Page 26 of Red Fire

Yep, I hear footfalls, alright.

Fuck!

I should have picked up on the noises sooner. I was distracted. Too far in my own thoughts.Fuck!

I could kick myself. If I try to change direction, whoever is there will hear me and follow. Once again, I am slower with the female in tow. This part of the jungle is sparse enough to shift. My only consolation is that there only seems to be one of them. I’m not foolish enough to think that there aren’t others close by. I need to finish him as quickly and as quietly as possible. Then, we need to run hard and fast.

I gently put Octavia down. Her eyes are full of questions. She hasn’t heard him approaching yet. She will soon.

I put a finger over my mouth to signal for her to keep quiet. Then I mouth, “Hide,” and “Don’t look.” I put a hand over my eyes.

She narrows her eyes in question, her stare moving to where the footfalls are coming from. Octavia can hear them, too, now. Her eyes widen with fear.

“Hide,” I mouth again, and she nods.

Moving swiftly and quietly, I hide, too, hoping against hope that whoever is coming doesn’t hear me. I’ll try to avoid them, and failing that, I’ll have to fight.

I only hope that Octavia doesn’t look. Perhaps I can still keep the fact that I am a dragon shifter a secret. I hope she doesn’t find out. Not yet.

As the footsteps draw nearer, they stop when there is a noise from behind me. It’s Octavia; she’s trying to be as quiet as possible, but humans are naturally clumsy. The game is up. We won’t be able to avoid a confrontation. My suspicions are confirmed when the footfalls start up again, quicker this time and growing louder by the second.

I can feel the tension in the air thickening. I start toward the approaching male, moving swiftly. As I draw closer, I close my eyes and allow the shift to overtake me. I hope that Octavia is hiding. That she can’t see me. I don’t think so. I get the familiar sensation of scales unfurling across my skin, of bones elongating and muscles reshaping. It fills me with a primal power that pulses through my veins.

Protect!

Mine!

Female, mine!

I allow the protective instincts to surge in my beast. They will fuel the coming bout. Through slitted eyes, I watch as a male approaches. He stops, sniffing the air. His gaze lands on me as I stalk toward him.

“Any sign of the female?” he asks me.

I shake my great head.

His eyes narrow, and he sniffs the air again, lines of confusion appearing on his brow. Can he smell her on me…in the air around us? The males who inhabit our jungles are far more in touch with their dragons and their baser instincts. This maleis no exception. He growls low as he shifts. His scales pop out through his skin, gleaming in shades of emerald and sapphire. He sniffs the air yet again, and I know that my game is truly up. His gaze narrows on me with a sharp laser focus. He growls softly, baring his teeth in a challenge. He knows I have the human. He is going to fight me for her.

Octavia

Someone is approaching.

Shit!

It has to be one or more of those mountain men. We can’t seem to catch a break. There are too many of them out here. This place is crawling…or, at least, that’s how it feels.

“Hide,” Creed mouths, followed by, “Don’t look.” He covers his eyes.

Then he is gone before I can say or do anything.

Don’t look!

Don’t look?

Why would he instruct me not to look? Maybe he wants me so well hidden that I can’t see anything. Maybe he doesn’t want me to be frightened because I’ll have to watch him fight. That maybe he thinks I’m squeamish when it comes to blood. That’s probably it. Only I’m not squeamish. I heard him fighting last night. I know it’s vicious.

Don’t look.

He seemed worried. Of course he’s concerned. I need to stop overthinking everything.