Page 20 of Red Fire

“Why didn’t you correct me before?”

“Would you have believed me? You looked pretty convinced that they don’t exist. I left it at that. I figured you’d soon realize that you were wrong. I thought that everyone on the Mainland knew about them.”

Crap!I don’t want to believe him, but how can I not? I’ve never heard anything like it.

I lick my lips. “I always thought it was a load of bull. That the pictures were fake. I thought they used the fear of dragons to control us. I always suspected something sinister was behind the sending of Tributes. I still don’t understand why they need us. I’m not sure I buy all that crap about Sky Wardens.” I sigh. I can’t really deny what’s staring me right in the face. “Are they dangerous?” I’m pretty sure I know the answer to that question.

He nods. “Yep…extremely dangerous.”

“Do they eat people?”

“No, but you are in danger, Octavia.”

I frown. “They don’t eat people? I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t they eat people?”

“They prefer eating game. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t kill you. If one caught you, it would tear you apart…okay? That’s all you need to know. Dragons are to be avoided at all costs.”

“No…that’s so far from okay.” I can feel that my eyes are wide. Aaaand…yep…I’m on the verge of panic again. “So, we have to watch out for sex-crazed mountain menandkiller dragons. How many dragons are there out here, anyway?”

I’m expecting him to say one or two when he says, “As many as there are humans.”

“What?” I spit out, getting an immediate shushing from Creed. “You can’t be serious.” I whisper-shout. “You said that there are as many as eighty mountain men out here. There can’tbe eighty dragons.” I shake my head. “Why haven’t we seen them? Heard more of them?”

He rolls his eyes and sits up, forgetting to cup his cock. I note that he has a semi-erection. It’s still huge. Holy moly! These mountain men are…they’re…different.

Don’t look!

Eyes on his face.

This is an important conversation.

“I am very serious. There are plenty of dragons out here. Just because you haven’t seen one doesn’t mean they do not exist. Just because you haven’t heard more of them doesn’t mean they’re not there…they are.”

“O-okay.” I hang my head for a few moments. “We’ve avoided them so far. If we could keep doing that, I would be really happy…ecstatic even.”

“You and me both; just keep quiet. Keep calm, no matter what, and keep doing exactly what I tell you.”

I nod vigorously. “I will. Believe you me, I will. Now, please tell me all about these dragons. How big are they? Where do they live? How do we keep avoiding them? I mean, aside from keeping very quiet. I don’t want to be torn apart or eaten.”

“They’re big. Probably bigger than you imagine them to be. They live all over the island, so they’re hard to avoid. We will try to stick to thicker vegetation; it’s slower going but safer that way.”

I nod. All over, but not in the city. The key to escaping all of this is to get there and as fast as possible. I hope we make it. We have to. My life can’t end here.

“Aside from sticking to denser parts of the jungle, we avoid them in the same way as we’ve avoided the men, by being quiet, masking our scent, and staying hidden wherever possible. The dragons have excellent senses. They’re built to hunt and kill,” he says in a deep voice, his dark eyes on me.

I shudder at the thought and then nod because it all makes sense. “I’ve spent my whole life being a nonbeliever. I was sure that there was more to it. That dragons didn’t exist and that something else was being kept from us…something bigger.” I know I already said this, but I still can’t quite believe it. An island…two islands infested with dragons, and I have yet to see one. It doesn’t make much sense.

His jaw clenches again. “They do exist. You were wrong on that note.”

On that note.

There it is! I get the distinct impression that he’s keeping something from me. My gut is telling me that he is, but I can’t seem to put my finger on it. Everything about this place is wrong, somehow.

I very carefully unzip my pack, wincing when it makes a hint of noise. Then, I pull out a bottle of water. I drink a small amount and hand it to Creed. I think he lost the waterskin since I don’t see it anywhere.

He nods, drinking a few sips before handing it to me. “Thanks.”

I don’t take it. “You need more. You ran for half the night. You have to be thirsty.”