Fireblood Dragon: Fire In His Blood Part 5

The dragon c.o.c.ks his head at my movements, and takes another graceful step forward. The entire wreck of the building s.h.i.+vers in response to his weight as he settles down on his haunches. Then he nudges the goat towards me again.

He wants me to take it. "No, thanks," I say, breathless. "I really should be going and all." And I jerk on the cuff on my ankle again.

The car-sized head tilts. He bares his teeth, and my entire body breaks out into gooseb.u.mps of alarm. He seems so inhuman that I'm not entirely sure his human form was real. Maybe I imagined it. Maybe I'm having a psychotic break of some kind. Staring into the eyes of the monster, I have no idea how I ever thought this thing was anything but pure dragon-one hundred percent killer.

He lowers his head to me, and I can't help but quail backward, raising my hands to s.h.i.+eld myself. One enormous golden eye gazes at me, unblinking.

I jerk at my cuff again. Can't help it. Need to get away.

That gets the dragon's attention. It nudges past me, the enormous head shoving me aside as it studies the chain, sniffing it. I retreat as far as I can, until the chain is taut and the cuff is tight against my bloodied skin.

The enormous, fanged maw opens. I smother a cry as it takes the chain into its mouth, teeth brus.h.i.+ng against my leg and dangerously close to breaking the skin.

Metal crunches. The chain goes slack.

The dragon sits back on its haunches, spitting out the length of chain.

I stumble backward, falling onto my a.s.s in my haste to get away. I don't get up, though. I just stay down and stare. Why did he free me?

The dragon leans in and whuffs my hair, as if testing my scent. I force myself to remain still for the inspection, even though the head is so big he could swallow me in a bite. I could lose a fist in one of the enormous nostrils that sniff me.

Then the dragon's tongue snakes out, and he licks me from belly to collarbone.

Well, that's friendly...I think.

His pupils go black.

Uh oh. Maybe not so friendly. He licks me again, this time a little slower and more deliberate.

I don't dare move. Inwardly, I shudder at the sensation...and the wetness. The tongue felt raspy, like a cat's, and I'm reminded of the enormous, mushroom-headed erection he was sporting earlier. Suddenly the lick he just gave me is less innocent, as is the sniffing nose that ruffles my hair even now.

Tame the dragon, they said. Do it for Fort Dallas. Tame the dragon-this thing the size of a small plane, this thing with fangs and claws that breathes fire and kills people by the hundreds.

Clearly they're insane.

I stifle a whimper when he licks my shoulder again, and then the enormous snout moves lower. He tries to push it between my sprawled legs to scent my s.e.x, and I can't help it. I'm terrified, but I'm not going to have that. I push at the nose with my hand, shaking my head. "N-no," I tell him, and add a mental, please don't eat me.

The big head lifts sharply, as if recalling something, and as I watch, the eyes flick from the black pupils back to gold. With another guttural whuff of his breath, the dragon turns his head and glances back at the goat. He looks to me, and then turns, heading toward the goat. I just know he's going to try and offer it to me again.

But his back is to me.

And I'm free now.

I glance at the nearest stairwell, the one I came up with the soldiers. It's about fifty feet away, just a quick sprint.

I've only got one chance. I look over at the dragon, and he's gently picking up the dead goat in his teeth again.

Time to take that chance. I scramble to my feet and race for the stairs.

I fling the battered door open and launch myself down the stairs in a rush. Panting, frantic, I ignore the fact that I'm naked and shoeless-all that matters is getting away from the dragon. Now that I'm free, I can escape. I thud down the stairs at high speed, relieved that he's so large. His enormous bulk is way too big to fit in the narrow stairwell, and if he keeps to the top of the building looking for me, I can hide in the rubble on the street until it's safe to- An ear-splitting roar of rage interrupts my wild thoughts. My steps falter, and I stumble down the next few stairs, thudding a couple of feet to a debris-strewn landing. The stairs turn and twist down another story, and I pick myself up and keep going. I didn't count how many floors there were on the way up, and now I wish I had. It doesn't matter, though. He can't get to me. I know I can get away. Back to Amy, I tell myself. Back to Fort Dallas. Back to safety.

The building shakes, and the dragon gives another enraged roar. Plaster rains down on my head, and a chunk of ceiling drops onto the stairs next to me. I bite back a yelp and keep going. Each step takes me farther away from the dragon and one step closer to my sister.

As I turn to go down the next floor, everything is silent. I pause to catch my breath, the only sound the rasping coming from my throat. I glance up at the ceiling, but no more plaster is raining down. The dragon's silent. Did he fly away? Give up on- Something slams into the side of the building.

The entire thing shakes, and I nearly lose my balance, careening into the wall. My scream dies in my throat. I can't make a sound. I can't. I know if I do, he'll find me. I cling to the railing and begin to descend again. Another crash into the wall, and bricks crumble inward. The wall sags, and the stairs give an ugly, frightening shudder under my feet. I whimper as the world rocks to one side.

