Dragon Heat (13 page)

concealing information from me? Why can’t you tell me who you got your

intel from?‛ Tardieh could not contain his anger and unleashed his

frustration at her. ‚Just like before, you expect me to follow you and not

question why, how, or who. You are probably used to men drooling over

you and doing as they are told like housebroken puppies. Well, not this

puppy, Zoricah. You will have to tell me everything, and I mean

everything, to get my cooperation this time around.‛

Zoricah was about to tell him she didn’t need his stupid

cooperation, that even if she did, she didn’t want it anymore, when the

large doors on the shed opened and a dark sedan drove off toward the

forest.

As soon as the sound of large iron doors being opened reached his

ears, Tardieh’s military-trained reflexes kicked in. He crouched lower on

the ground and saw Zoricah do the same. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to

see who was inside the dark sedan, but the damned car had tinted

windows. Turning his attention back to the shed, he saw that there were

three razbians guarding it, not two.
Hmm, interesting.
Why were there so

many razbians watching over a shed? What was in it?

Turning his head slightly, he caught a glimpse of movement to his

left. Zoricah’s two warriors were walking toward them, carrying a

redheaded female he hadn’t seen before. Zoricah stood up to meet them.

‚It’s getting worse,‛ the tall brunette said.

‚Her abdominal seizures are getting less and less sparse. I cannot

help her anymore,‛ added the slender blondie who had knocked Hikuro

out.

Zoricah leaned down to check on the redhead after the two females

had carefully laid her on the forest floor. ‚Drew?‛ she whispered, ‚Drew,

tell me what you are feeling?‛

The redhead's eyes fluttered open, and she tried to talk, but no

words came out. Instead she coiled over herself as if a sharp sword had

pierced her stomach.

‚Drew!‛ Tardieh heard genuine desperation on Zoricah’s plea. It

had not been staged. The redhead draconian was really suffering, and he

had no idea why.

He reached for his cell phone and speed-dialed his warriors. In less

than two seconds, Hikuro, Dyam, and Joel were standing next to him.

Zoricah stood up and faced him with a determination known only

to true leaders. ‚We have to go in, now. There’s no more time.‛ She

started to turn around to command the attack, but Tardieh grabbed her

wrist and raised an eyebrow at her. She exhaled sharply and answered his

unspoken question, ‚Her twin sister is in there, and she’s dying.‛

Twin sister? Tardieh’s eyes widened. Draconian twins were

extremely rare. The bond between them was said to be so powerful that it

was believed they were emissaries of Apa Dobrý.
Several kings had tried

to understand and reproduce their psychic connection throughout history.

None had ever managed to succeed.

Freeing her wrist from his grip, Zoricah took the electronic brief out

of her back pocket and turned it on. Once more the blue rays emerged

from the center of the device, but this time they formed a suspended

horizontal platform, and a 3-D blueprint of the farmhouse appeared.

Pointing at it, she continued, ‚According to my sources, the front central

door opens to a large living room, which is followed by a kitchen. On the

second floor, you’ll find three bedrooms and a bathroom.‛

‚What’s in the shed?‛ Hikuro asked.

‚There must be something of value in there otherwise there would

not be so many razbians guarding it,‛ Dyam concluded.

‚I’m not sure because my sources have never been in there,‛

Zoricah said, revealing more in one sentence than she had in the past

forty-eight hours.

‚Dyam and Joel, you cover the roof,‛ Tardieh commanded,

pointing at the digital blueprint on Zoricah’s hand.

‚Sam and Yara can attack from the back door,‛ Zoricah added. ‚I

will fly in and create a diversion at the main entrance.‛

‚Agreed. I’ll stay with you and try to attract as many razbians as

possible,‛ Tardieh replied.

Hikuro stepped forward. ‚I can cover the shed. There must be

something there they don’t want us to find.‛

Tardieh nodded in approval.

‚The last intel piece reported ten females in the house, mainly on

the ground floor. Our primary objective is to rescue them alive,‛ Zoricah

said, emphasizing the last word.

The redhead stood up and joined them. Zoricah put a hand on her

shoulder and said sternly, ‚No, Drew, you will stay here. You are too

weak to fight, and I don’t want to risk anymore than we absolutely have

to.‛

‚But I know where Deirdre is! I am the only one who can feel her,‛

Drew replied with fierce determination, despite her pallid features.

‚Tell us where this Deirdre is, and we’ll find her,‛ Joel

counterargued with pure certainty.

Tardieh saw the three females roll their eyes in response, but

Zoricah intervened before they could lash out at his friend. ‚He is right.

The house is not big, and we know the females are being kept mainly on

the ground floor.‛

Drew’s angry reaction told Tardieh she would not back down. She

tried to argue, but Zoricah put her hand up, silencing her words. Tardieh

expected hard imposing tones; instead, he heard Zoricah speak softly to

Drew. ‚Deirdre needs you alive, Drew. You said it yourself. She is very

weak. You have had limited training and even less time in combat. So

what happens if you get wounded in battle? Who will give her life energy,

then?‛

Silence descended on the forest. Drew lowered her eyes in

resignation. ‚Okay, I’ll stay here.‛

‚Call us if you see anyone else approaching the farmhouse,‛

Zoricah said with a slight nod. Then she turned toward Tardieh and

raised her chin. ‚Ready?‛

He gave her a half smile in reply, with a glimpse of his fully

extended fangs. ‚Always.‛

All six warriors descended on the farmhouse. Tardieh

dematerialized a few feet away from the front door.

‚Hello there,‛ he said to the surprised razbians who seemed to

have woken up from a boring slumber.

