by Susan Illene
“Honey.” A guy farther away spit on the floor. “You wouldn’t have come here alone if you didn’t want a little action. And that sword you got there? That ain’t gonna do you much good against us.”
Not if I didn’t want to kill them, but I’d pull my blade if I didn’t see another option. I stepped a little farther to the side, continuing to direct the men and their firearms away from where my friends hid. Conrad knew better than to reveal his presence unless I went down. His priority was to protect Trish at all costs and get her to safety.
The man with the rifle narrowed his eyes; his barrel still pointed at my chest. “Are you really alone?”
I mulled over what good excuse a woman might have for going out alone with things as dangerous as they were these days. It had to be plausible, or they’d never believe me.
“Just here for some tampons,” I said, cringing and pretending to be scared, which wasn’t far from the truth. Things were starting to get good in my life. Aidan and I were living together, and his pendragon was even condoning our relationship—if reluctantly. These past couple of weeks had been amazing. But I also had to think about Trish. If I went down, these men could find her and Conrad next.
Someone snickered. “That figures.”
“You ain’t too bad lookin’,” the man with the rifle said, lowering his weapon to reach a hand out toward me. Apparently, my fictitious menstrual cycle didn’t scare him at all. “A little scrawny, but I could make do.”
As soon as he grabbed my arm, I exploded into action and kicked him in the groin hard. He bowled over, and I grabbed his head, smashing it into my knee. His nose crunched. Grabbing his rifle from his slackening fingers, I used the butt stock to crack him in the skull. He hit the floor with a thump, and I went for the next guy, striking him in the face, throat, and stomach with his friend’s weapon. He was so shocked he didn’t put up much of a fight and went down fast, but the third swung out to punch me. I ducked and came up with the rifle, swinging it at him. The barrel struck him in the throat so hard it sent him flying. He landed on his butt about ten feet away, gurgling as he struggled for air.
A gunshot rang out and pain exploded in my ribs. Before I could turn toward the shooter, another round went off, nailing me in the side. I jerked, swaying on my feet and trying not to fall. The bullets were hitting the camrium uniform, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel the impact like a sledgehammer smashing into my body. His partner fired next from another direction, and that bullet hit me square in the chest. I flew backward, crashing into a lone shopping cart. It toppled over with a loud clang, and I slumped to the floor in a haze of blinding agony.
Dear God, everything hurt. Pain clouded my vision as the two men moved to hover over me. They stared like I was an insect to be studied, running their gazes up and down my body.
“She don’t look dead,” the one on the right said.
“Nope, and I don’t see no blood. How in the hell did she survive the bullets? I know we hit her.”
I struggled to draw in a breath, suspecting at least a couple of my ribs had been cracked or broken. Camrium wasn’t as thick as bulletproof vests, so while it could stop penetration, it didn’t provide much of a buffer. Somehow I had to get my blade or pistol out. There was no way I could keep sitting there doing nothing no matter how much pain I felt.
“Do you think shootin’ her in the head will do the job?” one of the guys asked.
The other one waved his pistol around. “Damned if I know. Ain’t never seen anyone survive that many rounds bein’ fired directly at ‘em. Ever since those damn dragons showed up, all sorts of weird shit’s been happenin’ around here.”
Slowly, I edged my hand toward the knife strapped to my side. If I could get that, then I might have a fighting chance. The guys were too busy talking to each other to notice what I was doing. I just had to keep my movements slow and easy.
The store doors crashed open, and a second group of men came stomping in with their firearms raised. Oh, for the love of God. Could I not catch a break? Through my swimming vision, I was fairly certain there were at least five or six of them. They were a stocky group, and every one of them wore leather vests and steel-toe boots.
“What’s goin’ on here?” the lead man asked.
I closed my eyes, relieved to recognize the biker’s voice.
“This ain’t none of your business,” one of my attackers said. “This little girl took down three of us before we stopped her.” He pointed his pistol at my head. “She ain’t gonna live after hurtin’ my friends.”
