Reawakening the Dragon: Part Two

by Jessie Donovan

  Just as Kai landed a punch to the man’s kidney, gun shots rang out behind him.

  ~~~

  Jane clutched her can of pepper spray and waited. For whatever reason, a group of weapon-wielding men were after her.

  She had no idea why anyone would want her. The Dragon Knights had harassed her the most over the last few months, but ever since the DDA helped to capture a large group of them on Lochguard the previous month, things had turned quiet. And since she’d yet to report anything on the hunters, she didn’t think they would target her. After her story, yes. But not before.

  As the sound of running feet and then a thud filled her ears, Jane pushed all other thoughts away. She only hoped Nikki came to help soon. Kai might be good, but from the quick peek she’d had a minute ago, he was vastly outnumbered.

  Another thud sounded at the same time as gunshots rang out. The urge to check on Kai was strong, but Jane resisted. She couldn’t afford to distract the dragonman from his task.

  Then things fell silent except for the sound of footsteps coming toward her.

  Her heart pounded. Maybe it was Kai.

  A brown-haired man with a hard face appeared in front of her. Seizing on her split second advantage, Jane turned her head away as she sprayed her pepper spray into the man’s face.

  Once he screamed, “You bitch,” Jane ran around him and saw one other man. It wasn’t Kai.

  Kai was unconscious on the ground next to some of the others. But he was also covered in blood.

  Shit.

  That was all she could think of before the man waved his gun at her. “Drop the pepper spray, love.”

  What to do, what to do? There was no way she could reach the man before he fired. She guessed he wanted her alive or she’d be dead already, but there was a lot a person could do without killing you.

  A whoosh swept through the alley right before a purple dragon flew over them. Taking advantage of the distraction, Jane kicked the gun out of the man’s hand and smacked his nose with the heel of her hand. She was about to kick him again when the dragon flew past again, but this time, the beast knocked the remaining attackers against the wall.

  Everyone was on the ground unconscious, except for Jane.

  Jane looked up. While she had never seen Nikki in dragon form, she had a feeling that was who the purple dragon was.

  Hovering over them, the dragon motioned her front talons toward Kai’s arm.

  Jane forced her gaze away from the purple beast and rushed to Kai’s side. She wasn’t a doctor, but Jane knew she needed to stop the bleeding.

  Ripping a section from her shirt, Jane tied the material tightly around Kai’s injury. While not the most sanitary of methods, it was the best she could do.

  The dragon gave a low growl above her. Looking up, Jane saw the dragon motion her to the side. While Jane wanted to stay with Kai, the dragon knew what was best for him.

  The second Jane was out of the way, the purple beast gently lowered her form until she could maneuver her back talons around Kai’s body. She lifted her talons and then the dragon looked at Jane and nodded.

  Jane didn’t speak dragon, but she assumed Nikki was saying everything would be all right.

  What Jane didn’t expect was the dragon to then wrap her other set of back talons around her middle. As the dragon beat her wings and carried them into the air, Jane’s stomach flipped. Unstable heights weren’t really her thing.

  Yet glancing over at Kai’s unconscious body, she swallowed and willed her stomach to behave. Kai had been hurt protecting her. She could survive a short dragon flight to help him.

  Still, she avoided looking down as the dragon carried them away from Gateshead and toward the west. It looked like Jane was going back to Stonefire.

  She only hoped they made it in time to save Kai.

  ~~~

  Nikki beat her wings as if her life depended on it.

  Well, truth be told, Kai’s life depended on it, and given all that he’d done for her over the years, she would make bloody well sure he lived. All she needed to do was reach Stonefire, and Dr. Sid could patch him up.

  Not caring that she’d feel sore the next day, Nikki beat her wings faster. There was still a good thirty minutes to Stonefire.

  She could spend the journey fretting over something she couldn’t control, such as Kai’s life, or she could use the time to sort through the facts she’d learned from the human named Jeff. Once she’d had a grip on his bollocks, he’d told her anything she’d wanted; sometimes it was useful to have the ability to extend a talon or two.

