by Susan Illene
He fell backward, landing hard on the ground. Aidan was grateful he’d already tucked his wings close to his body, or he might have damaged them. The rogue climbed over him, digging its talons into his belly. He felt them like daggers as they tore through his soft scales. The dragon arched his head the way a snake would right before striking, and then lunged for Aidan’s throat. He thrust his hands upward, grabbing the rogue’s head just in time and locked his elbows to hold the beast back. Hot drool dripped onto Aidan’s face and stung his eyes. It wasn’t common, but some dragons had a defense mechanism that rose up when they were in danger of dying that allowed them to make their saliva acidic. Once that happened, their saliva could soften their opponent’s scales and make them easier to puncture. For a human, it was worse. It could burn through their skin and all the way to their bones.
Wayne moved to the dragon’s side and thrust his blade into the beast’s back between the ribs, going almost to the hilt before pulling out. The rogue snarled and started to swing around. Aidan gripped his opponent’s head tighter and called out to the slayer in a garbled voice, “Stop!”
It was extremely difficult to speak in his dragon form, but he could make some sounds.
“You cannot hold him for long,” Wayne said, coming closer. “I can get him off of you.”
Aidan’s arms shook as he fought to keep his grip on the struggling dragon. He spoke once more, hoping the slayer would understand him, “Sa-liva…ac-id.”
Wayne took in the spots on Aidan’s face that were sizzling, understanding dawning in his eyes. “Hold him just a moment longer.”
“Hurry.” Aidan gritted his teeth. The rogue was going to make it through to his organs soon the way he kept digging at his belly, and the acidic saliva burning his face didn’t feel much better.
“On the count of three, I’m going to shove him hard,” Wayne said, urgency in his voice. “I need you to help me roll him onto his side. The beast is too big for me to reach his heart from anywhere except his stomach.”
“Yes,” he choked out and bent his knee to brace himself.
“One…” Wayne paused to put his hands on the dragon’s side. “Two…three!”
Working together, they shoved the dragon over. With the rogue’s weight off of Aidan, he was able to leap up and plant himself on the beast’s upper chest and hold his head. It left him in a vulnerable position with his back to the slayer, but he had to trust that Bailey’s father wouldn’t strike at him and would focus on their mutual enemy instead.
With a loud battle cry, Wayne sent his sword downward. His blade sunk into the dragon’s stomach at just the right angle for the tip of the blade to reach the beast’s heart. Aidan had to use all his weight and strength to keep the rogue still. The dragon struggled under him as Wayne continued to push his sword even deeper. There was so much fat and muscle in the rogue’s body that even the finest blade couldn’t break through it all easily.
“Almost there,” Wayne said, voice strained.
The dragon twitched, and blood gurgled from his mouth—a sure sign he was dying. Aidan grunted, unwilling to let go of his opponent quite yet. The slayer pushed his blade a little deeper to make certain the heart had been fully punctured, and then they watched as the rogue gasped its final breath. After a minute, Aidan shakily rose to his feet. He and Wayne turned their gazes toward the other rogue.
Conrad had wrapped a length of magic-infused rope around the dragon’s jaws—something he must have acquired from Javier. He sat half naked on top of the beast’s head, his shirt and part of his pants having been burned off at some point, and he covered the rogue’s nostrils, slowly suffocating it. Aidan noted that both of the dragon’s eyes had been gouged out, something Bailey tended to do whenever she got a chance. The beast made soft rumbling sounds in his throat and tried to shake his neck, but Conrad held him still. He and Bailey had weakened the rogue enough that it made it easier for the human male to hold him.
Directly behind Conrad, Bailey was sawing through the dragon’s neck with her sword. She glanced up and met Aidan’s gaze. “This damn dragon is too fat to get to its heart.”
“I could help,” Wayne said, coming forward.
“No.” Bailey shook her head. “I’ve almost got it.”
