Winning Skyhunter

by Jessie Donovan

  It looked as if the trials would finally be heating up and becoming competitive.

  Her dragon grunted. Good. All of these human things are boring. I'm ready to fly and explore.

  We don't even know what the task will be.

  No, but if one of the rules is to stay within South Downs, then it involves leaving the clan.

  Honoria didn't hesitate to stand, nor did Asher, and they exited the building. Her dragon shuffled her feet impatiently inside her mind, anxious to get started. She said to her beast, Just wait. If we rush, we could miss something.

  Her dragon fell silent, and once they were outside, she whispered for Asher's ears only, "From here on out, communication is key. We must work together and share everything, lest we be disqualified."

  Asher nodded, a smile curving his lips. "I like it when you're bossy." She narrowed her eyes and he grinned. "Okay, okay, I get it—no teasing right now." His expression turned serious. "And yes, share everything and stick together, no matter how difficult things become."

  She wanted to take his hand, but resisted. Now wasn't the time.

  Her dragon spoke up. Why not? It may make the others underestimate us. After all, they'll think we're a scared female, looking for comfort from her male to protect her.

  She mentally snorted. True.

  Reaching over, she took Asher's hand. His gaze found hers, but she gave an infinitesimal shake of her head. Asher must've understood because he looked straight ahead once more.

  A quick glance over her shoulder revealed Shane pointing toward them.

  Her dragon spoke up. See? I told you.

  Yes, so keep your ideas coming. I may not agree with all of them, but we need to work together as best we can, too.

  So in reality, it's the four of us who make up the team—two humans and two dragons.

  Two bloody good humans and dragons. The landing area came into view. So let's do this.