  Jeff had sold out Jane to the Dragon Knights. Nikki, like much of the dragon-shifter community, had taken their previous month of silence as a sign they were fading back into history. While Jeff hadn’t known anything about the inner workings of the Dragon Knights or what plans they had in store, the knights had put out a £5,000 reward for Jane Hartley. Jeff had found out about the bounty through his less-than-legal contacts and had merely wanted the money.

  Nikki stole a glance at the human female. The news about the reward was going to complicate things, especially since Nikki didn’t know how many people knew about it. If the bounty became public knowledge, every wannabe lowlife would be after Jane.

  She only hoped Bram was ready for this headache.

  Putting aside all of the problems they would encounter once they landed, Nikki studied Jane. She was pale, but conscious and looking intently at Kai. There wasn’t any guilt, just concern. The human wasn’t screaming or fainting as most did on their first dragon flights.

  Jane was tough, which was exactly what Kai needed.

  Nikki would just need to convince Bram to keep the human on their land. Knowing Kai as well as Nikki did, he would push the human away after what had happened in the alley. But Nikki knew Jane was Kai’s best chance at even a smidgen of happiness; no female in her recent memory had stirred the head Protector so much. Sure, she knew the story of his true mate denying him, but Nikki had been young at the time, not even a teenager, and hadn’t paid attention.

  But she understood the pain of not having someone you truly wanted.

  Her dragon spoke up. You never bloody tried. We are a catch. He would’ve wanted us.

  And then what? Female dragon-shifters aren’t allowed to have human mates. You know that.

  There are always ways. Humans and dragons have hidden their relationships for years.

  Times are different now. There are cameras everywhere.

  Her dragon huffed. You are the one who wouldn’t act. Either go after the male again or find someone else. I’m starving for sex.

  Kai could be dying. Have a little compassion.

  He is stubborn and will most certainly live. I’m more concerned about us.

  Tired of her dragon, Nikki locked her into a mental prison and pushed aside all thoughts of the male who had caught both her and her dragon’s eye a few years earlier. He wasn’t worth her time.

  Her dragon broke free and spoke up again. Any male will do. The one awkward encounter last year wasn’t enough. We are young and I want sex. Lots of sex.

  Nikki gritted her teeth. Now is not the time. Your complaining isn’t going to instantly change my mind.

  It has in the past.

  Yeah, well, I’m much stronger now.

  Her dragon chuckled and Nikki ignored her. She knew that a male’s inner dragon thought about sex even more than a female one, but Nikki’s beast was slowly making her crazy.

  Sleeping with random males would take away time from proving herself to the clan as a dedicated Protector. Only then would the older members of the clan see her as more than a blessing because of her birth.

  Double-checking that her dragon was locked up tight, Nikki surveyed her surroundings again to pinpoint their location. She spotted the peaks in the distance that marked Stonefire’s territory. Good. She could feel Kai’s heart still beating, but the sooner Dr. Sid fixed him up, the better.

  Ten minutes later, she made the final approach. D
elicately beating her wings, Nikki lowered herself to the landing area used for injured dragons, but hovered before touching the ground. She laid Kai down gently before doing the same with Jane. Moving to the side, she plopped down and imagined her wings shrinking into her back, her talons becoming fingernails, and her snout turning into a nose. The second she was human again, she raced to Kai’s side.

  Jane was already there, but Nikki ignored her to check on her leader. Thank fuck, he was still breathing.

  Sid raced out of the building about twenty feet away, her ponytail swaying in time with her strides. Jane moved out of the way to allow Sid to take her place. As the doctor checked his pulse, she asked, “What happened?”

  Nikki grimaced. “He was shot about forty minutes ago.”

  Sid glanced up with irritation in her brown eyes. “Why did you wait so long to bring him here?”

  “We were in Tyneside. I came as soon as I could.”

  “Bloody hell,” Sid whispered. She ripped off Kai’s shirt and bandage before checking the gunshot wound in his arm. “Given the location, he should be okay as long as I get him into surgery and stop the bleeding.” She motioned to two young dragon-shifters behind her with a stretcher. “Get him inside.”

