Dragonfury 02 - Fury of Ice

Nothing was going as planned.
    FUBAR number one? Mac.
    As a fledgling, he couldn’t be left alone, and not many were qualified to take care of him. Venom wasn’t an option. Not after calling the cop “blockhead” all day. The warrior was as likely to roast their new boy as help him. And Wick? Rikar snorted. No way he could trust the male. Their resident sociopath wasn’t fit for babysitting, no matter the circumstances. So, yeah, that put B on the hook, waiting at Myst’s loft for Mac to wake up.
    “Rikar, man.” Venom flipped in midair, rolling in on his left side. “Lay it out…talk to me.”
    “Half a mile out.” Rocketing around another bend, Rikar’s wing tip skimmed the surface, throwing up spray. Water turned to ice, free-falling with a splash into the river. “ETA…thirty seconds.”
    “How many?”
    “Can’t tell.”
    Venom cursed. “Where the hell is Wick?”
    Like he knew? Christ, the warrior might be lethal in a firefight, but his punctuality sucked. Which meant they were going in light, one wingman short of a fighting triangle. “No time to wait. Split wide right. Go in on the blind side…divide and conquer . ”
    “Wicked,” his buddy said, a whole lot of pissed off in his tone. “You divide. I’ll conquer.”
    “Watch your six.”
    As his buddy hoorahed, a deep growl came out of nowhere, “Rikar…right flank . ”
    Speak of the devil. Backup, coming in hot.
    Black, gold-tipped scales nothing but a blur, Wick separated from the gloom, rocketing toward them like an arrow tip. Unfurling his wings, he slowed his flight, settling beside Rikar’s right wing.
    “About time you got here . ” Ruby eyes shimmering, Venom glared at the male.
    “Fuck off,” Wick said, using his favorite greeting.
    Venom smiled at his best friend, showing fang. “Love you too, man.”
    The familiar exchange settled Rikar down. Trash talk before a fight always focused him, cranking his dial to lethal. And this time, the stakes were higher than ever. Angela needed him, and he was still too far away. Moments from becoming her shield…from getting between her and harm’s way.
    But he was close. So fucking close. Just one more bend. Another few more seconds.
    Please, God. Let me make it .
    A scream echoed, ricocheting off the surface of the water.
    The horrific sound wound him tight then let go, slingshotting him around the last curve. A quick snapshot laid out the scene frame by frame. Angela. Her desperate scramble backward across the beach: bare feet churning, chest heaving, tears rolling down her cheeks. Lothair’s bared fangs, his hiss and pursuit.
    Rikar growled. The bastard was toying with her, flicking at her with razor-sharp claws, letting her get up only to pounce and bring her down again.
    Rage grabbed hold, narrowed his vision and…
    Boom!
    He lost control and ice exploded. The snap-crackle-n-pop rolled in an arctic wave, freezing the river solid below him. With a snarl, Rikar tucked his wings and set down fast. His claws dug in, ripping up ice, throwing out frost as he slid sideways, skating toward the beachhead. Lothair’s head snapped in his direction, and Rikar clenched his teeth. Stupid. He was a freaking bonehead, blowing the one advantage he had: the element of surprise.
    But Christ, he couldn’t stand it. Seeing Angela’s torment and tears. Watching her flinch and scream as she fought for her life.
    Black scales glimmering under a full moon, Lothair crouched like a cat and hissed at him, refusing to leave his prize. Perfect. A downed dragon made for a big bull’s-eye. And the Razorback was right in the kill zone, locked in Rikar’s crosshairs, the best kind of target. The trick now? Hammering the asshole without hitting his female. If he didn’t time it just right, the rogue would use Angela as a human shield.
    Rikar’s eyes narrowed. No way he could chance it. He needed a load of visual interference…right now.
    The sound of his claws sliced over ice as Rikar whipped up a blizzard. As snow blew in with hurricane force, providing cover, he zeroed in, waiting for just…the right…moment and—
    “Angela…move right!”
    His command ripped through the blanket of thick-white-and-fluffy. He saw her flinch a second before she obeyed, scrambling toward a huge boulder. Talons open wide, Lothair reached for her. Rikar inhaled hard and exhaled fast, launching his arsenal.
    With a growl, the bastard dodged, somersaulting into a backflip. The ice daggers struck like automatic