“The hell you are,” the biker said.
I’d rescued his friend Larry’s son when the young boy had been taken by a dragon a few months back. Though the gang and I hadn’t hit it off well at first, there’d been respect in their eyes once I got the kid back to them. Sometimes I saw the bikers around town, but I hadn’t talked to any of them since then.
My attacker turned his rifle on the new arrivals. “What’s it to you if we kill her?”
“That woman there,” the biker boss said. “She’s a dragon slayer who has been killin’ the beasts, and she rescued my partner’s kid when he got taken by them. Half this town is in debt to her for saving them at one time or another. You kill her, and you’re dead, too.”
The attacker with the pistol gestured at me. “This girl fights dragons?”
“She just took down three of your men, didn’t she?” The boss gestured toward the guys laid flat out on the floor, still unconscious. “Ain’t no girl her size could take down three armed men unless she was somethin’ different, and by the looks of it, she survived you shootin’ at her on top of all that.”
I was willing to bet it was the gunshots that had drawn the biker crew’s attention.
“Still can’t believe it.” The man with the pistol shook his head.
“If you wanna live, I suggest you and your friend get your guys out of here right now before I decide you’re more trouble than you’re worth.” The boss gave him a hard look. “In fact, you’ve got sixty seconds before I start shootin’.”
My two attackers glanced at each other nervously.
“Less than that, Jack, if they don’t get movin’ right now,” Larry said to his boss.
Six bikers—if my blurry vision was to be trusted—aimed their guns at the men. They finally got the point and hurried to their fallen partners in crime. Only one of the guys I’d knocked out could be awakened. They had to carry the other two out while my biker allies watched, not letting their guard down for a second.
Gritting my teeth against the pain, I started to get up.
Larry came dashing forward to give me a hand. “I’ve been hopin’ we could return the favor sometime.”
“Thanks,” I said, grunting as I stood. “But I had it under control.”
He held my arm until I was steady on my feet. “Yeah, I could see that.”
The other bikers followed my attackers out the door, making certain they really left before returning to me. Jack—the leader—gave me a good once-over, as though checking for injuries. “You alright?”
“I’ll live.” I gripped my side. “Just a cracked rib or two from where the bullets struck.”
“I’m guessin’ that stuff is like armor?” he asked, gesturing toward my camrium top. It covered most of my torso in a tight fit, lacing at the back, but only had straps to hold it up.
I nodded. “Yeah. Bullets can’t penetrate the material.”
“She’s lucky she didn’t get shot in the head or shoulder,” Conrad said, walking toward us with Trish at his side. He’d met the bikers before as well and knew they weren’t a threat to us.
Larry lifted a brow. “What are you guys doin’ here? We didn’t expect to see anyone out after the attack this morning.”
“The shifters put out more patrols, so we figured we’d be okay,” I explained.
“And nothing is going to stop us from Christmas shopping.” Trish rubbed her stomach. “Or picking up things for the baby.”
<
br /> Every one of the bikers zeroed in on her belly, then Jack looked at me. “That’s why you took those guys on by yourself. To keep them away from her?”
I shrugged. “There weren’t a lot of other options.”
“Tell you what.” He adjusted his belt where he had several weapons strapped. “We’re gonna escort you for the rest of your shopping trip and make sure you get home safe. A woman expectin’ a baby in this kinda world deserves all the protection she can get.”
As much as it stung my pride that I’d almost failed Trish, and though I didn’t like to think I needed help, I could hardly refuse. Plus I doubted anyone would mess with us as long as we had six bikers at our sides. It would be stupid to pass up their offer.
“If you guys don’t mind, I’d appreciate it,” I said.
Larry gestured at the cart Trish and Conrad had pushed up. “How about we start by loadin’ that stuff up in your truck?”
Trish cocked her head, a scheming look coming over her eyes. “Think you guys could help me grab a few more things before we go?”