  Nikki stepped back as the two dragon-shifters maneuvered Kai onto a stretcher. Sid added, “My job is to ensure Kai lives. You can take the reporter to Bram and sort out the rest.”

  Before Nikki could do more than nod, Sid was moving with her team back to her surgery. Once Kai was no longer in sight, Nikki met Jane’s gaze. “We need to talk with Bram. Are you well enough to do that?”

  Jane bobbed her head. “Yes, but will Kai be okay? It’s my fault that he’s hurt.”

  Nikki waved a hand. “There’s more to this story than you know. Come, let’s go to Bram’s cottage and I’ll explain it to you there.” She watched as Jane looked back toward the surgery, so Nikki added, “Kai’s a tough bastard. He’ll make it through, if only to hunt down those who hurt him.” Nikki smiled. “If you truly want to help him, then we need to talk with Bram.”

  “Why me?”

  “You have information we need.”

  Without another word, Nikki turned and headed in the direction of Bram’s cottage. Two seconds later, she heard Jane following.

  Chapter Three

  Rationally, Jane knew there was nothing she could do as long as Kai was in surgery, but she couldn’t help but glance one last time at the building Kai had been carried into.

  The doctor had seemed confident, which she took as a good sign. Despite the fact Jane had never interviewed Dr. Sid, the dragon doctor had a good reputation. Jane only hoped it was true.

  Looking back to Nikki, who was ahead of her, Jane increased her pace, taking deep breaths to calm her heart. What Bram would want with her, Jane had no idea. But since it was Jane’s fault Kai was hurt, she fully expected Bram to revoke her interview privileges with his clan. He might even banish her from stepping foot on Stonefire ever again.

  A few days before, the news would’ve devastated her. Even though a small part of her would always wonder about Kai and the spark between them, in that moment, she could accept being banished because of her actions. It was no one’s fault but her own.

  Just like with the ‘incident’ she’d caused a decade before yet again someone had been hurt while she’d been pursuing a story. Even if she hadn’t planned to use someone for her own personal gain, someone had still been hurt in the process, just like before. All she could do was try to find a way to make it right.

  In other words, no matter what happened with Bram, Jane would find a way to gather information on the former Carlisle-based hunters and pass it on to Stonefire.

  They approached the two-story cottage located in the middle of the main living area that belonged to Bram and Jane focused on the upcoming meeting.

  Nikki knocked on the door, but it was Bram’s heavily pregnant mate who opened it.

  Evie Marshall eyed Nikki and then glanced to Jane and back. “You’re supposed to be in Newcastle. What happened?”

  Nikki answered, “We need to talk with Bram.”

  Evie stepped back and motioned them inside. “You can talk to the both of us.”

  Once they entered, Evie shut the door and guided them into the living area. She motioned toward the couch. “Sit down. I’ll fetch Bram. He’s upstairs putting Murray to bed for his afternoon nap.”

  Evie looked at Jane with curiosity again before ascending the stairs. While Jane had met Evie Marshall once or twice, Jane had never stepped foot inside Bram’s cottage before. All of her meetings had been conducted inside the Protectors’ central command building. No doubt, the former DDA employee was wondering why she was there.

  Nikki plopped onto the couch and patted the spot next to her. “You may as well sit down. I’m surprised you’re still standing after that flight.”

  Jane started pacing. “How are you so calm? Kai’s in surgery because of a gunshot wound. He lost a lot of blood. He could die.”

  Nikki shrugged. “He was hit in the arm, but he’s had far worse in the past. It comes with the job. His injury history is pretty impressive.”

  Nikki’s attitude made her frown. “Even putting aside Kai’s injury, there’s the little fact those men were after me. Don’t you think we should investigate why?”

  “I already know why.”

  When the dragonwoman remained silent, Jane sighed. “Fine, I get it. We need to wait for Bram.”

