossed his legs. This wasn’t the first time Aidan had visited. He usually came when his injuries were great enough it would take more than a few days to heal. Dragons recovered much more quickly than humans, but wounds such as his shoulder could take almost a week. He didn’t want Bailey concerned over him when he saw her tomorrow, especially after the way she’d behaved with the stomach wound she’d given him. She needed to focus on her training. The slayer was too soft and caring for the job she had ahead of her.
“I heard you fought well.”
“Don’t start on me, too,” Aidan said, scowling as the healer put his hands on him.
A vibration of power filled the circle and colorful sparks shot off around them.
“You’ve given us hope.”
Aidan snorted. “I have no aspirations beyond living another day.”
“If you say so.”
The pain in Aidan’s body eased. Tingles raced over him as his wounds knitted back together and his skin became whole again. There would be a price for this. He’d have to sleep soon and he wouldn’t be able to wake up for at least eighteen hours. It would leave him vulnerable. If he hadn’t needed to go out tomorrow, he might have waited for the wounds to heal naturally.
“Fortune go with you,” he healer said, removing his hands.
Aidan bowed his head. “And to you.”
He exited the circle of stones to find his eldest brother waiting for him. The muscles in his neck bulged and his eyes were filled with rage. Aidan suspected this might happen. It was one of the reasons he’d wanted to avoid the contest in the first place.
“That was quite a show you put on out there,” Zoran said, crossing his arms.
Aidan stopped before him, ignoring the beast inside who begged for another fight. “What has you so angry, brother?”
“You. No one beats Falcon, and you shouldn’t have, either.”
“I’m sure it was only luck.” Aidan shrugged. “Next time I’ll likely lose.”
Zoran took a step forward and put a hand on his chest. “If you challenge me for father’s position, I will not go as lightly on you as Falcon did.”
They both knew the great warrior had done no such thing.
Aidan lifted his brows. “You know I have no aspirations to become the pendragon.”
He couldn’t count the number of times he’d told his brother this.
“Keep it that way,” Zoran said.
Aidan watched as his brother stomped off. The one thing he could say for him was he attacked from the front. There would be no surprises from him. But as his gaze moved toward the fortress entrance he caught sight of Ruari standing there, staring at him with a malevolence he didn’t bother to hide. A cold shiver ran down Aidan’s spine. Now that was the brother who’d attack where you least expected it.
“Come,” Phoebe said, walking up. “I’ll watch over you while you sleep.”
He nodded at his sister. “That would be appreciated.”
Chapter 22
Bailey
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Conrad leaned against the side of my truck, picking at the dirt beneath his fingernails. As usual, he wore khaki pants and a t-shirt, both of which were clean and free of wrinkles despite our living conditions. I couldn’t figure out how he was doing it and he refused to tell me.
He lifted his head and met my gaze. “You’re not going out there by yourself.”
I put my hands on my hips. “What makes you think I’m going anywhere?”
“Girl, don’t be trying to play that game with me.” He straightened. “I’m the one who has to run interference between you and the rest of the group.”
Damn, I forgot I told him my next training session with Aidan was today. It was nice having someone in on my secret, but it also meant I had to deal with his concern about what I was doing. To say he didn’t like it would be an understatement.
“You can’t come. It’ll just provoke him.”
He shrugged. “The dragon will just have to deal. Shit’s getting dangerous out there and you can’t be driving across town by yourself. If you want me to keep covering for your ass, you gotta let me ride along.”
I was tempted to shake some sense into him, but by the looks of it he wanted to do the same to me. And it wasn’t like I couldn’t see Conrad’s point of view. Driving around town was dangerous, especially after my close call with the guys shooting through the streets last time. Who knew what would have happened if they’d seen me?
“Fine.” I gave him a warning glare. “But once we get there you have to hang back. No provoking the dragon.”
He pushed off the truck. “Whatever.”
Something told me this wasn’t going to go well. Neither of us spoke as we drove through town. It was mid-afternoon and the traffic was pretty much non-existent—unless you counted the occasional crashed or burned car along the way. We passed a shopping
center with a few people dashing out of a store with armfuls of clothing in their hands. I picked up speed, wanting to get as far from them as possible.
“Damn, I never liked this part of town,” Conrad said.