She took a few deep breaths, then started sawing even harder. The dragon twitched twice before his body went slack. A few moments later she separated the beast’s neck from his body, but he was already dead. She’d killed him in a rather slow and painful process. Under the circumstances though, she hadn’t had a choice. If the beast hadn’t eaten so many humans to increase his girth, she could have slain him much easier and faster.
Aidan began the shift back to his human form now that the danger was over. He watched as Bailey pulled a cloth from one of the pouches connected to her leg harness and cleaned the blood from her face and hands. Conrad borrowed it after her, doing the same. Aidan had the advantage that the flames from his shift cleaned him up.
“Good work, partner,” Bailey said, slapping her palm against Conrad’s.
It was a strange custom. Aidan had seen humans do that before, but he still didn’t get the purpose. Conrad stood and held up the dragon head. “We got our trophy.”
“We must put it on a spike at the western border with the Thamaran,” Aidan informed him. “It will serve as a reminder that no pure dragon should ever cross into our territory if they wish to live.”
The two they killed might have been exiles, but it never hurt to show the Thamaran that the shifters could handle anything that came their way—even the most dangerous warriors. Aidan looked forward to giving his pendragon the update later so that Nanoq would know he got his Dragomas gift.
“Won’t the head disintegrate in a couple of days?” Bailey asked.
Aidan shook his head. “Not if it isn’t connected to the body. Just like with the scales, the decaying process isn’t as fast for the head by itself. It could last for up to six months, especially since it is winter.”
“Okay.” She cocked her head. “But are we posting just one or both at the border?”
“Both,” Aidan replied.
Bailey pointed at him and Wayne. “You guys can cut the head off your kill because I’m not going through that again.”
“I’ll take care of it,” her father said, heading back to the other rogue.
Several men came running toward them from down the street. Aidan tensed, noting the rifles in their hands. He moved closer to Bailey and Conrad ready to protect them if necessary.
“Damn, it’s the bikers,” Conrad muttered.
“Now I know where they live—the sneaky bastards were up here where I hardly patrol,” Bailey said, and she waved at the incoming group. “Hey, Jack!”
The lead man, whose clothes were covered in dirt, gave her an ironic smile as he came close. “Should have known it was you who drew the dragons away.”
Conrad lifted the head up. “I don’t think they’ll be a problem for us anymore.”
Jack chuckled. “No, I suppose not.”
“That’s the second time you’ve helped us out,” one of the other men said, shaking his head. “Now we ain’t even anymore.”
“I’m not keeping track.” Bailey gestured toward Aidan and introduced him. “Aidan is one of the red dragons when he’s not in human form, and he’s also my…uh, boyfriend. He helped us out, as well as my father who is back there cutting the other dragon’s head off.”
None of the men appeared bothered by Aidan’s presence. They merely studied him for a minute and then shifted their gaze to Wayne.
“Is he a slayer, too?” Jack asked. “And why are you cuttin’ the heads?”
“Yeah, my dad’s a slayer—it’s a genetic thing.” She went on to explain what they would be doing with the heads.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” one of the men said. “Maybe you should do that every time they try to cross.”
Bailey gestured at the men. “What’s up with all the dirt? Were you guys bunk
ered underground while the dragons were attacking?”
Jack attempted to dust himself off. “Yeah, we set up trenches a while back in case we ever got attacked. Kept the fire from gettin’ to us, but I think they were about to start digging when you showed up.”
Dragon flames couldn’t burn through a thick layer of dirt, but the man was right that the beasts would have eventually landed and dug their way to them. The gunfire was likely the only thing that held the rogues back.
Wayne joined them, dumping the second dragon head next to Conrad. “We should get these posted and let the people at the celebration know they are safe now.”
“I won’t keep ya’ll any longer, but I just want to thank you for comin’ to our rescue,” Jack said, and his friends murmured their agreement. “You saved us and our families from getting killed.”
