Fire Dragon Read online

  The bouncer took off. When he made a ‘cut’ sign across his neck to the band leader, the music stopped instantly.

  Liam watched him hurry behind the bar. The next moment, a soft alarm sounded in long whoops and brief pauses. Warrior-types stood up from several of the small tables. Silence fell.

  Ethan lifted his arm and made a circle with his hand. “Magi from the west.”

  Liam took a step toward Emma and instinctively she drew close to him. He put his arm around her waist as he met Ethan’s gaze.

  Addressing the vampire, he asked, “What can I do to help?”

  Emma added, “What can we do? We’re a team.”

  Ethan glanced from one to the other. “I won’t deny you’d be welcome. We haven’t had Magi from the west in over a year, but it always costs lives.”

  Liam addressed Emma. “Tell him what weapons you need.”

  “A rifle, an ammo belt and a pistol.”

  “Telekinetic?” Ethan asked.

  Emma nodded. “I’m fast. I’m accurate and Liam and I can make a difference.”

  Ethan stared at her. “There’s a good chance we could die out there. Any one of us. The Magi are formidable.”

  She nodded. “I know. We’ve faced them in battle. But I can sense what you and your fellow warriors have. Together, we can do this.” She glanced around the club and spoke in a strong voice, “Let’s go get us some Magi dragons.”

  A cheer went up.

  By the time Ethan had loaded Emma with weapons, and the entire team raced to the sidewalk, even Emma could smell the sand coming from the west.

  She kicked off her stilettos and didn’t care that she’d be leaving them behind on the pavement. She’d want to be free to walk up Liam’s long dragon neck and the points of her heels wouldn’t work at all.

  Alarms blared up and down the street. Vehicles were left behind as people made their way into the shelter of nearby buildings.

  Liam rose into the air and found a large enough area to make his shift. At the same time, she levitated far enough away from him to be safe, then landed on his natural saddle with barely a thump. She pressed her knees to his sides. She didn’t want to think about how much leg she was showing right now.

  She felt Liam rev up his energy and she attached to it with barely a thought. She then left her seated position and stood up. Also with ease, she captured his mind so that he’d be able to see what she saw. Their daily practice had given them a seamless flow.

  Ethan’s voice entered both her mind and Liam’s. The vampire had power. Your woman, Liam, is an Amazon. A fierce warrior. You should see her with the wind blowing her hair away from her face.

  I’m lucky to have her as my battle-partner.

  Emma’s voice intruded. I’m seeing twenty. Liam, why not take the vampires into your shield?

  Good idea. What do you say, Ethan? You can leave the shield at the last second and give the dragons a surprise welcome. What the warrior vampires lacked in size compared to the dragons, they had in superb air-agility. They were also armed to the teeth.

  Ethan agreed immediately. Vampires had strong battle skills and excellent instincts, but fighting dragons was tough business for those with only weapons on their side.

  The vampires slid in behind Liam. Emma could feel each one as they took up their positions and Liam covered them with his flight energy.

  Liam began to fly faster and faster, straight into the wind as he headed toward twenty hard-core Magi dragons.

  The Magi wouldn’t be expecting to face an ADF dragon in battle. Though they were bigger and more powerful than Liam’s kind, as far as Emma knew, they still didn’t use riders. Apparently, they didn’t want women taking over their minds.

  How we doin’, Emma?

  I have my rifle at my shoulder and ready for the first shot.

  Fire at will.

  Chapter Five

  Held tight within Liam’s energy, Emma stood upright on the saddle of his neck. She stilled herself as she stared through the scope of her rifle. The wind was coming on strong now, but Liam’s shield held. Sand began to fill the air.

  She saw the lead dragon, with enormous horns and spikes on top of his coppery head and her heartrate jumped.

  The Magi were formidable dragons and one of the fiercest looking on the planet. The lead had elegant teal scales on his forehead and a frame of dark copper spikes along each side of his massive jaws. It was almost a pity she had to take his life.