  Bram’s accent, a mixture of Northern English and Scottish, drifted into the room. “I’m here.” He walked into the room with Evie at his side. The tall leader looked at the blood on Jane’s shirt from when she’d knelt next to Kai earlier. “Now, tell me why Jane Hartley is standing in my living room and covered in blood.”

  Nikki replied, “I wouldn’t say covered in blood. It’s just a splash.”

  Bram growled. “Tell me what happened, Nikola Gray, or I’ll assign you to the teenagers’ watch duty for a month.”

  Jane had no idea what that entailed, but Nikki immediately stood up. “We had an incident while looking for the dragon hunters.” Bram cocked an eyebrow and Nikki continued, “The Dragon Knights have a reward out for Jane. Someone reported her location and the knights had come to collect.”

  Jane interjected, “What? How did they know where I was?”

  Nikki met her eye. “Jeff.”

  Shaking her head, Jane put up her hands. “That’s impossible. He served with my brother. Rafe trusted him.”

  Bram’s voice interrupted, “Aye, well, it looks like that trust is now gone.”

  Evie jumped in. “Stop dangling information piece by piece, Nikola. Just bloody tell us what you know.”

  Nikki glanced to Jane and back to Evie. “I wasn’t sure how much I was allowed to share.”

  Bram crossed his arms and stared down at Jane with his ice blue eyes. “This is off the record, lass, are we clear?” Jane could do nothing but nod at the dominance in his voice. Bram looked to Nikki. “Tell us, and quickly. Starting with where’s Kai.”

  Jane should keep her mouth shut, but she blurted out, “He’s been shot.”

  “With a regular or electric blast gun?” Bram asked.

  Nikki answered, “Regular one. But Sid has it under control and thinks he’ll be fine.”

  Evie leaned against Bram. “Sid doesn’t give platitudes, so it must be true.”

  Jane placed her hands on her hips. “Something could go wrong and Kai could still die. Why are you all so calm?”

  Bram paused and then asked, “I think the bigger question is why are you so concerned?

  Jane huffed. “He was protecting me, so of course I care. If you start accusing me of being only here for a story and not giving a damn about the good of the dragon-shifters, I swear I will kick you in the balls. A reporter can have ethics and real feelings, you know.”

  Amusement flashed in Bram’s eyes, but then vanished. “I never said they couldn’t, Ms. Hartley. I believe you
have a heart. Reporting on my kind isn’t easy and can lead to dangers such as what happened today. The fact you’ve stuck around tells me volumes about your character.” Bram paused a second and added, “I also know about the moving flats and the death threats.”

  “How—“

  Bram cut Jane off. “I may not be a reporter, but I have my sources.” He looked to Nikki. “Fill us in on the rest, Nikki.”

  Nikki bobbed her head. “The knights have been wanting Jane for some time. Her reports helped drown out their social media campaigns, which curtailed a lot of their momentum.”

  Evie looked to Jane. “Were the knights the ones sending you the death threats?”

  Jane shrugged. “For a while, but then things died down after the Lochguard attack. I figured they were no longer a threat.”

  Bram grunted. “Well, they are. Until all of this is sorted, you’re staying here.” Jane opened her mouth, but Bram cut her off, again. “I’m sure your boss will understand when you mention the danger. I can mostly control the outside threats while you’re on my lands, barring a surprise attack. If you leave before things are taken care of, then you’ll be on your own. And trust me, lass, not even your reports can help stave off the bloody Dragon Knights. You support us, therefore, you’re the enemy, end of story.”

  “I know,” Jane stated. “But why help me? Keeping me on Stonefire will only endanger your clan.”

  Bram smiled. “Stonefire has had enemies as long as we’ve been based here in the Lake District. It’s nothing new.”

  She should let it drop, but Jane’s curiosity never quit. “That still doesn’t answer my question. Why?”

  Bram shrugged one shoulder. “I have my reasons. Stick around long enough to earn my trust and you might learn what they are.”

  Judging by Bram’s tone that was all the answer she was going to get.

  That didn’t mean she couldn’t start earning Bram’s trust. No doubt, Bram already knew Kai’s reasons for being in Newcastle, but not hers. She needed to fix that.