  As they made their way toward the tall form of Robin, Honoria kept her head high and shoulders back. The next set of tasks could determine everything, and she was more than ready to get started.

  ~~~

  Asher suspected Honoria had reached for his hand to put on a show and make Shane, and maybe some of the others, think she was afraid. It was brilliant, but it also irked him a little. He didn't like others thinking Honoria weak, even if it was part of a plan.

  His dragon spoke up. Give it time. People are still trying to wrap their heads around the female leader in Ireland, and it's been months since her secret was revealed. Honoria throwing her name into the race and it going public was only days ago.

  It was hard to think it'd been barely a week since he'd first spotted the blonde hair and blue eyes of Honoria in the conference room.

  Robin's tall, dark-skinned form came into view and Asher quickly packed away his irritation. They were about to learn their first task.

  Once they reached the Protector, he handed them a satchel used for when in dragon form, meaning it could easily be clutched in the hind legs or around a dragon's neck. Robin motioned toward the bag. "Inside you'll find your assignment and supplies. I can't say more than that, so don't ask. You have five minutes to read and study your material before you must depart. Good luck."

  Robin walked away to the side of the main landing area to guard two other large satchels.

  Not wasting a minute, Asher opened it and found a small envelope with the words "READ FIRST" emblazoned on the front, a basic first-aid kit, one hundred pounds, a binder full of the necessary intel from the Protectors, and a square device with a single button encased in a clear plastic cover. On the back of the button device were the words, "Press only for emergencies. Disqualified once pressed."

  Honoria placed it back in the bag. "We won't be using that then." She picked up the envelope. Inside was a note as well as a picture of a ginger-haired male in his late twenties, the intricate tattoo on his bicep marking him a dragon-shifter. He had no bloody clue who the male was.

  Asher took the note and read it aloud, "Fraser MacKenzie has been kidnapped by the dragon hunters and is trapped somewhere in South Downs. Your goal is to find him, carefully extract him, and return him to Skyhunter, where he can be reunited with his clan leader, Finlay Stewart."

  Honoria spoke up. "So it seems the clan cooperation continues."

  Asher studied the male's features, including the amusement in his eyes and the shadow of a smile on his lips. "And knowing my luck, he'll be a pain in my arse to get back."

  Honoria chuckled. "That's part of the challenge." She stashed the note and picture back inside the satchel. "We should go. How about going to our special spot first, to go through all the information in the binder and strategize?"

  He loved how Honoria went straight to the point, and he grunted. "We'll probably need our clothes at some point, so let's toss them into the bag, too."

  Once they undressed and did so, Asher took a second to watch Honoria's form change. White wings grew from her back, her arms and legs extended, and her face morphed into a dragon's snout and ears. The urge to chase her in the skies rushed through his body.

  When she stood in her beautiful white dragon form, he met her gaze and read her look, which told him to hurry his arse up.

  His dragon laughed as they shifted. And when done, he tossed the satchel around his neck, spread his red wings, crouched down, and jumped into the air. After a few beats of his wings, he was high enough to find his bearings and head toward his and Honoria's special place.

  It'd been more than a decade since he'd visited it. However, both male and dragon knew exactly where it was, nestled not far from Arundel Castle but beyond the Duke of Norfolk's lands.

  When he spotted a particular old stone bridge on the River Arun, Asher adjusted his wings and headed for a tree-covered hill that overlooked the river.

  He carefully landed onto the small clearing at the top of it and imagined his body shrinking back into his human form. Once he and Honoria were both done, Asher didn't waste time taking out the binder compiled by the Protectors.

  Honoria leaned against his side as he opened it. He was aware of every inch of her skin pressed against his, almost as if the heat of her body was transferring to his. Not to mention the spark continued on down to his cock, which was already stirring to life.

  It made it fucking impossible to concentrate on the task at hand.

  His dragon spoke up. You could tell her to move.

  Never.

  Clan leaders should be able to resist even the most delectable female at his side. Drawing on his years of experience in prison, when he had perfected the art of distraction, Asher remembered the ginger-haired male who was their target. He was the key to winning Skyhunter. Only then could he claim Honoria as his, maybe forever.

  And so he scanned the documents inside the binder.

  There were several suspected locations listed of where the dragon hunters could be hiding. On top of that, there were several fuzzy photographs included, each with a label of when and where they'd been spotted.

  Honoria whispered, "I think we should identify the most important and reliable information and start narrowing down the possible locations." He glanced at her and she raised her brows. "What? It's not as if we're going to close our eyes, place a finger on the list, and pick one that way."

  The corner of his mouth ticked up. "Of course not. But I was thinking exactly the same thing."

  She winked. "Great minds think alike."

  Once their assignment was done, Asher would most definitely bring Honoria back here and make this spot theirs in more ways than one.

  His dragon snorted. Now who's the randy one? Stop thinking with our dick and focus.

  He gave Honoria a quick kiss and motioned toward the list. "I think we should cross off any that rely on secondary and tertiary information and stick with the primary accounts."

  Honoria nodded. "I agree. The further away from the original source, the more likely the information gets distorted. Even if some of t
he suspected locations are closer to Skyhunter and our current position, we can always check them, if need be, as we make our way back home."

  "Right, and so it might be worthwhile to fly to the farthest site and work our way backward. Then we don't lose track of where we've been or have to waste time backtracking."

  Honoria's long, elegant finger ran down the list. The sight motivated him—the sooner they finished the blasted test, the sooner her fingers could run along his skin.

  She tapped a finger at one of the locations toward the bottom. "How about we start here. It's at the western edge of South Downs."

  He nodded. "Right, but let's land far enough away so no one will see us in the sky and raise an alarm. Whilst it'll take longer, approaching the last few miles by foot means we can take care of any sentries and look for the secret entrances mentioned."

  "But we need to stay clear of the village near it, too. So we should probably land just to the south of the location."

  Asher closed the binder and put it into the satchel. "Right, let's go."

  He tried to take a step away, but Honoria grabbed his bicep and kissed him gently on the lips. "For luck."

  While not one to believe in luck, he kissed her back and nodded. "No more delays. I'm sure whoever completes the task in the shortest amount of time will win."

  Honoria raced to the other side of the clearing. "Then try to keep up with me."

  Her body morphed into her white dragon form, and she jumped into the sky.

  Asher scrambled to shift and follow her. Female dragons were smaller physically, but they were bloody fast.

  His dragon laughed. It's good because we like to chase her.

  Not disagreeing with his beast, Asher picked up his speed and headed toward their first destination.

  Chapter Eight

  After two days with almost no food or sleep, Honoria lightly smacked her cheeks to wake herself up.

  Asher's whisper came from in front of her. "Do you need a break?"

  "No, no, I'll be fine for another hour."

  Glancing over his shoulder, he raised his brows in concern. "Are you sure?"

  Some might think Asher was being overprotective. And while he no doubt was—the trait was pretty much hardwired into male dragon-shifter DNA—he was also thinking of their task. If they didn't take enough breaks, they could miss the smallest detail, one that could lead them to find the right place and complete the bloody challenge.

  She bobbed her head. "Yes, I'm sure. Besides, we should be close to the third location on our list. We can rest after, if this place isn't the right one."

  He nodded and faced forward again, picking their way through the underbrush. Honoria did her best to keep her eyes and ears peeled in the predawn light. Even with her enhanced sight and sound, all thanks to her dragon-shifter genes, it took time and concentration to separate sounds from one another in the woods, let alone try to identify them.

  Her dragon spoke up. I won't miss anything. Save your strength for investigating the site, just in case it's the correct one.

  She smiled. Thanks, but no. We need to work together on this. Especially since we have no idea if someone had a better approach to their task and already found their captive.

  Her beast huffed. There's no way Shane and his partner would beat us. He's all bluster, no brains.

  Cockiness will end in failure, dragon. Besides, I doubt the Stonefire and Lochguard leaders would make this easy. After all, they've both had to deal with the bastard hunters and Knights more than a few times. It might be more realistic than we expect, meaning it could be a bloody fine line between saving the captive and getting him killed.

  Just remembering stories of how one of Stonefire's Protectors—a female named Charlie—had been drained to death of her blood by the dragon hunters made Honoria shiver. She added, Skyhunter might've had Marcus, but each clan has had their own trials and tragedies, too.

  Which is why it's important to work together. I think—

  Her beast paused at the same time she and Asher did, at the sound of whispers. She couldn't make out the murmured words, but she could definitely detect at least two humans or dragon-shifter voices nearby.

  Asher turned and stood closer to her side. They both listened, but the voices vanished in an instant.

  Either they had stopped talking midsentence, or they'd disappeared into a soundproofed structure or even an underground tunnel of some sort.

  Her dragon said, I think tunnel. There wasn't any sort of hesitation in their speech cadence.

  Normally, I would tease you about trying to be an expert in voices, but I think you're right. However, they still could be inside a building.

  There would be some kind of scent—of wood, paint, building materials. But there's none of that. I think it's a tunnel.

  Taking a second, Honoria tried to find any scent that was out of place in a forest. And beyond a small whiff of plastic, her dragon was correct. Nothing suggested a building nearby.

  Her beast stood taller inside her mind. Of course I'm right. I told you I'm good at this.

  Honoria leaned over to Asher's ear and whispered as low as she could, "We should circle around, ensure no one else is standing watch, and find out where they went. I think it's a tunnel."

  Moving his lips her ear, he answered, "I agree. I'll take the right side, you the left. We'll meet back here when done. If no one's about, we can look for a hidden entrance."

  With a nod, she went to the left. Honoria's fatigue had vanished thanks to the adrenaline currently pumping through her veins, and she had no trouble scanning the surroundings and listening for anything unusual. While some might be grateful for the growing daylight, she wasn't. The sooner they could find the entrance—she was certain there was one—the sooner they could vanish from the woods and tackle the next phase.

