dragons breath 02 - dancing with flames (20 page)

“What?” The bushes where he crouched behind rustled. “Bailey, wait…”

The creature touched down on the roof and disappeared. There was nothing Conrad could do to help me at this point, so I ran. All my senses focused on reaching the beast and attacking it. My instincts were trying to take over again. I forced myself to think and strategize as I moved up the street. Yes, I needed its scales, but I did not have to let the rage take over.

Reaching the building, I jerked the entrance door open and ripped it partway off its hinges. There was no time to bother trying to pick the lock. I scanned the dim interior, finding myself in a lobby. Nobody had raided the place or disturbed it yet. With a dragon lair on the roof, that probably discouraged human visitors. I spotted an emergency stairwell over to the right and raced toward the door. After opening it, I allowed myself a few seconds to memorize the layout before heading inside. The door shut behind me with a soft click, wrapping me in complete darkness. I raced up the stairs, going round and round until I hit the top floor.

My breath slowed as my fingers sought out and found the door handle. In my other hand, I gripped my sword. There was a rustling sound coming from the other side. The dragon was moving about, doing something. I was almost certain it hadn’t noticed my arrival.

Pressing the latch, I pulled the door open a crack and peeked through it. My eyes rounded. There was a giant nest in the middle of the floor, built from a bunch of tree branches—some of them a little scorched. The dragon lay on top, its back to me, with two eggs peeking from underneath it. The beast had burned a hole in the far side of the roof just big enough for it to fly inside, but the ceiling over the nest was still intact—most likely to provide some shelter from the elements. This was the first time I’d seen a setup like this, but I didn’t run into too many nests, so it was hard to make a comparison.

I took in every inch of the open floor, using precious seconds to plan my strategy. The nest took up half the space. A scent that was something like rot and decay assailed my nose, drawing my attention to the far side. The dragon had stockpiled food there. A heap of dead animals were stacked on top of each other, some half-eaten. Bile rose up my throat. I dragged my gaze away and spotted a second exposed stairwell that led to the roof. If I had to make a quick exit for some reason, that’s where I would do it. On the run up the street, I had spotted a ladder on the side of the building I could use to get down.

The dragon made a rumbling noise that sounded suspiciously like a snore. Good, maybe it had fallen asleep. Still, it had the advantage where it lay in its nest. Fighting from the lower position was never a good thing, and especially not if you fought a parent protecting their unborn children. I’d have to try drawing it away from there if I had any chance of winning. This wasn’t going to be the same as the last time I ran into a situation like this. I was a full slayer now. I had over a dozen kills under my belt, and no humans nearby to protect.

Inching my way inside, I raced for the open area beyond the nest and near the other stairwell. The dragon spun around, spotting me in an instant with angry red eyes. Guess she wasn’t sleeping very heavily. The beast roared and flapped its wings, but it didn’t blow any flames. I had guessed it wouldn’t. The creature wouldn’t want to risk destroying its home and the eggs it protected.

Racing around the other side of the room, I lifted my sword. “Come on, big girl. Leave your nest and come to me.”

The dragon narrowed its eyes and took a single step, placing its foot at the edge. It wavered there. To leave or not to leave, I could almost hear it asking itself that question.

“I don’t care about your eggs. You’re the one I’m after,” I told it. Not that I expected the beast to be reassured by that, but I had to do something to draw it out.

A few seconds passed, and it crawled halfway out of the nest. That was a start. Every part of me wanted to leap forward and attack, but I forced myself to be patient. Let the beast come to me where we could level the playing field. Actually, I’d have the advantage since I could move around a lot easier than the eight-foot-tall dragon could in the open room. The roof wasn’t very far above its head.

It finally crawled out of the nest, though it didn’t go more than half a dozen feet beyond that. Unable to wait any longer, I went on the attack. I lifted my sword and sent it arcing down on the beast’s head. The dragon sidestepped at the last moment, so the tip only grazed its neck. I swung the blade back around, thrusting straight at the creature this time. My sword struck in its shoulder, the point finding a space between scales to dig deep. The beast roared and spun around, its massive body on a collision course with my much smaller one.

