Page 40 of Red Fire

“You are welcome to challenge me, but know that I will show no mercy. The price you will pay is death.”

Creed steps forward. “You can’t have the female.”

“Be careful! I take that as a challenge,” the bearded guy says.

“So be it,” Creed replies.

“No!” I say. “Don’t do it.” I don’t want anything to happen to Creed.

“If I win, I get to keep the female,” Creed says.

“No! Don’t do it,” I beg again. “Please go away!” I shout at the guy. I know it won’t help. I should save my breath.

As expected, the huge brute laughs. “You won’t beat me, but, if by some miracle, you do, she will be yours, but only until the next male comes along. I hope you have a lot of fight in you. You should have claimed and marked her properly when you had the chance.” He sniffs. “You should have bred her properly, too. You must know that seed is supposed to go inside a female, not all over her. Your scent is not enough to keep me from her.”

He looks at me with cold eyes. “You are mine now; you’d better get used to it.”

“Never,” I spit.

“The female does not wish to be claimed,” Creed says.

“Hopefully, she changes her mind, or it will be hard on her,” Tank says. “You will learn to accept your fate,” he tells me.

“Are you insane?” I ask him. “I’ll fight you.”

“I like a bit of fire in my females. We will work well together.” He grins, looking evil. That’s when I see it, his erection. It’s huge. His cock is hard and thick and jutting from his body. “You should prepare for me, female,” he says. “There will be no foreplay.”

Creed lunges forward, shifting as he moves. The bearded asshole follows suit, and they clash in much the same way as the previous fight – the one with the blue dragon. As I run to find cover, I note that a bloodied body lies in the spot where the broken dragon had lain moments earlier. The guy with the shaggy black hair is dead. The smell of his blood is thick in the air, making me want to gag. There is no time.

I need to get away from the commotion without going too far. I dive behind a tree, hearing crashing, smashing, and screeching behind me. Creed and the black dragon are locked in a fierce battle. I don’t have to look to know it is happening.

Once it is relatively safe to do so, I carefully take a quick peek at them.

Through the foliage, I see the two immense dragons locked in combat, their roars echoing through the jungle. Creed’s bronze scales gleam in the morning light as he dodges a flurry of razor-sharp claws. The black dragon goes for Creed with a menacing growl. They clash, and trees are uprooted, and rocks are shattered by their sheer power. The ground trembles beneath them.

I’m still too close. I dash to the next tree and then the next, trying to stay far enough away, praying all the while that Creed will be okay. That he won’t be hurt…or worse.

Just as I turn to watch them fight, something grabs me and yanks me up with such force that my chin hits my chest. I scream as I disappear through the sparse canopy. I look up. A dragon has me in its claws. Below me, the ground races by, and I let out another panicked scream as the dragon ascends higher into the sky. The wind whips at my hair and clothes, stinging my skin, and tears stream from my eyes as I try to process what is happening. I’m being carted off by one of them. It’s brown and red. Not as big as some of the others I’ve seen, but big enough to be freaking terrifying.

Its grip around my waist is firm, but the jungle is so far below us that I feel sick to my stomach. If I fall, it will be over for me. I grip its scaled talon, closing my eyes. I need to stay still. It can’t drop me. What will happen when it lands? What does it want?

Unfortunately, I can guess. It’s what all of them want. To claim, mate, and breed me. My stomach twists, and I gag. Nothing comes out.

“Creed!” I scream. “Help!” I pray he hears me, but I think I might be on my own.

15

Octavia

I’m surprised when we descend, making for a clearing. We haven’t been flying for very long and, therefore, won’t be too far away from Creed, which is good.

Creed.

Is he still fighting Tank?

Is he dead?

Will he find me if he makes it?