I peeked up through the windshield checking for dragons—nothing but a clear blue sky and blazing sun. “We’ll be alright.”
“If you say so.” He took my gun from the console and checked the clip. “Word from some new arrivals at the library is that it’s getting bad over here.”
My fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “Just keep an eye out for trouble.”
He leaned forward. “What the hell is going on up there?”
“It looks like a row of cars blocking the road.” They were lined up bumper to bumper across all four lanes of Lindsey Street. Too perfect to be an accident and no people stood near them.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it looks like,” Conrad said, twisting around to search the area. “Fuck, let’s turn back. I’m thinking we better take a different route.”
I slowed down and spun the wheel, making a quick u-turn. No sooner had I started back the other way than a semi truck with a long trailer pulled out from a side street. It kept going until it took up the whole road, almost reaching the curb at the other end. I slammed on my brakes, stopping about a hundred feet from it. Three guys with rifles hopped out, aiming them straight at us.
“Get out of the truck, now!” one of them shouted, his voice filtering through my partially open window.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I cursed. “What do we do?”
Conrad looked back. “Turn around again.”
“What?” I gave him an incredulous look.
“Turn around. We’re going to have to break through that barricade back there.”
Had he lost his mind? “I’m not wrecking my truck.”
“Would you rather fucking die? Because that’s what’s gonna happen if we don’t get the hell out of here.” Conrad’s nostrils flared and he rushed out his next words. “Look, when I was twelve my parents got stationed at the U.S. embassy in Jordan. One of the things we were told is if you get blocked on the street by terrorists you have to get out of there or they will kill you. Better to risk dying while fleeing than just sitting around waiting for your death like an idiot.”
I stared at our attackers and had to admit Conrad was right. No way were we going to make it easy on these jackasses. Whatever they wanted—they were going to have to fight for it. I threw the truck into reverse and spun back around, peeling my tires as I went.
“Okay, how do I break through the cars?” I pushed on the gas pedal heading straight for them. Please, God, don’t let me end up doing one of those crazy flips like I’d seen in the movies.
Gun shots rang out, one of them pinging against my back bumper. Conrad and I ducked down low. With his head barely higher than the dashboard, he pointed ahead. “See where two of the cars are facing away from each other with their trunks touching?”
Another round of gunfire erupted with a couple bullets shattering my back window. I cringed as they zinged over my head. Damn. If it was the truck they wanted, there wasn’t going to be much left after they finished shooting at it.
“I see them,” I replied, peeking over the steering wheel.
“Aim for the trunks,” he yelled, trying to be heard over the cascade of bullets coming at us. “That’s the lightest part of the vehicle and the easiest place to break through.”
I pushed harder on the gas pedal and tightened my hold on the wheel. We barreled through the cars, crunching metal against metal as we spun them out of the way. Conrad hit his chin on the dashboard and cursed. I winced at the damage I must have just done to my truck but didn’t slow down. The shooting hadn’t stopped.
Conrad rubbed his chin and cast me a sideways glance. “Damn, girl. That worked better than I thought.”
A bullet hit my side mirror, breaking it. “You had doubts?”
“I knew it’d work in theory, but it’s not like I ever tried it.”
A loud pop sounded and the wheel jerked beneath my hands. I gripped it harder, fighting to keep control. “Dammit, they hit one of the tires.”
Conrad’s eyes widened and he glanced back. “Don’t stop.”
“What’s going on?” We’d reached the end of the business district and were heading into a residential area.
“They’re following us in a damn car!”
“Then shoot the bastards,” I urged. Until now I’d been more concerned with getting away than firing back, but we needed to lose those guys.
Conrad grabbed the Glock and rolled down the window. Leaning out of it, he fired a couple rounds at the car. With all the gunshots going around, my ears were ringing. I drove as straight as I could, trying not to mess up his aim. The blown tire wasn’t making it easy.
“They’re getting closer,” he yelled over his shoulder.
“Keep shooting!” My heart raced. We were in deep shit if we didn’t get rid of them. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep the truck going while driving on a rim.
Conrad popped off a couple more shots. “Got him!”