Part of the wall falls away, and I gape at the expanse of open sky that's suddenly revealed, not five feet from where I'm standing. Far, far below, I can see the broken, overgrown streets of Old Dallas and the other decimated buildings nearby, sticking up like jagged thorns.

Gold flashes past. I hear the beating of wings. I lean forward, trying to get a glimpse of where the dragon is. My heart's pounding so wildly in my breast that I'm sure he can hear it.

A shadow falls over the hole, and in the next moment, an enormous black-on-gold eye scans the stairwell.

I stumble backward, gasping. As I do, the eye focuses on me, and another ear-splitting roar shakes the building. My footing slips on the garbage-strewn stairs, and I half-slide, half-tumble to the next flight, bouncing down to the landing in a rain of drywall and brick fragments. Pain slams through my body, and I struggle to get back to my feet. My ankle hurts like a beast, my ribs will have new bruises by morning, and I'm covered in dust and dried leaves, but I'm away from the dragon. For now. I need to find a safe spot to hide. Somewhere. Anywhere.

I limp down the next flight of stairs, and there's a door there. My hands are shaking as I tug on the handle, but it won't budge. Somewhere nearby, the dragon trumpets another furious roar, and the building shakes again. I abandon the door and continue down. I thought the stairs were safe before because the dragon was too big, but now I feel like a mouse trapped in a maze. I'm trembling with fear as I continue downward. No choice but to keep going.

I turn the corner on the next flight of stairs, hoping for another door. My heart sinks at the sight before me.

The fragile stairwell has crumbled away, leaving nothing but a gaping hole for at least two flights of stairs. There's nothing but empty air and another glimpse of concrete stairs far, far below. Wind rips through the gaping hole, ripping at my hair and pulling away whatever breath I have left.

I can't keep going. I'm trapped. I glance back up the way I came. I'll have to go back, take a chance on the door- The dragon strikes the building again.

Beneath my feet, the floor groans and s.h.i.+fts. The stairs crumble, and then there's nothing to stand on any longer.

"No!" My scream echoes loudly in the stairwell.

As if in response, the dragon bellows again.

I struggle to grasp on to something as I slide helplessly toward the gaping hole so close by. My body sc.r.a.pes against a long piece of rebar that sticks out from the now-broken concrete. I manage to grab it, and the momentum in my body as I slam to a stop means that it almost rips from my grip again. Somehow, though, I hold on, and it saves me from flying over the edge of the building and into the sky.

My naked a.s.s hangs in midair. There's no purchase for my legs, and my sweaty hands are gripping the only thing that's keeping me from becoming a splatter on the pavement below.

Oh G.o.d. Oh G.o.d. Oh G.o.d.

I flail my legs, searching for something-anything-to step on. My hands are slippery on the bar, and I won't be able to hold on for long. A sob rips out of my throat as the building groans and everything seems to s.h.i.+ft a little more. "No! Help!"

There's no help, though. My grip slips, and then I'm flying through the air- Large scaly claws wrap around my torso half a breath later. I slam into the hard scales of his hand. Paw. Claw. Whatever. It wraps tight around me, and I'm no longer in danger of becoming a pavement pancake.

Now I'm just in an entirely new kind of danger.

I gasp for breath-I'm not sure I'll have a decent lungful of breath ever again-and tug at the claws wrapped tight around my waist. My legs dangle free, one of my arms trapped against my body. With my free hand, I hammer at his scaly claws as he soars through the air. A squeak of alarm escapes me as the dragon lifts his claws toward his head.

Way to go, Claudia. You p.i.s.sed him off and now he'll chew you into pieces.

But all he does is sniff my hair again with that enormous snout. He whuffs his breath against the side of my neck, as if making sure I'm all right, and then flaps his wings harder, gaining air and heading back toward the top of the building.

Right back where we started, except now I'm even more injured, filthy, and being cuddled by a dragon. I could just cry.

The dragon flies right back to the open area at the top of the building where he found me. He lands, cradling me close to his scaly, enormous chest. He folds his wings in carefully against his body, just like a bird, and then sets me down gently on the ground in front of him.

Then he crouches low, waiting. His tail flicks. His gold-on-gold gaze is focused entirely on me.

I don't dare move. Wide-eyed, I stare up at him, waiting. I'm half-expecting him to wiggle his b.u.t.t like a cat ready to pounce. The stairwell isn't too far away, but it won't do me any good to run away, at least not in that direction. I'd only get stuck. I try to think of other options and come up blank except for one-flinging myself off the side of the building. I glance over at the wide-open skies just past the dragon and suppress a s.h.i.+ver.

Effective, but not quite the result I want. I want to live.