  But she also knew the Magi weren’t just killers. They tortured anyone they captured then enslaved the ones that survived. One of her fellow dragon-riders had been caught while on vacation in the west. Her body had been returned to Blue Lake South in pieces.

  Emma knew who the enemy was.

  She put the center of the dragon’s forehead in her sights, then squeezed the trigger.

  A split second later, the dragon jerked in the air and began to fall to the barren earth below. Thank God Ethan had felt their presence before they reached the city. Not many things were worse than getting crushed to death by a falling dragon.

  The remainder of the Magi squad faltered in flight for a few seconds then pressed on. She could hear their muffled roars and watched as fire exploded from their enormous maws.

  Liam’s voice entered hers. I’m having Ethan and the troops fly parallel. My shield will still flow. Keep firing.

  As she squeezed off another round, a second Magi dragon fell from the air, then a third and fourth. Sixteen to go.

  She heard more shots being fired from their vampire-dragon line and more distant Magi dropped to earth. Vampires had great vision and wore clear, protective masks during battle. The Magi were all but flying blind without human riders. They relied on their bulk, their essential power and their numbers to win battles.

  The sandstorm buffeted Liam’s energy, but the line held.

  His great wings flapped harder still. On he pressed toward the enemy.

  Emma hoped the remaining Magi dragons would turn tail and retreat. But it wasn’t in the nature of the dragon, in any of the species, to run from a battle.

  On they came.

  Her reloading process took a few seconds longer than she wished. She made a mental note to practice more once she returned to Blue Lake South.

  As she kinetically slid the new cartridges in place, the dragons loomed closer. The three in the lead belched fire and smoke.

  She heard Ethan shouting orders to his vampires, three each on either side of her and Liam. They levitated swiftly and seemed to disappear, some moving low, others higher into the air.

  She realized the wind didn’t seem to bother them and they could move faster than the dragons flew.

  Ethan’s voice entered her mind. Emma. Ethan here. Please focus on the center dragon. He’s wearing an unusual protective vision apparatus. You’ll have to catch a nostril, or when the mouth is open the back of the throat. We’ve got the next five.

  Done.

  Emma sighted down her scope, she aimed low but as she fired a slight buffet in the wind caught the dragon in the left shoulder.

  The insignificant wound enraged him. He roared and blasted fire from his throat.

  On he came, huge and powerful. Ethan was right, unlike the others, this one wore a sight guard, something new for the Magi. That was the thing about their world, the Magi continually improved their weaponry and support gear.

  She’d only have enough time to take one more shot. Liam, keep us as steady as you can.

  His voice came back in a reassuring, calm manner. If you miss, I’m ready to engage.

  She took careful aim, but at the same moment she fired, one of the other dragons fell from above and clipped the dragon she was aiming at.

  The Magi were excellent flyers. Being struck by another dragon only barely knocked the warrior out of his flight path.

  By now, he was headed straight for them and gearing up for a flame.

  Emma dropped down and pinned herself to Liam’s head. When the fire came, it wo
uld have destroyed an ordinary dragon. But Liam was a fire dragon and could take a lot. In addition, his energy shield created another layer of protection. She felt some heat but nothing more.

  The dragon didn’t charge but swept by them.

  Liam pivoted midair which lurched Emma’s stomach. Being attached to Liam’s energy, however, kept her secure against his neck. With her rifle kinetically drawn tight to her leg, she pulled her pistol into her hand.

  She had only one option. Ethan had been right. Normally, she would have aimed for the eye, but she felt certain the vision shield was bulletproof.

  Liam flew straight up, then flipped midair.

  Another serious stomach lurch, but she’d had enough training to manage it. She also caught a glimpse of the battle beyond them, of vampires firing and darting at Magi through the thick air of the sandstorm.

  The single Magi dragon was coming in fast with another burn, and only a dozen or so yards away. She could feel Liam tense and she understood this time the dragon intended to attack.