Bailey glanced back at the destroyed neighborhood behind them. “We didn’t save everyone.”
“No.” Jack ran a hand through his hair. “We’ll have some funerals to plan, but it could have been worse—a lot worse. Most of us live farther back this way, so if those dragons made it much deeper into the neighborhood, they would have reached the majority of us.”
Bailey took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner, but if you need anything just let me know.”
“We’re in your debt, Bailey Monzac,” Jack said, giving her a look of respect and then nodding at Aidan and the others. “We’ll be alright, but if you all ever need anything, we’ll be there. Hope ya’ll have a merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too,” she replied.
Chapter 15
Bailey
After posting the dragon heads by the interstate, we headed back to the celebration. A weight had lifted off my shoulders. There’d been something rather satisfying about ending that particular ordeal and making the town safe again. Well, as much as it ever could be these days. For my efforts, I’d gotten a few gashes in my arms and legs, and broken a pinky finger that I’d had to straighten out, but I couldn’t complain since I’d suffered greater injuries than that before. Aidan was the worst off with all the deep gashes on his stomach. They were closing, but not fast enough for my liking, and he moved slower than usual.
Conrad offered to drive the truck, and I didn’t argue. Other than a few scrapes, he’d come out of the skirmish relatively intact. He’d done well for his first close-quarters fight. My father didn’t have any injuries at all. At first, he’d helped Conrad and me, but when Aidan brought his rogue to the ground, Wayne had headed over to assist him. They’d worked remarkably well together. Enough so that I caught a glimmer of respect in my father’s eyes when he looked at Aidan.
“You know what I’d kill for right about now?” I asked, breaking the silence in the truck.
Conrad glanced over his shoulder at me. “You just cut a dragon’s head off. How much more death do you need on Christmas Eve?”
“Funny.” I glared at him. “I’d kill for some hot chocolate.”
“I have some back at my truck,” Wayne replied, then paused and gave me a serious look. “There is no need to kill me for it. I would give it to you as a gift.”
“Ha ha, you guys know it’s just an expression.” I sighed dramatically, pretending to be annoyed, but really I grew warm and fuzzy inside. That was the first time my father had cracked a joke in front of me. I’d begun to wonder if he was serious all the time, so it was rather reassuring to see he could have a lighter side.
“Looks like the party’s still going,” Conrad said, turning onto the same side street where I’d parked in downtown before. The lot I’d used was just up ahead, full of cars and trucks, and no sign anyone had left yet.
I had worried the celebration might have ended before we could return—it had been almost two hours—but they must not have wanted to leave the safety of Javier’s domain until they were certain the rogues were dead. That was my theory, anyway.
Conrad parked the truck, and we climbed out of the vehicle. Though my father hadn’t been injured in the most recent battle, he showed signs of fatigue, and he was favoring his ankle again. He must have tweaked it or hidden the injury until now for my sake. We were all a bit sore and tired.
As we headed across the parking lot, I glanced at the others. “Let’s just stay long enough to let people know we killed the rogues and then we can call it a night.”
“Where would be the fun in that?” Javier came around the building ahead of us. He’d added a long, black trench coat to his attire, giving him a mysterious air. Include that with his dark looks, and it explained why half the women in town fell over themselves to get near him.
I lifted a brow. “I’m surprised everyone is still here.”
“We were waiting for you to return.” He beckoned us. “Come.”
He led us back to Main Street where the celebration remained in full swing. No one seemed to care that it had turned a little colder in the past hour, but if my nose were to be trusted, many had taken to drinking the spiked punch Javier had been dispersing all evening. At least the children were safely inside one of the buildings across the street. It had a glass front so that I could see Hank. He was still wearing his Santa suit, sitting in front of the kids reading a book.
Javier stepped up to his podium and grabbed the microphone. Aidan, Conrad, Wayne, and I stayed off to the side, wondering what the sorcerer was planning. None of us were in the mood for more celebrating or any accolades.
