Dragonfury 01 - Fury of Fire

of cold air. Adjusting the fleece-lined folds, she wrapped the raincoat she’d swaddled the infant in a little tighter, keeping him warm while struggling to read the man carrying her off like a bag full of contraband. “Hold up a minute, my cell phone. We have to call the police…let them know—”
    “They don’t need to know. Whatever happens, bellmia , keep him with you. I’ll protect you both. Got it?”
    No, she didn’t get it. What the heck was he talking about? Of course, the police needed to know. There were protocols that must be followed, as much for Caroline as for her. If they left now without bringing the proper departments on board, she could kiss her job—and maybe her freedom—good-bye.
    And after the hell she’d just been through, prison wasn’t something Myst wanted to think about, never mind go to.
    “Look, Bastian, maybe—”
    “Rikar?”
    “Yeah, I’m on it,” the blond said, skirting by them in the narrow hallway as he headed toward the front door. “Northwest quadrant. They’re coming in low.”
    “Wha…who?”
    Bastian didn’t answer. He glanced down at her instead. It was like getting zapped with electricity. God, she couldn’t breathe. His eyes. The green was…she didn’t know exactly. Shimmering or something.
    “I’m going airborne. Use the cloud cover to come in from above.” Rikar paused on the lip of the porch steps to look at them over his shoulder. Glacial blue eyes glowed like twin spotlights, the aggression in them undeniable.
    “I’ll hold the ground,” Bastian said. “Hammer a few before they reach us.”
    The blond flashed a grin and leapt toward the ground. Except, he didn’t reach it. White and gold flashed in the low light, and Myst saw the impossible: razor-sharp claws, a curve of wing, the glimmer of scales as he took flight.
    “Oh, my God. Oh, shit…let go of me!” Her scream echoed through the foyer. Panic pumped adrenaline through her system, putting her internal engine into overdrive. Myst reared, newborn wailing and tucked to her chest, legs kicking to break Bastian’s hold. “Let go! My God…oh—”
    “Fuck.” The growl in his voice was unmistakable. She twisted, trying to protect the precious bundle in her arms and get away at the same time. Bastian tightened his grip, locking her against him. “Don’t fight me. Not now.”
    Myst heard the warning loud and clear, but couldn’t obey. Her brain was already headed south, trying to understand…to tell her she was imagining things. The problem? She couldn’t get the picture out of her mind. The blond guy…he…Oh shit. He wasn’t normal. He wasn’t…God help her…
    She started to shake an instant before her lungs seized. Struggling for each breath, she choked out, “P-please…please just let us go. I won’t say anything. I p-promise. I’ll take the b-baby and…I won’t—”
    Bastian leapt over the porch rail, cutting her off as he landed in the flower bed. The scent of crushed chrysanthemums spiked, surrounding them in a sweet cloud. And wasn’t that stupid? Locked against a…God, she didn’t know what Bastian was, but considering that he was kidnapping her she shouldn’t be worried about flowers, never mind stopping to smell them.
    “What are you?”
    “Dragonkind.” Eyes now glowing as fiercely as Rikar’s had, he sprinted toward an old car abandoned in the long grass beside the garage. “Don’t be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you.”
    She almost believed him. But that was before she saw the fireball.
    Like an inbound missile, it came over treetops, trailing an orange and blue-flamed tail behind it. Bastian spun into a crouch and wrapped himself around her, using his body to shield her and the baby an instant before the ambulance blew sky high. Metal groaned and the acrid smell of burning rubber billowed on a wave of black smoke. Wide-eyed, Myst watched the vehicle sail twenty feet in the air, flipping end over end before landing in a twisted heap in the driveway.
    With a sob, Myst drew her knees up, curled herself around the baby and into Bastian. All of a sudden, prison seemed like a safer alternative.

Chapter Four
     
    Bastian smelled the Razorback before he saw him. But seeing was believing, so he stayed low, eyes glued to the edge of the tree line. He didn’t wait long. The rogue came in on a slow glide, wings spread, iridescent brown scales flashing in the moonlight. Caught by the sudden rush of air, black smoke swirled, touching the dragon’s