Fireblood Dragon: Fire In His Blood Part 10

Kael won't hurt me.

But this new dragon? I don't know a thing about him. I don't know if his eyes will go gold and he's friendly, or if they're black with anger. I don't know if he wants a human snack or something far more dire.

The building disappears below, and I watch in shock as Kael's receding form moves forward. His muscles bunch and he flings himself into the sky, changing to dragon form almost instantly and following us.

His bellow of fury is deafening, and even from here, I can see his eyes are completely, utterly black.

13.

CLAUDIA.

My hands frantically pull at the claws that hold me tight. The strange dragon had s.n.a.t.c.hed me from Kael's grasp and is now flying away with me. His claws tear at my naked skin, and he gives another roar of fury, one full of rage and anger. One I haven't heard from Kael in days. Fear chokes my throat, and I shove my whipping hair out of my face, trying to get a good look at my captor.

It's another gold dragon. Not quite as big as Kael, but far more battle-scarred. From here, I can see a ma.s.s of scars and half-healed lacerations climbing the scales of its throat and jaw. The claws that hold me close are covered in older white markings that show that my new captor likes to pick fights.

Why me? Why did he grab me? I think of Kael and his laughing gold eyes. Then I think of his near-constant erection and swallow hard. Things might be very, very bad with this new dragon. Kael is patient and sweet to me, but I don't know this stranger at all. More than that, I don't want to get to know him, either.

The dragon twists and spirals higher, and I clutch at his claws, m.u.f.fling the scream that tears from my throat. The wind is wild this high, and the new dragon spreads his wings, rising on an updraft. He's flying out of the city, away from the building I've called home for the last few days...and away from Fort Dallas.

Not good. Not good at all. I can't be taken away. I have to get back to Amy.

I look behind me frantically. Kael is close, darting back and forth behind the other dragon. He hangs a bit below him and doesn't attack. I worry it's because he's afraid that the other dragon's going to drop me. Either way, I'm in double trouble, because Kael's eyes are a dark, unrelenting black. As I stare down at him, he roars his anger furiously. Once. Twice.

Each roar only makes the new dragon's claws tighten around me. I push at them, panicking. What can I do? I don't want him to drop me, but I also don't want to be pinned between a dragon fight in midair. I won't survive that. I'm helpless between these giants, a p.a.w.n for them to fight over.

The new dragon twists in midair, head turning in an exaggerated fas.h.i.+on to check on Kael, who dogs behind him. The eye I can see is black with dragon fury. As I worry, he tosses me casually between his claws, and a shriek of fright escapes me.

Kael bellows his anger at that move, too.

The dragon's other foot squeezes me close, and this time I cling to its claws, panting in fear. I don't care that the act of 'catching' me caused my fragile jumpsuit to shred itself. That felt far too much like being dropped. I don't want to be dropped. The ground is far, far too distant for comfort. So I hold tight, and from this side, I realize this scarred b.a.s.t.a.r.d only has one eye-the other is gone, nothing left but a ma.s.s of scar tissue.

Kael bugles again, and I glance down at him to see that he's gaining on my captor, his movements in the air agitated. His wings flick and pump, eyes furiously whirling like twin black galaxies. I hold my breath, watching him approach. Funny how I'm rooting for a dragon at this point. It's just that...it's Kael. I think if I can survive whatever fight these two have, I know I can make his eyes go gold again. I can deal with Kael.

The scarred dragon swoops low, gliding down toward the ruined streets at the outskirts of the city. We skim along the roads, dodging between buildings, and at one point we sc.r.a.pe so close to the ground that I haul my legs up, terrified I'm going to be nothing but a smear on the pavement. My stomach is roiling and sick at all the twisting and turning.

Then he gives a small hopping hover, and the new dragon lands, perching atop an old city bus. With one foreleg, he clutches me against his scarred chest, clearly not about to set me down. I hear the enormous thud of Kael landing on the nearby ground a moment later.

The gold holding me roars an angry challenge.

Kael bugles a furious cry, his tail las.h.i.+ng side to side, scattering broken cars. He drops to all fours and begins to stalk forward, smoke pluming from his nostrils.

The new dragon bellows a rush of flame in warning, and I bite back a scream, because it's not safe to get either dragon's attention.

I am so much toast right about now.

KAEL.

My mate.

Fury throbs hot in my mind, mixing with the all-too-familiar madness.

Clau-dah is my female. Mine. I'd had her in my arms, her soft body smelling of arousal, her flesh pressed against mine. I'd been so close to claiming her as my own, only to have her s.n.a.t.c.hed away by a rival. The big male drakoni that took her probably claims this territory as his own, but I had no choice. The humans had put her in danger with their stinging weapons, and her terror had bit at my mind until I feared I would lose myself to madness again. So I'd taken her away from my own territory to keep her safe. I know I am strong enough to challenge any other male. I have battled many times before and won.