  But Emma wasn’t in the mood to be rammed. Instead, she slowly rose to her knees, drew the pistol up to support it with her other hand and ignored the sudden staccato of her heart. She drew a deep breath. With the practice of hundreds of hours at the range, she fired repeatedly at the smoking hole of the dragon’s enormous nostril just as Ethan had instructed. Like human sinuses, the nasal cavity led straight to the brain.

  His gaping maw opened. She saw flame build at the back of his throat. She fired repeatedly. At least one hit home, because the flames suddenly disappeared, the dragon jerked in the air then fell to the earth below.

  She was breathing hard as she lowered her handgun. Taking a quick glance around, she hunted for the enemy, but the vampires had made quick work of taking the remaining fourteen out.

  All twenty were on the ground. Most of the dragons, once hit with a killing shot, shifted back to human. But a couple had suffered flesh wounds and writhed on the ground in dragon form.

  Liam flew over the battlefield then stopped to hover in the place where Ethan and his team had gathered in the air and were making a slow descent to the terrain below. There were only five flying.

  Liam?

  They lost one.

  Oh, God. She’d been ready to celebrate a victory, but she knew what losing a team member meant. What should we do?

  Wait for Ethan. He’ll come to us in a minute.

  With the sandstorm dying down, Liam treaded air with slow beats of his black wings. Emma stretched out on top of his head and grabbed his front right horn by habit but kept her hand politely still.

  Liam shifted trajectory and also descended, though slowly. From that angle she was able to see all the vampires. They were now on the ground and in a huddle around one of their fallen.

  Her heart set up a few dull thuds.

  Two of the vampires suddenly shouted.

  Liam? Her heart leaped.

  Here’s hoping.

  The group of men stepped back, and the sixth vampire rose to his feet, unharmed. He received about a dozen backslaps.

  Oh, I’m so glad.

  Same here.

  Ethan was smiling as he flew in their direction. His gaze was fixed on Liam’s broad dragon face. Because the wind had eased up, he levitated in front of Liam and spoke aloud, “He’s okay and I can’t thank you enough for serving our city like this. Both of you. Using your energy shield gave us an advantage we don’t usually have.”

  “Our pleasure,” Emma responded.

  Liam responded telepathically. We’d do anything for you, Ethan. You know that.

  Yeah, I do.

  Ethan floated effortlessly in the air. “I’ve got a clean-up crew heading in so feel free to take off. Liam, you can use the lake house, if you want. I’ll be in my city apartment and hunkered down for the day tomorrow.” His gaze shifted to Emma. “Glad to have met you, lovely one. If you’re ever back in my neck of the woods, be sure to call, especially if you find yourself free of other, er, encumbrances.” Then he laughed.

  Emma smiled. “Be well.” She lifted her arm in a farewell wave.

  He shoved a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. Too handsome for words. He then nodded and headed back in the direction of his team.

  Liam’s wings flapped slowly. Will the lake house do? I think we should talk.

  Emma felt a bit devilish, but she couldn’t resist. I’d love to see Ethan’s lake house. He’d mentioned that’s where he wanted to take me. After Liam’s disruptive appearance at the club, a few taunting words were the least he deserved.

  She felt his responding growl as a serious rumble flowed through his entire body. She couldn’t help but smile.

  Turning to head north, he flew toward a low range of hills, but remained silent.

  ~ ~ ~

  The moment Liam touched down on a clearing near the lake house, he felt Emma levitate safely away from his current position. He shifted back to his human form, including the clothes he’d been wearing when he left the hotel bar. He was sweating, however, and trembling. He hadn’t exactly planned on going dragon twice in one day. It took a toll and he’d need a minute or two to collect himself.

  He turned, though, and watched Emma float down from the sky heading toward him. She looked so beautiful, her complexion high from the recent battle. Her long hair was loose and flowed away from her face. With her rifle in one hand and the pistol in the other, she looked like a dragon warrior goddess of old.