I backpedaled until the edge of the tail came around and then made a short hop, landing on my feet right after it passed. As soon as its head came close, I swung my blade into its nose. The sight of blood dripping from its snout sent my heart pumping. Now was the time to finish this. I hacked into the dragon’s face, striking it repeatedly in the cheeks, eyes, and anywhere else I could hit. It made screeching noises and attempted to swipe at me, but its arms were too short to reach. The beast took a step back and then another. I gave no quarter, following it.

A roar sounded from somewhere above. I cast a quick glance up at the opening and cursed. A second green dragon had arrived, and it looked pissed. Crap. I had to finish the first one off quick, or I was in trouble. The beast in front of me answered the roar of its mate. I shoved my sword straight down its throat, cutting off the sound. I twisted and pushed the blade until it came out the back of its neck.

Before I could finish pulling the sword all the way out, the dragon swung its head with enough force to send me flying through the air. I landed with a thud and rolled a few feet, losing grip on my blade handle. It took a brief second to realize the beast had managed to toss me onto the roof. I pushed onto my hands and knees, coming eye to eye with the second green dragon.

Oh, shit.

Where was my sword? Where was my damn sword? I didn’t dare take my eyes off the hulking creature as my right hand scraped across the roof until it came into contact with the blade. Oh, thank God. I got hold of the handle and pulled it up just as the beast’s jaws opened wide. With steam billowing from its mouth, it struck. I dove sideways and its razor-sharp teeth latched onto my left shoulder. A scream tore through me.

I thrust the blade into its chest, but the tip stuck in the dragon’s ribs. The beast wouldn’t let me go. Its needle-like teeth ripped through my skin and muscles, bringing tears to my eyes. It hurt so badly I almost couldn’t think. With my good arm, I kept digging the blade deeper, attempting to cut a way through the bones. The dragon growled and shook its head. My body swung around like a rag doll as I got slammed against the roof again and again.

The sword came loose. This was too close quarters for me to get a good angle. In a brief moment of clarity, I let go of the hilt, letting it clatter to the ground and reached for a small knife I had sheathed at my hip. I yanked it out and stabbed the dragon in the eye. It roared, letting go of my shoulder. The pain intensified as my blood began running freely and my vision swam like I was seeing everything underwater, but I had to find a way to survive. I could not die this way. While the dragon pawed at its face, I grabbed my sword again and began inching backward. A bit of space—that was all I needed. I kept blinking until my vision cleared enough to make out more than rough shapes.

A moment later, the beast got the knife out of its eye and charged forward, intent on running me over. I waited a heartbeat to lift my blade, thrusting upward into the middle of its vulnerable underside. The dragon stopped, its face hovering over me and dripping drops of blood onto my cheeks. The heat of them seared my skin.

We stared at each other—beast to slayer—and I had no mercy to give. I twisted the sword and waited for the beast’s body to jerk as I found its heart. Using the last vestiges of my strength, I yanked the blade and cut through the organ. The dragon heaved, and I scrambled to get out from underneath him just before he fell flat on the rooftop.

It took several moments to catch my breath. I was in so much pain, and my vision was becoming blurry again. A big part of me wanted to pass out right there and sleep for the next decade, but an insistent voice kept calling my name.

“Bailey!”

I frowned and searched around, not seeing any human shapes.

“Bailey!” Conrad yelled. This time, his voice came out louder, and I figured out he was shouting at me from somewhere far below.

Muttering a string of curses, I crawled to the edge of the rooftop. “What?”

Even from this distance, I could see his eyes round in horror. “Behind you!”

I scrambled around. The first dragon I’d fought had made its way to the roof. Pieces of its flesh hung from where I’d hacked away at its face, but that didn’t stop it from stalking toward me. As soon as our gazes met, it charged. I rose to my feet and began to run, but the beast was faster. It collided into me, sending me flying off the roof. The air zoomed past me, and I kicked my arms and legs as if that would somehow slow my descent.

