Page 32 of Her Dragon Outlaw

Stella is too powerful. Too filled with rage. This is personal and I am not going to have anyone pay the price of keeping me alive. We need backup. And time.

We have to run.

It’s the best chance we have at survival. A thought grips me by the throat and squeezes, what if she's not alone? I scan the trees looking for any sign of the demon she works with. I don’t see any signs of him but I doubt I’d be able to notice him if he didn't want me to.

He turns back to Stella, and I know he isn't going to listen. “What do you want Stella?” Cody growls.

Stella takes a lethal step forward. “What we all want,” She takes another step and Cody snarls. Her advance slows, her movements cautious, but she doesn’t stop “I want to be free to live as I want, to live as we should.” Her voice raises until it's almost a screech. “ Not by the rules of some lesser human society that couldn't even begin to understand the nature of our world. I. Want. Power. Now give me the girl, or I'll take her in pieces.”

I stumble back, her words, paired with the ice in her eyes more effective than any slap. Suddenly, Cody's tail curls in front of me, pushing me further behind him as he stands to his full height. The message is clear.

“One last chance, turn around and go.”

She snorts as if he’s a dunce.“Looks like I'm going to be taking that pelt after all.” She raises her hands, whirling her fingers as if she were molding clay. Blue light sparks from her fingertips growing rounder, and larger as it jumps with a strange, dangerous energy. “Don't worry I’ll think of your sacrifice when the world is finally as it should be. It's a shame you won't be there to enjoy it.”

She lets out a yell as it bursts from her palms toward him.

Cody spreads his wings, leaning back on his haunches and beating them once, twice as he lets out a stream of fire. It clashes with the blue energy in a volatile meeting. He advances on her, pushing her to the open water.

Stella jumps to the side, standing atop the water as if it were sold beneath her. She runs, circling around Cody as she throws out her arms and sends out slices of energy. He twists barely missing the devastating blows. They hit the trees behind him, sending them up in a blaze of smoke. Not fire. Just smoke, as if they burned from the inside out before the oxygen could spark the blaze.

My body refuses to move. Ice embeds itself deep into my bones until I’m pinned down by the weight of the ferocious power that whips between them. Cody slams his tail down where she stands, water rising like waves on each side of his shimmering golden scales. Stella disappears, and a low hiss erupts from Cody's chest as he scans the surrounding area.

My eyes mimic his, the sweat from my brow trails down my face soaking my neck and chest. The air shifts, sweeping the water inwards. Stella bursts out from below the lake. Cody sends a stream of fire at her. The air moves around her like a living shield deflecting Cody's flames. She cuts through his flames charging at him with inhuman speed.

He explodes into the sky, lifting higher and higher, giving Stella no choice but to follow. She yells the manic sound cutting across the clearing. She's fast but Cody’s faster, his dragon maneuvers through the air with deadly grace, avoiding her blows.

This was my chance. I’m sure Cody was leading her away from me. Giving me the chance to run or hide or both.

Time is running out, I can feel it. I have to go.

So why won't my legs move?

27

CODY

Powerful, evil energy radiates from Stella. Her eyes glow purple with the magic she wields and her face contorts into a savage look. I can tell just by looking at her that I do not want to mess with her. However, I do not have a choice.

She has come into my territory, into my home, and threatened my—threatened Lori. As scared as I am of what she might do to us, I cannot let that slide. It is because of what she might do that I cannot let it slide. She has already wrought enough damage. I have to stop her before it gets worse.

“You’re so pathetic.” She sneers at me. Tendrils of purple magic glide out of her fingers and twist around her arms. I have never encountered anything like it. She takes a step toward me and I brace myself for what is to come. “I’m going to destroy you so quickly you’ll be dead before you hit the ground.”

I unfurl my wings and my dragon takes over. In one swift move, I transform. My obsidian scales glitter in the sunlight and I puff myself up to my full height, hoping to intimidate her. Unfortunately, she is not cowed.

“Ooh, scary.” She laughs—a sick, twisted sound. “Is that all you got, big boy?”

“Not even close,” I say and lunge at her.

My move takes her by surprise, knocking her onto the pier. I swipe at her but hit nothing. She disappears beneath my weight and I fall onto all fours onto the wooden planks. I spin around to see her a few feet away, standing dangerously close to Lori. I growl out a warning, which she laughs at.

If she hurts Lori there is no telling what I will do. Lori has quickly become the most important person in the world to me, and if she was hurt, there would be no use for me anymore. Lori is the person I was born to protect, the woman who has made my life worth living. It has become clear to me how much I need her.

Stella holds up her hands. The purple tendrils shoot out and wrap around me, their power like a vice of poison barbs. It hurts more than I have ever been hurt. I cry out in pain, which makes her laugh harder. The tendrils sear into my scales and when she withdraws them, they leave marks like burned flesh. What the hell?

I open my mouth to let out a gust of fire before I catch sight of Lori again. She sits on the dock, her expression openly terrified. If I scorch Stella, I might end up hurting Lori, and there is no way I would ever do that. She seems to realize this, using Lori as protection. So I have to find a new way to beat Stella. Unfortunately, she is not that easy to beat. Many PEACE officers have tried, and probably a few civilians as well. How many people has she killed in her time? How many more will she kill if I don’t stop her now?

I lunge again, swiping with my claws, but this time she is ready for me. She draws one of the tendrils above her head like a whip and then shoots it at me. Kicking off from the pier, I leap over it and come smashing down on top of her. This time I am able to sink my claws in and she cries out in pain. This close, her face is covered in wrinkles and etched with purple scars. The magic seems to be using her up. Maybe I can use that to my advantage.

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