  ~~~

  Asher surveyed his half of the area and was almost disappointed when he didn't find anyone.

  His dragon spoke up. Things can't be exciting all the time.

  I know, but it'd be nice to do more than track down someone and bring them back. A little exertion would wake us up a bit more anyway. And no, not that kind of exertion. No sex until this is done.

  His beast sniffed. I wasn't going to suggest it. I thought you might like to know I saw a tiny flashing light a second ago. But maybe you're not interested.

  Asher stilled. Where was it?

  Thankfully his dragon didn't hold back or give him a hard time. Five steps backward, and then look toward the northwest.

  He backtracked and looked in the correct direction. And there, he saw it. A small flashing white light. You think they would've remembered to shade that.

  Or, it could be part of the trial and is a trick.

  Perhaps. But let's quickly survey the last little bit of our half and then find Honoria.

  Asher moved as fast as he could, careful to make as little noise as possible. Neither he nor his dragon spotted anything else unusual, which meant the flashing light was probably where the two voices had disappeared to.

  At their original starting point, he saw Honoria already waiting. He sometimes forgot how silently fast she could be.

  Once he was close enough he could almost press his lips to her ear, he whispered, "I found a blinking light that might be an entrance. Did you see anything unusual on your half?" She shook her head and he continued, "Then we should go investigate. Are you ready? Or, should we rest first?"

  She moved her head so she could reply to his ear, "Clan leaders don't get to wait for a convenient time. Besides, it'll be easier to sneak about whilst it's mostly dark outside. Let's go."

  Of course, she was right. Anyone who thought Honoria was too weak or emotional to be a clan leader because she was a female clearly didn't know her at all.

  His dragon grunted. We can extol her virtues later. If we keep standing around here, who knows, Shane might end up beating us.

  Fuck if I'll let that happen.

  He and Honoria quickly discussed
their plan, and Asher guided her to where the white light flashed slowly in the predawn light. Funny to think that if they'd done this an hour later, they might've missed it because of the sunshine. Yet another thing he needed to thank Honoria for—pushing them both to keep going. He would have to remember to do that for her in the future, too. She was strong, but there would be times she’d need his strength as well.

  They stood just to the side of the blinking light, and Asher waited for Honoria to use the technical knowledge she'd amassed in America as part of her training to determine if it was an alarm or not. And if so, whether it could be disarmed or not.

  After a few seconds, she plucked the blinking light off and tossed it to the side. She whispered, "A decoy alarm. It's just a flashing light poking out of a plastic box."

  "That doesn't mean there's nothing."

  "Right, so prepare yourself for what could be inside."

  She moved to look for a door, but he pushed her to the side and did it himself. No doubt she'd yell at him later, but if it was a trap and it triggered some sort of gun or explosion, he couldn't watch as Honoria got hurt.

  His dragon huffed. She might not see it as chivalrous.

  Too bad.

  Asher finally found a hidden latch, looked at Honoria, and nodded.

  Taking a deep breath, he tugged lightly. A door swung outward, and nothing else happened beyond revealing a dimly lit corridor.

  He pointed to his chest, raised one finger, and then pointed to the hallway. Honoria nodded, raised two fingers and pointed to her own chest, meaning yes, he could go first, thank fuck. Just the thought of something happening to her made his stomach churn.

  His beast spoke up. Stop worrying about her until it's necessary. Otherwise, this partnership will never work.

  Hush and focus on the task at hand.

  While there was no guarantee this was even the right spot, Asher's gut said it was.

  Which meant any misstep could disqualify them, such as if they were caught by some mysterious guards. He would need to trust Honoria.