I hit the ground with the force of a freight train, and everything went dark. There was no telling how much time had passed, but it couldn’t have been long because when I came to, I still lay on the grassy patch where I’d landed, attempting to draw in a breath. The thin blades were cool beneath my fingertips. My head felt like it had been split open and I couldn’t see anything. I was also fairly certain my right leg was broken. It was numb and sitting at an odd angle from the left one.

Another minute passed before I managed to get a full breath, and my hearing returned at the same time. I listened, expecting the dragon to come finish me off. Instead, the sounds of fighting came from nearby, maybe twenty feet or so? Surely Conrad hadn’t decided to take the beast on himself? I attempted to rise, and a fresh wave of pain washed over me. My stomach lurched and bile burned my throat.

“Thank God, Bailey, you’re alive,” Conrad said, the sounds of his footsteps hurrying toward me.

“What?” I barely managed to gurgle out. I’d bitten my tongue during my fall and blood filled my mouth.

“Don’t talk.” He put a hand on my semi-good shoulder. “That strange guy we saw the other day is taking care of the dragon, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

I wished I could see Conrad—and watch the strange man fight. I should have known he was a dragon slayer. There had been something about him, and that confidence he’d shown even when one of the beasts approached.

“Oh, man,” Conrad said, his voice filled with awe. “He just took that dragon’s head clean off.”

A moment later a thick, deep voice spoke, “We must get her to a healer.”

“Danae,” I choked out.

“Yeah, we know someone,” Conrad answered the man.

“Get her truck and bring it here. I will handle her.”

“Uh…” Conrad hesitated.

My mind was growing foggy. It was all I could to hang on and listen to what they said.

“Go!” the man ordered, clearly used to being obeyed.

The next thing I knew, my body was being lifted and cradled in strong arms. Though he took care to avoid the worst of my injuries, a fresh wave of pain still ran through me. He didn’t move, giving me time to adjust. After a moment, I caught the fresh scent of him. There was a bit of spiciness in it, but mostly it just smelled comforting.

“Hold on, girl. You’ll be okay soon enough.”

Something in his voice eased me. I let the blackness take over and passed out.

Chapter 20

Bailey

The grind of an old generator starting up woke me. I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings, relieved to find them familiar. There was the full-size bed I lay on with a blue quilt covering me. Off to my right, there was an antique dresser with a lamp on top of it, and to the left, there was a single window. Someone had pulled the curtain closed so that only a crack of sunlight filtered into the room. Conrad sat on a wooden chair in the corner. He had fallen asleep with his dark arms hugged around himself, and his head leaning against the wall.

I couldn’t recall how I got here, but the pain running through numerous parts of my body triggered a few memories. There was the fight with the two dragons, and the fall from the office building roof. How had I survived that? Then there was the strange man—the one I’d seen once before. He’d finished that last dragon off and then picked me up in his arms. That was all I could remember, though. Everything beyond that was a blank.

I took stock of my injuries and the soreness I still felt. My head was surprisingly fine, considering I was rather certain I’d busted it up pretty good during the fight and when I fell. On the other hand, my shoulder, ribs, and leg only felt marginally better than before. They’d hardly healed at all.

How much time had passed since the battle? At least a few hours, considering someone had stripped off my camrium warrior outfit and put me in a tank and shorts. They’d also cleaned me up and splinted my leg. It better have been a woman who did the job, or a man was going to be dying soon—right after I could walk again and find my sword.

Taking one of the spare pillows next to me, I used my good arm to throw it at Conrad and croaked at him. “Hey!”

He leaped to his feet and looked around with a wild-eyed gaze before his eyes settled on me. “Oh, hey girl. It’s about time you woke up. I was beginning to think you were gonna sleep until next week.”

“How long was I out?” I asked.

He checked his watch. “About eighteen hours. It’s almost ten in the morning now.”

I should have known it was morning, or Earl wouldn’t have started up the generator. “Who patched me up?”

“Danae and Trish. They kicked the rest of us out until they were done.” Conrad came and sat on the corner of the bed. “How you feelin’?”