The dragon growls low in his throat, startling me. My gaze goes back to him, and as I watch, he arches his back and transforms. The speed of it is breathtaking. Before I can blink my eyes, he's human again. At least, mostly human. He's still got that little frill of horns at his temples and the mottled scale pattern on his golden skin. He gets up from his crouch, beautiful, perfect body uncurling, all six feet and change of him. And he moves to stand right in front of me, gold-on-gold eyes blinking.

He puts a hand out to me. "No."

7.

CLAUDIA.

No?

No what?

I stare at him in surprise. "What do you mean, no?"

"No," he says again slowly. He says it with an unusual inflection, as if he's tasting it and finding it foreign. "No."

Then he looks at me, waiting.

He's parroting me. I said no, and he remembered it. Actually, I've said 'no' to him quite a bit. It shouldn't be surprising that he picked it up. He probably doesn't know what it means. On a hunch, I sidestep toward the stairwell again.

"No," he repeats, and there's a warning note in there.

All right, maybe he does know what he's saying. I put a bright 'who me?' smile on my face. This is just another captor. Instead of the fat mayor, I get a dragon. All right. I'll just have to deal with this. "All righty then, we'll play the 'no' game."

He tilts his head, trying to decipher what I'm saying, and then takes a step forward.

"No," I say, putting a hand up to stop him.

He stops where he's at and crouches low, the avid, hungry look in his eyes locked on me.

Erm. He's really, really naked. I s.h.i.+ft my hand a little lower, letting it block his anatomy from my sight. When he sits like that, well, it's easy to see he's excited. More than a little excited. Does the man have a constant hard-on around me? Jeez. "So, hey, do you speak English?"

His brows go down, and he concentrates. "Sohay...du...ewww...spek...Ayne-glehs." His mouth moves over the words slowly, with great exaggeration. I notice again that he's got a pair of big fangs, like a vampire. Or you know, like his dragon form.

Well, isn't that comforting. "I'm guessing that's a no."

"No," he repeats.

"Right. No. Thumbs up." I make the gesture. "We've got that part down. So I guess if you don't speak English, I can't ask you if you're going to kill me and eat me before or after you rape me."

"Rrrrape," he thrums, testing the word.

Aw, c.r.a.p. Did he have to pick up on that word? "No rape," I tell him. "No. Rape bad."

His eyes narrow, and I realize with an anxious stab that he doesn't understand me at all. He's guessed 'no' at this point, but 'rape' could be 'pickle' for all he knows. And the more words I spit at him, the more agitated he's getting. He gets to his feet again, moving a bit closer in a slow, steady motion, watchful gaze on me. I know if I try to bolt again, he'll catch me.

I'm stuck here.

Okay. If that's what I've been dealt, then I'll handle it. He's not eating me, so that's a plus. And he freed me from the chains, which is another plus. Maybe he doesn't want to hurt me, after all. I glance over at the dead goat. It's not a rea.s.suring sight. And when I drop my hand, I see his giant erection again, reminding me that just because the dragon hasn't eaten me doesn't mean that he's safe.

All right then. Time to make a friend.

I think about how I'm going to approach this. I don't want to startle him, that's for sure. And I don't want him to think I'm too interested. I sneak a peek over at his naked body, just in case I'm imagining things. Maybe it's a nervous b.o.n.e.r. Except no, his erection hasn't gone down in the slightest. The thick, heavy crown of his c.o.c.k is beaded with pre-c.u.m.

Definitely not a nervous b.o.n.e.r.

He makes a low rumble in his throat, wild and animalistic. Startled, I meet his gaze and realize he's caught me checking out his junk. And he likes it. The look in his eyes has gone predatory, and they've flicked back to black again, which worries me. It worries me even more when he begins to prowl slowly toward me.

Think fast, Claudia, or you're going to end up flat on your back for that dragon-man. Mind racing, I tap my breastbone quickly. "I'm Claudia."

He stops. Thank G.o.d. His brow furrows as he tries to process my words. He gets to his feet, stretching out and standing tall. He takes a step toward me and gestures at his mouth, as if indicating he wants me to speak again.

All right, communicating is more important than s.e.x. That works. I tap my chest again and enunciate slowly. "Clawwww-deeee-uhhh."

Gaze fixed on my lips, he repeats it. Or tries to. "Clawwwww-duh."

"Claw-dee-uh."

His mouth purses. "Clau-dah."

Close enough. I smile and nod, gesturing at myself. "Claudia." Then I gesture at him.

He's not interested in talking about himself though. His black gaze moves over my naked limbs, and the low rumble starts in his throat again. "Clau-dah," he says, and it's practically a purr. I could swear his c.o.c.k twitches as he says my name, too.

Yiiiikes.

I smile brightly at him again. "Claudia." Then I point at him all over again and again a second time, hoping it gets the message across.

The dragon-man's eyes flick back to the deep gold, which makes me sigh with relief. I think that means he's happy. He puts a large, claw-tipped hand to his chest and taps it. "Kael." The syllable is quick and hard, almost like a guttural version of 'Kyle.' I repeat it back to him.