  “I can’t believe we just did that,” she said, smiling as she landed in front of him. Her brow grew furrowed as she took in his shakes. “You okay?”

  “Just need a minute.”

  “No problem. I’ll be right back.” She took her weapons to the lake house deck and set them near the door.

  He leaned over and put his hands on his knees. He took several deep breaths until his body settled down and his bones stopped vibrating. Fortunately, his tailbone was intact this time, thank God.

  After a full minute, he rose upright. “Sorry about that,” he said, as she levitated back to him. “It’s not typical to be doing two jobs in one day.”

  “I remember the last time. You were exhausted. Are you now? Do you need rest?”

  He shook his head. He knew exactly what he needed, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it. Or the wisdom of it. But like hell he was going to run away from this moment with Emma. All he had to do was recall the sight of Ethan sucking on her neck, and he knew they were headed to bed.

  He decided to get straight to the point. “I haven’t been with a woman since your virgin run. Do you know that?”

  She looked stunned. “No, I didn’t. But why not?”

  “That’s just it, I don’t know. Instead of walking out of rooms when you enter, I leave rooms the moment another woman makes a play for me.”

  Her brow grew more furrowed. “Liam, what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I want to make love to you. Right now. Here, at Ethan’s lake house, with the moonlight on the water, and not just because you have needs or because I do, but because I want you and you want me. Sometimes, my dragon desires you so much I can hardly see straight, much less control what I’m feeling.

  “Can I make a promise for the future? No. But I can tell you this is what I want. I want you Emma, I want to bury myself inside you and to stay there as long as I can.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Emma had an image in her mind of a ruby platter. It had just been handed to her. On it was a beautifully wrapped glossy black box adorned with silver and red ribbons.

  She was being given the desires of her heart, her soul and her body all in one, right here in front of her. She admitted there was a deep, quiet part of her full of doubts. She even heard a whisper in her mind to put an end to this madness and go back to the hotel on her own. Given Liam’s history, she’d seen nothing that would indicate this could end well.

  But she suppressed it all. She wanted this time with him.

  She plant
ed a hand on his chest and gazed into his beautiful slivery-blue eyes. His smoky charred scent, that she loved so much, filled her nostrils.

  Her body melted as tears filled her eyes.

  Maybe it was the recent battle, or maybe she no longer cared, but she leaned her head against his neck and nuzzled him. “I’m willing.”

  He drew back from her and searched her eyes. “Are you sure? Even with no promises?”

  She nodded. She would take whatever tonight offered and try not to worry about the future.

  “Then let’s go.”

  She rose into the air beside him and left the clearing. It was a short trip back to the deck. Liam found the key under a nearby pot, unlocked the door then drew it wide.

  Once inside, he left the door open then unlatched a few windows to the let the fresh lake air blow through the house.

  She turned on a few lights and glanced around. The interior had an artistic feel with several modern paintings on the walls in black, reds, and yellows. The furnishings were dominated by black leather and wood. Very Ethan.

  Emma smiled at how much red was in the paintings. Not exactly subtle.

  The living room gave way to a dining area and kitchen, similar to dragon homes with one exception. There were security shutters that could be lowered at any time to block out the sunlight. In the course of her life, lived primarily around the north-central Blue Lake region, she’d only known a couple of male vampires and neither well enough to ask how they lived as one of their kind.

  Her curiosity got the better of her, however, and she opened the refrigerator. She smiled again. “He keeps bottles of blood in here.”

  “I imagine he would. Ethan is the well-prepared type.”

  “I like his house. It feels like him.”

  At that, Liam moved into the kitchen and drew close. He wore a light blue silk shirt, a black coat that hugged his muscular chest and finely tailored black slacks. She knew he had his clothes tailor-made as did many of the powerful lead dragons. Their warrior physiques weren’t exactly designed for off-the-rack wear. He looked elegant in much the same way Ethan had at the club. Sexy.