Not even a shootout would stop that woman from getting her baby formula.
“Anything you need,” the boss said, giving her his arm.
Conrad snorted. “He never should have said that.”
Chapter 4
Aidan
Aidan flew southeast over forests of trees, farmhouses, and pastures with cows and horses grazing on dry winter grass. Lake Thunderbird sat to the north, a large body of water he enjoyed swimming in occasionally. It was a sunny day, and though cool, it was better weather than expected for December.
He was thankful his inner dragon had returned the week before to enjoy the flight with him. After overtaxing themselves while forging an ancient relic back together, Beast had gone dormant. The dragon soul within him had been the one to help them fuel the fire they needed to perform the task, but Beast had pushed himself too far. For days after that, Aidan could not reach him. Most shifters did not have the kind of close relationship with their dragon half that he did. Aidan had felt the loss deeply in his bones. If he could help it, he would not ever lose Beast that way again. They were strongest when they worked together.
Still pleased to have him back, Aidan let his inner dragon take over for a moment so that he could take pleasure in the flight, too. From their lair, it took about ten minutes to reach the Taugud fortress where his toriq—or clan as humans called it—held their seat of power. More than half of the shifters lived there while the rest, like him, maintained residences elsewhere in the territory.
It had taken multiple battles over recent months, but the shifters had acquired most of the land stretching across the southeastern section of Oklahoma. It was more than enough for them, though Aidan wished they could extend further so that they could protect the humans who lived outside his toriq’s jurisdiction. There were a lot of people living in fear of pure dragons beyond his borders, but there was little he could do for them. It was up to Bailey and the other slayers out there to help where they could.
The fortress loomed up ahead, massive and imposing with its spikes and spires jutting from the thick outer walls and castle at the center. Thousands of years ago, they’d built it with dark gray stone, hardening the rock and making it impervious to a dragon’s destructive flames—which could burn almost any material. It had survived vicious attacks since then and continued to protect his people. As shifters, they were a rare breed that made up perhaps ten percent of the total population of dragons in the world. The fact they could transform into humans and that their beast size was smaller made them vulnerable to their non-shifting cousins. They’d learned to adapt over the centuries so that they could survive.
Aidan landed on an open field near the fortress, allowing flames to cover his body as he changed into his human form. He’d purposely arrived almost an hour early so that he could have time to recover between shifts. Switching forms too often wore his kind down, making them weaker. The last thing Aidan wanted was to meet with the Thamaran dragons at anything other than full strength.
He headed through the gates, ignoring the disgusted looks of the guards. Many in his toriq looked down upon him for his relationship with Bailey. For millennia, slayers and shifters had been enemies. The very idea of Aidan mating with a slayer and living with her did not sit well with his people. Nanoq—the pendragon—gave his permission less than three weeks ago, but only because Bailey had proven she could be trusted. At grave risk to herself, she’d helped them recover an ancient artifact that could control dragons or slayers. She’d also fought in battle with them and regularly helped keep the pure dragons away from their borders. Though some refused to admit it, Bailey was a great asset to the shifters.
Aidan held his head high as he walked through the main thoroughfare where small shops lined the path on both sides. He caught sight of his cousin, Donar, ahead. The large, bulky male with short black hair and olive skin was examining trinkets laid out on a table. A hopeful vendor stood on the other side, informing Donar about each piece.
“Looking for something to give a potential mate?” Aidan asked, coming to stand next to his cousin.
“No,” Donar said, giving him an annoyed look. “I’m searching for something to give my mother for Dragomas.”
While shifters did not care to wear jewelry all that much, they did enjoy collecting it. They derived great pleasure just from seeing their hoard, but it also helped them during difficult times when food and resources were low. Other dragons and humans were happy to trade gold, silver, and jewels for most anything.
Aidan and Donar had been born within a few years of each other—both over two centuries old—and they’d grown up together. He knew his cousin’s mother well. More than once they’d managed to locate Esphyr’s secret hoard and gaze in awe at all her treasures. She enjoyed red jewels the most.