Tires screeched behind us. I glanced up at my rearview mirror, watching the car spin around sideways before running off the road into a light pole. The front end caved around it and smoke spewed from the engine. I let out a breath I hadn’t even known I was holding. The road was clear and no one else was following us.
“Keep going a little farther and we’ll find somewhere to stop,” Conrad said, settling back into his seat. He didn’t let go of the pistol.
“Okay.”
The steering wheel shook hard as I continued driving. My poor truck had taken a beating. I passed through an intersection and looked for someplace with a decent amount of cover where we could change the tire.
“Up there.” Conrad pointed. “Go to that building on the left.”
We were almost out of town. The houses and occasional businesses were spaced farther apart with thick rows of trees separating them. There weren’t a whole lot of other options for where we could stop.
I turned into the parking lot. There was a long white building made of corrugated metal with a row of closed bay doors on the side. It was an automotive place, but other than a few empty cars collecting dust it didn’t look like they were open for business.
“Do you think anyone is in there?” I asked, stopping next to the building.
Conrad dropped the magazine and loaded more bullets from the box of ammo I had in the glove box. “Give me a minute.”
“Wait…” I started to say, but it was too late.
He shut the door and headed toward the front entrance. I lost sight of him when he made it around the corner. Drumming my fingers against the steering wheel, I debated whether to follow him or stay in the truck.
As far as I could tell we’d lost our attackers and no one appeared to be around this place either, but that didn’t mean we were out of danger. Dragons or more humans could show up to cause problems. I chose to stay in the truck and keep a lookout, but I listened for any sign of him being in trouble.
One of the bay doors lifted a minute later, making me jump. Conrad popped out from under it and waved at me to pull inside. After a last check of the sky, I drove the truck through the opening into the dimly lit garage. It made good cover. It was doubtful anyone would find us in there while we fixed the tire.
As soon as I turned the vehicle off, Conrad pulled the door down more than halfway. We needed some sunlight to see while we worked, but we couldn’t risk making it too obvious we were in there.
I hopped out of the truck. Going around to the front, I found the bumper and grill dented up badly and hanging a little crooked. Around the sides and back I counted at least eight bullet holes. My back window was broken out and glass covered the backseat. I had the ridiculous urge to hug my truck and apologize for putting it through so much trauma.
“Gotta make this quick,” Conrad said, giving me a sympathetic look.
Between the two of us we had it on in less than ten minutes. The vehicle might not look that great anymore, but it was still drivable. That was what counted the most. As much as I wanted to cry over what happened, I had to remember that we’d come out of the ambush alive.
“How are you doing on gas?” Conrad asked.
I sighed. “There’s only about a quarter tank left.”
He nodded at a van parked in the next space over. “Wanna see if we can get any out of that?”
I nodded and opened my back door, pulling out a hose from under the loose glass. I’d found it while out scavenging for supplies and had cut it to a workable length. With the electricity down I had no idea how to get fuel out of the service station pumps, but living on a ranch had taught me how to siphon gas.
“Would this help?” I held the hose up.
He grinned. “That’s perfect.”
I searched for a funnel while he found a clean bucket to empty the fuel into. When we had everything in place Conrad and I looked at each other.
“I’ll do it,” I said.
He cocked his head. “You sure?”
“I’ve done it a few times. It’s no big deal.”
“Then go on with your bad self.” He gestured toward the van.
After removing the gas cap, I fed the hose inside the tank and positioned the bucket underneath. The container could hold at least five gallons. We had to hope we could get that much out. I sucked on the hose. As soon as the fuel started coming through, I quickly removed my mouth before I could get a taste of it and lowered the hose over the bucket. We watched as gasoline poured inside. It didn’t stop until two inches from the top of the rim.
“Well, it’s not a lot but at least it will keep you going a little longer.”
I nodded. We hauled the bucket over to the truck and used the funnel I’d found to pour the gasoline into my tank. Every so often one of us would glance at the bay door. We’d already been there too long. It was time to go.
We finished with the fuel and Conrad put all the supplies in the back of the truck while I swept the glass off the inside seats. How often would I have to keep stealing gas from other vehicles? The question made my chest heavy. Was that how my world would work from now on? Would I never be able to go out again without risking getting attacked by humans or dragons? Not to mention having to forage for supplies just to survive for the rest of my life.