With delight, he saw Zoricah fly in from high above. She hadn’t

shifted completely, using only her powerful golden wings to carry her.

More razbians were already coming out of their hiding places in the forest

to meet the invaders. Zoricah landed on top of a pair and smashed them

to the ground. One of them managed to recover and tried to seize her

arms. With a smooth, continuous movement, she bent sideways and

around, taking his left arm with her. Pulling out her knife, she took

advantage of his open stance and stabbed him in the heart. With a loud

cry, he fell lifeless on the floor.

Tardieh felt the air change near him and managed to catch the

razbian’s fist just before it reached his jaw. Reacting with his vampiric

speed, he ducked down and plunged his combat knife into his attacker’s

jugular. Dark brown blood spilled onto his hand. Twisting his wrist, he

finished, slashing his opponent’s throat, and in the same movement, he

gathered momentum to turn around and kick the other razbian’s gun out

of his claw-like hands. The bullet intended for his heart hit a nearby tree,

straight past Zoricah’s ears. She gave him a knowing look; he shrugged in

apology. Then he saw her eyes go wide in warning. Without a second

thought, Tardieh crouched down and turned on his left heel, thrusting his

right leg in a semicircle. His leg hit another guard who was trying to

surprise him from behind on the ankles, making him stumble and fall

heavily on the ground. If it wasn’t for Zoricah’s worried look, the razbian

would have succeeded in the attack.
By
Apa Dobrý! Focus on the battle,

stupid puppy!
Tardieh chided himself. But there was no time for

self-reprimands. Having been joined by two others, the fallen razbian was

already lifting himself up and coming at Tardieh once more.

Tardieh materialized right behind his three attackers. It took them a

few precious seconds to realize what had happened. Too bad it was a little

too late. In a heartbeat, Tardieh had slashed open the throats of two of

them. Having seen his companions falling lifelessly on the floor, the third

one backed away and fired three shots at Tardieh, who managed to dodge

two. The third bullet hit him on the shoulder, slowing him down, but not

enough to stop his progress toward the last razbian. Dropping low, he

punched the gun out of the guard’s hand with his left forearm, then

ducking to the right underneath his opponent’s left elbow, he thrust his

knife straight into the motherfucker’s heart.

Crouching low, he twisted on his heels to assess the situation.

Zoricah was surrounded by three razbians who looked determined to

make a meal out of her.
Damn it!
He stood up ready to go to her aid but

stopped in his tracks.

It was the most beautiful battle sight he’d ever seen. Using the

razbian on her left as leverage, Zoricah kicked the second one in the head,

knocking him to the ground. Smoke started coming out of the first

razbian’s throat. Tardieh realized that Zoricah had set the razbian on fire

while using him as a live catapult.
Impressive.
Then with the liquid grace of

a lethal ballerina, she ducked out of the third razbian’s aim, dodging the

bullet intended to split her brain open. Dropping low on the ground, she

punched him in the groin, immobilizing him for good. Without wasting

any time, she turned on her heels while pulling her gun out and fired two

bullets at each of their heads. In less than sixty seconds, all three razbians

had been eliminated.

She turned around, and her eyes found him. Her lips curled up.

‚Close your mouth, Tardieh. You’re drooling.‛

Tardieh narrowed his eyes and went to her. He was about to tell

her they should go and check on the others when a high-pitched cry

shrilled through the night air. It sounded like a thousand knifes stabbing

his eardrums.

Zoricah looked toward the house, fear in her eyes. ‚Drew, no!‛

Tardieh turned just in time to see an enormous red dragon

hovering above the house. So that was the source of that deafening sound.

The dragon seemed not to hear Zoricah’s command. She was focused on

the farmhouse, as if trying to see through the roof, but soon realized it was

useless. Frustrated, the dragon swirled upward and took a deep breath,

preparing to fire. Tardieh saw through the open front door Hikuro, Dyam,

and Joel right below the dragon’s target.

Zoricah didn’t think twice. She had to stop Drew from burning the

roof down. If she succeeded, she would kill everyone beneath it, including

any female survivors, Sam, Yara, and the three vampires who had just

reached the living room.

‚Get them out of the house!‛ she yelled to Tardieh. She knew she

would not have the time to shapeshift fully, so she let her golden wings

grow even bigger and took off toward her deranged draconian friend.

Zoricah flew up and crashed straight into Drew, knocking her to

the ground. Drew had managed to throw a fireball at the roof, which was

rapidly disintegrating under the growing blaze.

Zoricah was at great disadvantage. Drew was not an experienced

fighter, but she was a powerful dragon, and Zoricah was not fully turned,

so she had to play to her strengths. She managed to untangle herself while

evading Drew’s sharp claws, which were slashing at anything and

everything in front of her; then she flew around Drew’s head and landed

on her friend’s back, straddling her as tight as she could. Zoricah placed

both hands on Drew's leathery back and channeled her demigoddess heat

toward them. But Drew quickly swung her long, barbed tail, slamming

Zoricah squarely on the head. Unable to keep her balance, Zoricah fell

hard on the ground.

Rolling on her back, she saw that Tardieh, his vampires, and her

fighters were still inside the house.
What the fuck were they doing in there?

Why weren’t they getting those females out?
She managed to dodge another

tail attack by rolling to the side, but Drew was already preparing to exhale

a fireball. That would hurt. Quite a bit.

Zoricah did not have much time; she had to act quickly. But what

could she do to stop her friend without harming her? Zoricah stood up

sharply and focused. She felt her dragon heat building inside her,