Aidan pointed at a gold brooch with a large ruby at the center. “That one.”
“Are you certain?” Donar asked, knitting his brows.
He was a good person, but he could be a bit dense at times. He’d never been all that good at choosing gifts for others. “Yes, I’m sure,” Aidan said firmly. “Have I ever failed in this regard before?”
“No, you haven’t.” Donar gestured at the vendor. “I will take that one.”
His cousin handed over several small, gold coins in exchange for the brooch. The shifters had their own form of currency, though Aidan had heard the humans usually did not use gold to purchase items. They had used colored paper and coins of lesser value prior to the dragons’ arrival on Earth, which he found strange.
They left the vendor and began heading toward the castle. Donar glanced over at him. “Have you found a gift for Bailey yet?”
“Yes.” Aidan smiled at the thought. “I’ve already hidden it, so she will not find it before Dragomas.”
“What is it?” Donar asked.
Aidan glanced over at him. “Why do you ask?”
His cousin shrugged. “Just curious.”
Donar and Bailey had not gotten along well when they first met each other, but more recently their hostilities had begun to ease. A degree of respect had formed between them after months of working together while she honed her fighting skills, but it was her gaining control over her driving need to kill dragons—including shifters—that made Donar look at her differently. Not many slayers were capable of overcoming their instincts so they could choose which beasts to attack or leave alone. Aidan hoped his closest cousin and Bailey might eventually become friends. He did not like having them at odds with each other.
“You may ask her about the gift after I’ve given it to her,” Aidan said, stopping at the steps to the main castle entrance. “But I prefer Bailey see it first.”
Donar worked his jaw. He did not like secrets being kept from him, even something as simple as a gift for someone else. It was the primary reason Aidan didn’t tell him. He liked seeing his cousin squirm as he wondered what Aidan might have chosen to give a dragon sla
yer as a gift.
“Is it a necklace? Or an arm cuff?” Donar pressed.
Aidan shook his head. “I’m not telling you.”
“You do this to annoy me,” Donar growled, then glanced at the heavy doors leading to the great hall. “Are you meeting the pendragon?”
Aidan nodded. “Nanoq has requested I go with him to speak to the Thamaran pendragon about the attack last night.”
“It is hard to believe they have broken the treaty with us, especially at this time of year. It will be too cold soon to stage a battle.” Donar paused and frowned. “Do you think they know you were in their territory not long ago and killed some of their dragons?”
Aidan had considered that. “No. We covered our tracks well enough, and the Thamaran would have sent more than two of their warriors if they knew it was us who broke the treaty first—or at least consulted us about it.”
While his toriq—the Taugud—had more than their fair share of troubles with the pure dragons, the Thamaran had not tried to attack them since they settled their borders. It was highly unusual. Their pendragon was an honorable male who kept his vows. Of course, Aidan still didn’t like the Thamaran all that much since they weren’t adverse to killing humans for food and fun, but at least they had the decency to stay within their territory—until now.
“It is too bad I cannot stay to assist in the matter as well.” Donar’s expression hardened. “But instead I must escort your brother to the mating festival tonight. Perhaps I will get lucky, and we’ll be forced to cancel the event if the Thamaran wage war on us.”
Aidan clasped his cousin’s shoulder. “We both know you do not mean that. I am certain the festival will be great fun, and Bailey and I will be joining you soon.”
A billow of steam puffed from Donar’s nostrils. “I’d be even more annoyed, but I had the opportunity to meet Ruari’s prospective mate a few days ago.” He paused and amusement lit his eyes. “Seeing those two meet will be worth all the trouble.”
“How so?” Aidan had yet to hear which female the Faegud wished to offer Ruari. It was part of the treaty that some of their people mate with the toriq to the south so that they might strengthen their alliance. While many of their members could not shift, some could, and they hoped to mix with the Taugud so that they could increase the numbers of those who could take on human form.