But I've never had a mate, and never one as vulnerable as Clau-dah is. I've never had to worry about her safety or think about how another drakoni might conspire to steal her from me. This new drakoni had likely scented her on the wind and followed the trail to see what the delicious smell was. He'd probably scented her desire-and the lack of my claim in her blood-and known that I had not anch.o.r.ed our bond. He knew my female was vulnerable and ripe for the picking.

And so he took her.

I roar in outrage, my cry of fury so loud it makes the nearby structures shake. Birds flock to the skies, fleeing. I do not care. This rival has sought to take Clau-dah away from me. She is fragile, vulnerable. If he is not careful with her, he could harm her. The fear of that is greater than any anger I have. I cannot stop seeing him grabbing her in his claws and hauling her away, her small body tossed about as a leaf on the wind. Clau-dah is small and not as st.u.r.dy as a drakoni female. He must be careful with her. She is more precious than life itself.

I stalk forward, eyeing the big, scarred male closely. I cannot attack him outright, because my precious mate is clasped to his breast. I will not risk her safety for anything. I must wait, then. If the male wishes to challenge me, he will have to set Clau-dah down. Then we will fight, and I will make him regret touching my female.

I will not allow him to live. Not after touching Clau-dah. Not after putting her at risk. He will die violently and with great pain.

So I wait, seething. My mind is a furious jumble of rage. I welcome the darknesshungerkillanger thoughts. Not even the pleasure of my Clau-dah penetrates my volatile mind. I am lost to the murk of madness once more, and I am glad for it.

I will take my mate back, I warn him, reaching out with my mind and sending a stabbing bolt of thought to him. I will take my mate back and you will suffer.

She is not yours, the other dragon responds. You have not claimed her. There is no fire in her blood. I will take her for my own!

Mine, I snarl. My Clau-dah. My mate. Not yours. Incensed, I drop to the ground across from the male. I might have known his name once. The drakoni were once a close-knit people. Now, it does not matter. He is an interloper. A mate-stealer. He is going to die for touching my Clau-dah. For frightening her. Even now, I can smell her fear, sharp and thick in the warm air. Her lovely scent is sullied by the pungent stink of my rival-young, heavily scarred from fights, and about to die.

He will not win. Never. I bare my teeth in a feral snarl as he blows out a plume of flame in challenge. Too close to Clau-dah and her cloud of soft hair. Does he not realize how dangerous our fire is to her? Furious, I raise my head and bugle my acceptance of his challenge.

We shall settle this between us, the male declares. I will have the female as my mate.

You will have to destroy me first.

Then come!

I tense as my rival uncurls his claws and sets Clau-dah down. She collapses to her knees, her hair falling in front of her face. I growl low in my throat, waiting for her to get up. To get out of the way. To get to safety. After a long, tense moment, she gets to her feet, legs wobbly. Her face is stark with fear as she looks over at me, then takes a few steps backward, retreating.

The moment she's out of range, I spring, slamming my weight into the body of the other male.

My opponent never stands a chance. Though the younger male is heavily scarred and has obviously survived many battles, it's clear that I will win. He knows to snap with his powerful jaws, but he's not nearly as fast as I am. When his teeth lock onto my forelimb, I counter with a heavy swipe of my tail to his head to set him off-guard, and then claw at his remaining eye.

It's almost too easy.

The male bellows in pain and immediately backs off, hissing. He retreats a few steps, tail las.h.i.+ng in anger and pain, and spreads his wings as if to fly away. He is already done with the fight.

But I'm not about to let him go free. He threatened Clau-dah, and for that, he will pay with his life. I go after his wing, my claws shredding the thick fibers from bone. My opponent screams in pain, and his head thrashes wildly. He lashes out at me, but his blows are glancing.

I move in for the kill, my jaws latching on the soft underside of his neck. With one fierce, exuberant move, I rip out my opponent's throat. Blood pours into my mouth, and with it comes the madness. Darknesshungerkillanger- I hear a choked scream somewhere behind me.

I whip about, spraying blood, and the body of my fallen opponent flops to the ground at my feet. I turn to see Clau-dah staring up at me with big green eyes. She leans against a skeletal frame of metal, as if her legs will not support her. Her wide-eyed gaze goes to the still-twitching dragon sprawled on the ground before me.

"Oh my G.o.d. You eviscerated him." Her hands fly to her mouth, m.u.f.fling her words. "Oh s.h.i.+t."

I do not understand her words, but her tone makes me frustrated. Why is she upset? Darknesshungerkillanger Did I not show her that I can protect her? That I can care for her? Darknesshungerkillanger That she is safe with me?

Have I not been patient?

Darknesshungerkillanger I reach out to her with my mind again and find nothing there. There is no connection, nothing to latch on to, nothing to hold to and push away the darkness in my mind that creeps at the edges. It feels like an affront. I have tried so hard to be understanding, but with the blood of my opponent rus.h.i.+ng down my throat and the battle-l.u.s.t coursing through my veins, it is hard to focus on Clau-dah's green eyes and the calm there.

Darknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillanger I close my eyes, fighting for control. It takes a moment, but I manage to cling to sanity. I open my eyes, slowly, and then catch a new scent on the air-Clau-dah's fear. Instinctively, I lower my head and approach her, wanting nothing more than to comfort her.

She steps backward, fear in her eyes.

Something inside me snaps. Fury boils over. Not at her. Never at her. But everything else eats at my calm. The dead male at my feet. The stink of this awful place. The lack of a connection to Clau-dah. Because I had to defend her, she fears me again. Why is she not proud of me for defeating the interloper? Can she not see how fierce I am? How utterly devoted to her happiness and protection I am?

darknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillangerdarknesshungerkillanger I reach out to her again with my mind, desperate to connect, to anchor myself to her.

But there is nothing to hold. Her mind is closed to me.

All because I have not yet claimed her.

If I had-if I'd given her my fire-the other dragon would have never challenged me. Her scent would be mingled with mine, and unmated, rutting males would not touch her.

But she will never let me touch her. It has been days and I am yet no closer. Now she looks at me with shock and fear in her eyes.

The rage is too much, the need for my Clau-dah too much. It chews up my mind and leaves nothing behind. Must claim her. Must own. Make her safe. Make it so that no one else can claim her.

I've been patient long enough.

Mine.

14.

CLAUDIA.

That mad black is swirling in Kael's eyes.

My breath lodges in my throat, and fright makes my legs lock. I stand in the middle of a street, and there are things to hide behind-tipped-over buses, abandoned cars, nearby gutted buildings-but I can't run from him.

Not when he's clearly struggling for control.

I know he won't hurt me. He's had plenty of opportunities to do so, and he hasn't before. I know when his eyes swirl black, all it takes is a few murmured words and they'll go gold again.

It doesn't mean that I'm not scared s.h.i.+tless, though. I've just seen Kael rip the throat out of another dragon. A freaking dragon. Bullets bounce off their d.a.m.n hides and humans can't hurt them. But Kael? He'd simply took the neck of the d.a.m.n thing in his jaws and tore it out. I can still feel the hot spray of blood as it catches the wind and spatters my face, still hear his dying gurgle.

I'd nearly lost control of my bladder at the sight, especially because it happened right in front of my face.

I'm still staring as Kael stalks toward me, blood dripping from his fangs, eyes black as night.

This is not the nuzzling, affectionate Kael of the last few days. This is something else entirely. Looking at him like this, I remember that it only takes one dragon to decimate a city. I squeeze my eyes shut as he storms toward me. He's dangerous when in a rage, and this is definitely qualifying as a rage. Will he kill me? Slice me in half with one swipe and destroy me as easily as he did the other dragon? It had been one of his kind. I could have sworn that he'd communicated with it on some level, but he'd destroyed it as easily as breathing.

The safety I've felt with him over the last few days? It's a lie. I thought maybe I could be his friend. That I was secure with him. It's all wrong. Fort Dallas wanted me to control a dragon, but there's no controlling something like Kael. He's a force of nature. And like a tornado or a hurricane, he's going to destroy everything in his path to get what he wants.

And...he wants me.

Kael looms over me, still in enormous, frightening dragon form, the heat from his body radiating off of him and was.h.i.+ng over me. I close my eyes, instinctively flinching away as he leans in.

But...the ma.s.sive head only nuzzles my cheek. His breath, still coppery and smelling of blood and char, rolls over me like a wave. All he does is sniff my hair, then runs his snout along my torn jumpsuit as if rea.s.suring himself that I'm not harmed.

There's some control in there, after all. Some of the awful tension leaves my body, and I release the breath that I'm holding. "It's just me, Kael," I say softly. "I'm here with you."

He noses me again, and then his claws wrap around my waist. I'm dragged up against him as he launches himself into the sky, and all I can do is hold on for dear life and hope that his madness ebbs soon.

I lose track of how long we're flying. The world seesaws back and forth as Kael rides the currents of wind, and I flop around, helpless, in his claws. My stomach roils with every dive, and it makes it difficult to concentrate on where we are going, because opening my eyes means I want to vomit. But eventually, the jagged, wild flying evens out, and I squeeze open my eyes to see that we've returned to the office building with the running water-the building I was s.n.a.t.c.hed from just a short time ago.

It feels like a lifetime ago.

Kael lands, and I squirm in his grasp, trying to get free. He gently unhooks his claws and releases me, and the moment I stumble to the ground, the last of my jumpsuit falls apart.

Freaking figures. This day is just a s.h.i.+t cake. I strip off the remnants and kick them aside, heading toward the bathroom. I want to splash my face with water. I can still smell the blood of the other dragon on me, still smell the smoke in my nostrils. I need to get clean.

I need to get away and breathe for a few minutes.