Page 38 of Red Fire
It doesn’t take long for me to hear them…dragons. They are circling above us; their wings create gusts of wind that shake the leaves around us. They’re that close. Creed’s eyes narrow as he scans the sky, assessing the danger above. He presses himself more solidly against me, caging me in.
I can barely breathe as that all-too-familiar feeling of panic takes hold of me. When I look back and see fear in Creed’s eyes, the feeling intensifies. My hands start to shake, so I press them harder against the bark of the tree. My breath is coming in gasps. I need to be quiet. My chest tightens, and my heart starts to race, threatening to burst out of my chest. I can feel my pulse throbbing in my temples, and my hands continue to shake against the bark.
My gut clenches. It feels like there’s a swarm of bees inside me. Inside my stomach, inside my veins. It’s hard to just stand there as quietly as possible when those creatures are close enough to cast shadows over us.
One of them screeches, and all the hair on my body goes up. Creed tenses behind me as the massive dragon lands somewhere behind us with a crash.
We turn as the creature goes up on its hind legs; it screeches, its slitted eyes narrowed on us. My blood turns to ice. I would scream, but I am momentarily frozen in place. They’ve found us. My heart sinks with dread.
Creed turns, keeping his back to me. We watch as three more dragons land around us. One of them growls, and smoke wafts all around it. I smell the strong scent of sulfur.
I’m reminded that they are fire-breathing, bloodthirsty creatures. Not that I could forget. I make a whining noise; it seems to come from somewhere deep inside me.
The closest dragon sniffs the air and then sniffs again.
“Stay right there,” Creed tells me in a voice that is altogether too calm and controlled. “Whatever you do, do not run. Don’t so much as move.”
I make a noise of agreement, unable to take my eyes off them.
One of the dragons takes a step forward, its eyes fixed on Creed with a predatory gleam. It lets out a low growl that reverberates through my bones. I can see the muscles rippling beneath its shimmering scales, which are bright turquoise, turning a darker blue on its horns, wings, and tail. Just like all the others, it has red patches on its torso. Just like the others, it is terrifying.
Creed doesn't move, his stance unwavering as he meets the dragon’s gaze head-on.
The ground seems to vibrate with each step it takes as it stalks toward us. I expect Creed to shift, but he doesn’t. He stays right where he is, a protective hand on my hip.
The tension in the air is palpable as the dragon gets closer, its hot sulfur-laced breath washing over us in waves. I feel Creed’s muscles tense beneath my fingertips as he stands his ground, looking the picture of calm. I can’t tear my eyes away from the dragon’s slitted pupils, which seem to bore into me.
Just when I think the situation couldn’t get worse, another shadow falls over us. A massive, ebony-scaled dragon lands with a resounding thud beside the others, its presence commanding and powerful. This new arrival is bigger than the others and radiates authority with every movement it makes.
Craaaap!
I whimper softly, unable to contain the fear coursing through me. These dragons, they’re unlike the others I saw. They exude an aura of primal power that sends a shiver down my spine.
I’m in deep shit!
Make thatwe’rein deep shit. Four to one. Creed can’t possibly fight them off. I wonder what he plans to do.Creed remains resolute, his jaw clenched. Still not flinching or changing in any way.
I’m not sure what he will do against so many of them. He can’t protect me. He can’t possibly win. We’re doomed.
I swallow thickly, rubbing my stinging eyes. I refuse to cry. I won’t give in. I need to be strong. I need to think, to find a way out of this. The problem is that I can’t think of anything. My mind is blank. If there is one thing I have learned about myself since coming to this island, it’s that I’m not great under pressure.
The turquoise and blue dragon is still the closest. He ignores the newcomer and steps closer as he starts to shimmer. Within seconds, the dragon is gone, and a man stands in its place. The man is big and covered in tattoos. His hair is black and shaggy. His eyes are dark, too. He is almost as muscular as Creed, and at around six and a half feet, he is almost as tall.
“Well, well, what have we here?” he says, grinning. “Let me see the human.”
“No,” Creed says. “She is on her way to the city and will return to the Mainland. You can all leave. She does not want to be mated or bred.”
The shifter sniffs the air. “You marked her with your seed. I can smell it even in my human form. You got to fuck her, but the rest of us are no good. Is that it? Do you think you’re better than us? You’ve always acted like it. Building a house and marking your territory. Is that what you’re doing now?”
Creed doesn’t say anything for a few long moments. “The female isn’t mine, she—”
“Is available to claim, then,” he booms. “I claim her.”
The newcomer roars loudly. Another dragon screeches so loudly that it hurts my ears.
“The human is not available to be claimed. She does not wish to be claimed or mated. She wants—” Creed tries to say but is cut off.
“I will change her mind,” the shaggy-haired guy says, trying to leer at me. “Let me see her. Come out from behind him, little one. You are safe with me.”