Eve Langlais (23 page)

Damian, although his name Realm Dragon now seemed more appropriate, screamed in rage. A primordial sound that echoed around the room. He threw her again, and Suzie hit the wall with a jarring thud, but she managed somehow to keep her feet. And finally, a break. She landed right by the door, which he’d left open.

Out she flew as if she had little wings on her feet. A quick glance down and she saw, with horror, Nat’s limp body. Up the hall she ran, though, not stopping.

A scream sounded behind her, and unable to resist, kind of like Lot’s wife, she had to look back.

A live Nat had managed to roll on her side, sword in hand, and stab Damian in the leg.

Unfortunately, though, Damian had two legs, and he kicked her with his good one hard in the head, putting Nat down for the count again.

Damn!
Suzie kept running, up the stairs, onto the parapet and clear blue skies.
Stupid!
She wasn’t a dragon like the kids. She couldn’t bloody fly. Suzie looked around wildly, but the walkway gaped back empty with only one way back in.

Maybe Damian had given up.

Not so lucky. Laughter bubbled up from the stairway leading down.

“Oh, Suzanne,” came his taunting voice. “I know you’re up there with nowhere to go. And I’m coming, Suzanne. Oh yes, I’m coming, and I’m really, really h-u-n-g-r-y,” he said, stretching the last word as he came into sight.

88

Suzie backed away, hands held out in front of her, eyes wide in terror.

Nowhere to go. No one to save her. Just her and a monster.

Where was a fainting spell when you needed one?

“Stop, Damian,” she tried, pleading again. “You’ve lost. Just leave now while you still can.”

“Never. I will not give up till I have my children back and you are dead.”

Damian lunged at Suzie, and though she tried to dart out of his way, his long reach snagged her arms and pinned them at her sides. He smiled at her, a grotesque parody of a grin with very large, pointed teeth. “Say good-bye, Suzanne,” Damian said, lifting her up and holding her over the side of the parapet.

Suzie looked down and felt her head spin with vertigo. The ground lay so far below, hard paving stones and not a trampoline in sight. This last incongruous thought made her want to giggle. Not a good idea. Damian shook her over this abyss of air, and Suzie did a very girly thing. She screamed. Really bloody loud.

89

Hunter teleported back to the castle in a foul mood. The idiot wizard they’d sent over had teleported them to the wrong place, a village north of the area he needed. Apparently, he’d never seen the teleport location for the village Hunter wanted. So back they came to the castle where he now needed to wait till a wizard who knew their location could arrive, a delay Hunter could have done without. His being vibrated with eagerness to go after the Dragon and take care of him once and for all. But he found himself even more anxious to have this done and over with. Could it have to do with a certain curvy mother that he missed already? Even after the glorious night they’d spent, he still craved her like a man dying of thirst in the desert. He wanted to sink in her glorious depths and soak her up. He might be besotted, but he loved it! And he’d punch the first idiot who dared make fun of him.

Screams sounded from outside along with the word, “Dragons!”

Shit!
Hunter spun and ran out the front door, drawing his sword as he went. How had the Dragon found them? No matter, he’d take care of him. Hunter skidded to a stop in the courtyard and looked up where a crowd of castle folk were pointing. Soaring through the sky were two tiny dragons—one pink, the other blue.

Oh no, the twins. What the hell had happened? Suzie would be frantic if the twins had taken off on her.

“It’s okay,” Hunter said, his loud voice cutting through the din. “They’re friendly!” What a relief.

And here he’d thought the real Dragon had shown up. Even he wouldn’t dare strike at the heart of the commander’s home. That would be plain stupid. There were guards all around, not to mention Nat and himself. Good thing he’d been here, though, or the castle guard might have hurt the twins.

The screaming died down as the people watched the dragonlings, coast lower and lower. The blue one, definitely Jared now that he could see him up close, landed in a tumbling roll at Hunter’s feet, clouds of dust making the little weredragon cough. The pink one, with a dainty flutter, hit the ground with just a slight wobble. His sweet angel—a natural.

“Jessica and Jared, what are you doing fly around like that? I’ll bet your mother is worried sick,”

Hunter admonished them.

“Hunta!” panted the pink dragonling. “Help Mommy!”

“Da bad man ith here!” lisped the blue one, eyes rolling in terror.