“Can I have your attention everyone?” Javier said, his voice ringing out.
People on the street stopped what they were doing to turn and look at him. Hank and the children hurried to the door, opening it to listen. Anyone who wasn’t staring at the sorcerer had their attention on us. I hated being in the limelight, and my father didn’t appear anymore pleased. Aidan was stoic, crossing his arms and standing there expressionless. Conrad, on the other hand, looked like the cat who caught the canary and grinned widely for our audience. He probably wished he had a video of himself sitting on the dragon stabbing it with a dagger. I was just glad he kept a change of clothes in my truck because otherwise he would have been standing there half naked and giving everyone an eyeful. Aidan had promised he’d get a camrium outfit for Conrad soon to alleviate that problem.
“Our heroes have returned triumphant,” Javier announced, smiling broadly. “The rogues who have been plaguing us are dead!”
Shouts and cheers rose up. Hank and the children jumped up and down, then started dancing with each other. I supposed it was worth the trouble of being put in the spotlight if it made the kids happy. Good news didn’t come around very often these days, and the little ones suffered the most.
Javier continued, “First, I would like to thank Bailey Monzac—our town dragon slayer who most of you have seen around at some point or another. Aidan of the Taugud clan—a dragon shifter and Bailey’s mate. Wayne Yahola—a visiting dragon slayer who is Bailey’s father. And last but not least, Conrad Alberts—often seen at Bailey’s side helping her protect this town. The four of them worked together to take down the rogue dragons. In appreciation of that, they will be welcome to eat and drink at my bar and grill for free for the next month.”
I leaned close to my father. “If Javier hadn’t offered the free food, I might have been tempted to throttle him for calling us out like this.”
“You would have had to wait your turn,” he replied, a glint of humor in his eyes.
Who knew my father’s mood could improve so much after a battle with dragons? I supposed he was like me and got cranky and tense when he didn’t slay often enough.
“It’s too bad you won’t be around to enjoy Javier’s offer,” I said, thinking Wayne wouldn’t stick around after Christmas was over. It would have been nice to hunt with him again and continue to build our relationship.
He cleared his throat. “Actually, I will be nearby. There are two other slayers in Tulsa now who can handle the area without me. I have decided to move to Oklahoma City to as
sist you to the north.”
“Really?” I glanced at him in surprise. “When did you decide that?”
“Not long ago.”
I had no idea what to make of that. Was he doing it because the city needed another slayer, or did he want to be closer to me? Either way, I looked forward to having my father within easy driving distance, especially since he and Aidan were getting along alright. The only trouble with his staying would come in the spring when I returned to my mother and the rest of my family in Texas. I wouldn’t want to leave my dad or Aidan and my friends, but at least someone would be around to take care of the dragons after I left.
“And now for the fireworks celebration you’ve been waiting for!” Javier said in a booming voice, breaking my train of thought. I’d missed everything else he’d said over the last few minutes.
“Hell yeah. I was lookin’ forward to this,” Conrad whispered to our group. “Thought for sure they wouldn’t wait till we got back.”
A moment later the first of the fireworks lit up the sky in a mix of red, white, and blue.
Aidan’s eyes rounded. “I’ve never seen such a display. Is it magic?”
“Nope. It’s manmade, and it’s been around for ages,” I informed him. It was amusing to see a dragon so enraptured by fireworks.
He kept his attention on the sky. “I had no idea such a display was possible—at least not at this scale and without a special spell.”
More fireworks shot into the air, including Roman candles, fountains, comets, and others I couldn’t name but recognized. Javier had gotten so many types that I wouldn’t have put it past him to have acquired the whole town’s supply. While everyone else watched, I dug into my leg harness pouch, figuring this was as good a time as any to give Aidan his Christmas present.
“Here,” I said, handing him a small box.
He furrowed his brows. “What is it?”
“Your gift.”
