Page 58 of Red Fire
“I’m scared, Creed,” she says as a huge shadow falls over us. The flapping of wings drowns out her voice.
“There is no reason. You’re braver than you think. You stood up to Tank more than once. You made it out here. You should be proud. Now, you need to go back to the Mainland.” I smile. “It’s important that you go for more flying lessons. You need them.”
She gives me a watery smile as her eyes fill with tears. She doesn’t cry, though. Octavia is too strong for tears.
We both turn as the first of the dragons land. The earth shakes beneath our feet as at least a hundred dragons land together in formation.
Several males in the front shift into their human forms. All of the dragons behind them stay in tight lines, standing like statues on the ready.
“Get away from the female, outlaw scum!” the closest male instructs me, his eyes blazing with unchecked hate and animosity.
“Stop, he’s my friend,” Octavia yells so that all present will hear.
“Remember what I said,” I say under my breath. “I will be fine. Goodbye, Octavia.”
We’re still looking at one another when I am tackled to the ground. My ribs scream. I think I do, too, as the wind is knocked from me.
I think Octavia is telling me “Goodbye,” but I can’t be sure. Two males pick me up from behind, and the one who tackled me is back on his feet. He punches me in the stomach, putting his back into it.
Then, blessedly, he goes for my face. I don’t think I can take any more blows to the torso. He keeps up the assault. I don’t care about the punches, but I bristle at Octavia’s screams.
21
Octavia
Several big, burly shifters are holding Creed in place while one of them beats on him. I run toward them, screaming for them to stop, when one grabs me from behind, picking me up off my feet.
“What are you doing? He’s my friend. He kept me safe this whole time!” I scream, trying to break free. “Stop hurting him.” I scream so loudly that my throat hurts.
The guy keeps hitting Creed; he seems to be taking some perverse enjoyment out of it. Pyro said that the guards treated exiled shifters like scum, but I didn’t quite believe it until now. I realize that some of these guys have done really bad things, but not all of them did.
“I could scent his seed on her while in my dragon form,” the guy holding onto me yells. “It’s definitely there,” he adds, putting his nose to my stomach. I knee him in the face, still screaming for them to stop hurting Creed, which they finally do.
Creed slumps to the ground; his face is bloody. He groans, clutching his side. It’s his ribs. I saw Tank land that blow. It was bad. Creed groans and then lies still.
No! No! No!
We should have run when we had the chance. This is ridiculous.
“I take it that you’re the one who crash-landed in the jungle?” one of the men asks me in a gruff voice.
I nod. “Yes. Please, don’t—”
“I’m glad we found you. I’m sorry for all you must have gone through. You are safe now. I am Colonel Taro. You are in safe hands.” He turns to Creed. “That male is under arrest.”
“Why?” I shout. “Creed didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He forced you to have sex,” he says.
“No, he didn’t,” I growl.
“Well, then he made you give him sex in return for your safety. That is against the law,” the colonel says.
Where did he come up with that?
“That’s not what happened at all. I—”
“You have had a terrible ordeal, human. You’re not thinking straight.” He looks at me like I am some sort of child. “Again, I am sorry. We will make it right.”