Hunter felt an icy hand grip his heart and squeeze hard. Suzie was in danger! The Dragon had found them.

Hunter ran, his powerful legs pumping up the stairs, his mind running along with them a mile a minute, caught in a dreadful nightmare loop. Suzie bleeding and ripped to shreds. Suzie dead. No!

Never! He wouldn’t be too late this time. He couldn’t.

He hit the hall her room was on and almost froze when he saw his sister’s limp form lying on the floor in the hall.

“Nat,” he bellowed, and to his relief, his sister stirred on the floor. Her blonde head, matted with blood, lifted, and he gasped when he saw wet, red rivulets of blood painting the left side of her face.

Someone had done a job on her. That would piss her off. His sister hated losing.

“Are you all right?” he asked, reaching her and kneeling beside her.

“I’ll be fine,” Nat winced. “Save Suzie. Up on the walkway. Dragon followed.”

“The twins are downstairs. Can you make it?” Hunter’s concern over his sister warred with his need to save Suzie.

“Go,” she said, getting to her knees. “Save her. My fault.”

Hunter didn’t hesitate any longer. Up the stairs he ran to the castle parapet, emerging in the bright light and blinking. When his sight adjusted, his breath left him in a whoosh, and if it hadn’t been for his training, he might have lost all control then and there.

90

The Dragon stood at the edge of the parapet, dangling Suzie over the side, her shoulder bleeding where the Dragon had scored her with its claws.

Hunter whistled to get his attention. “Oh, Dragon,” he taunted. “Don’t you want to play with someone a little more your size? Or are you only capable of beating up on women and children?”

The Dragon turned his head sideways and snarled at Hunter, but he kept dangling Suzie who turned wide, pleading eyes at him.

“Come on, Dragon,” Hunter cajoled. “Put the woman down, and let’s do it. Man to dragon. Let’s see who’s tougher.” Igniting words, but then dragons were well-known for their arrogance and superiority complex. Which, according to stories, usually led to their downfall.
Here’s to hoping the stories
are right.

“Do you think you can trick me, Hunter? I’ve seen you with my little brood mare. I know you care for the fat slut.” The Dragon chuckled, and Hunter held his breath as Suzie swayed in the Dragon’s grip.

“I’m surprised you’d even think about touching something I’d tasted first. Tell me, how do you like her little whimpers when you take her? She’s a bit passive in bed for my tastes, but then, what can you expect from peasant stock? I didn’t choose her for her courtesan skills, but she has excellent child bearing hips.”

“You bastard,” hissed Hunter, his anger a simmering pot about to boil over. He needed to calm down before his rage completely clouded his judgment. He needed to find a way to make the Dragon let her go. But how?

“Enough talk, Dragon. Put Suzie down, and let’s take care of this once and for all.”

“Oh, I intend to take care of you, but first, let’s put out the trash, shall we?” said the Dragon with a toothy smile.

Hunter watched in horror as the Dragon opened his claws and let Suzie fall to what would be a quick, but certain, death. Her eyes widened in shock as she started to fall, and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but all too quickly, she dropped out of sight. The woman he loved killed because he’d failed her.

Hunter saw red, his anguish and need for revenge overcoming his training. He charged, slashing his sword at the Dragon who pulled away from the wall and danced out of reach. The bastard, even with his bulky size, was lighter on his feet than expected.

“You’ll have to do better than that, boy, if you intend to hurt me,” taunted the Dragon.

“Oh, I will,” growled Hunter, dropping into his fighting stance. He breathed deep, trying to calm his mind and block the sight of Suzie’s face as she fell. She might have died, but he would avenge her.

Finally, his training kicked in. Hunter felt his body relax and his mind enter that still place inside of him, the quiet zone where only he and his opponent existed. He held his sword loosely in his right hand and watched the Dragon, eyes of the hunter alert to his every body movement, waiting for an opening. Only one of them would walk away from this encounter, and Hunter intended to be that person.

The Dragon lunged forward, claws extended, going for Hunter’s soft underbelly, but Hunter twirled and came up behind the Dragon and managed to slice the scaly hide, a shallow, but bloody wound that dripped dark blood. Ha, first blood went to Hunter and his Realm-forged, enchanted blade. Hunter smiled coldly.

That pissed the Dragon off. He snarled and rushed Hunter, but at the last second, feinted and sent his tail swinging instead, sweeping Hunter’s feet out from under him. Landing hard, Hunter immediately rolled. Good thing because sharp claws came down where his face had been a split second before.

Hunter sprang to his feet and paced around the big, black beast. “I’m going to kill you for what you did,” promised Hunter. Oh yes, the monster would pay for killing Suzie, and Hunter intended to make sure it hurt.

91

“Oh, please.” The Dragon laughed, pacing around Hunter, the two engaged in a warrior’s dance that spanned the ages. “I have not waited this long to die at the hands of one man. You would need an army much bigger than just you to kill me.”

“Now who’s deluded?” taunted Hunter. “You seem to forget you’re only a half-blood. Or did you forget your mother was human? You’re not a real dragon, only a poor excuse for one.”

The Dragon screamed, a high pitched sound full of rage, but unfortunately, he didn’t rush Hunter as he’d hoped. No matter, time to go on the offensive. Hunter stalked toward the Dragon, who watched Hunter’s sword avidly. Hunter started swinging the blade back and forth. The hypnotic effect had the Dragon distracted so when Hunter swung it close, the Dragon lifted an arm to block it as expected, but Hunter did the unexpected. He flipped the sword to his other hand—oh yes, he was ambidextrous—and swung at the Dragon’s now unprotected side. The sword sank deep, and the Dragon bellowed in pain.

Hunter pulled the sword out, dark blood bubbling from the wound. Hunter brought the sword back to strike a killing blow, but the Dragon, sensing his imminent defeat, stopped fighting and, instead, untucked his large wings. Flapping them, the Dragon started rising above the parapet, the bastard deciding to ditch the battle and escape.

Like hell
, thought Hunter. He dropped his sword, and with a running leap, wrapped his arms around the Dragon’s scaly, lower legs.

The Dragon sagged in the air and screamed again. Hunter smiled grimly and held on tight. The Dragon flapped harder and recovered altitude with Hunter going along for the ride. Hunter looked down at the ant sized people in the courtyard. To his surprise, he couldn’t see Suzie’s crumpled form on the ground. Had she somehow survived? He scanned the crowd on the ground, but had no time to really see anything, as suddenly, the Dragon swooped down, heading toward the outer bailey wall.
Crap
.

Hunter could see what the Dragon planned. Smack Hunter like a bug off the wall in the hopes of making him fall. Like hell. Hunter tightened his grip. No way would he let go. He had a mission to finish.

Inch by inch, he moved his hands up the Dragon’s legs, hiking his body higher up. Damn stinky bastard, the wound Hunter had given him made his scales slick and stink of sulfur. Hunter wished he’d just hurry up and die.

He needed to go back and see if Suzie, by some miracle, had survived the fall.

92

Suzie felt herself plummeting, too frightened to even pray, the look of horror on Hunter’s face etched in her mind. She hoped being smashed to bits wouldn’t hurt, and she closed her eyes tight.

But instead of hitting the hard, cobbled stone of the courtyard, she slowed and floated lightly till she landed on the ground on her butt.

Opening her eyes, fearfully, because, after all, maybe she’d died and turned into a ghost, she let out a relieved breathe when she saw the anxious faces of Beverly and other strangers crowded around her, including a wizard in dark blue robes.

“Oh thank the higher powers!” exclaimed Beverly, clutching a hand to her heart.

“What happened?” asked Suzie. Yeah, like how the hell had she gone from certain squishy death, you know the type that needed the parts scooped up and reassembled like a puzzle, to not a mark or bruise? Well, except for the ones the Dragon had given her beforehand.

“Finnius, the wizard over there in the blue robes, had just arrived when we saw the Dragon drop you from the parapet. Thankfully, he’s a quick thinker and a magic caster. He managed to slow your descent, or things would have ended very badly.”

Badly was an understatement. But wait, this wasn’t over yet. She’d left the Dragon up there with Hunter.
Oh no!

Suzie sprang to her feet and looked up in time to see Hunter launch himself and grab the legs of the Dragon who pumped huge wings as he tried to fly off. Holy shit! What next? Fire breathing?

“Someone has to help him,” Suzie cried, running across the courtyard, trying to follow his flight, Beverly scurrying after.
Where the hell are all the soldiers and stuff? Why is Hunter fighting him alone?