Page 9 of Accidentally a Dragon Daddy

Walking to the edge, I peered down just in time to see a horde of officers rush the doors. None of them were armored, only in plain clothes. They must have decided waiting on SWAT would take too long. Too bad for them—though not even SWAT would have made a difference.

I could go out the front door. It would be child’s play, really, killing the guards. There were so many ways to do it. My brain was cataloging them automatically, making sure I knew at all times what my options were.

Such as waiting until they were all in the stairwell and then filling it with flames. Or, the more personal touch, using only my hands to snap spines and crush skulls. Perhaps I should steal one of their weapons and turn the bullets on their original owners. I could melt the glass and stone, turn it to a slurry that would bury the officers as it flowed like red-hot lava. It would all be so easy.

But I had blood on my hands aplenty.

Nor could I shake the image of a brown-eyed beauty looking at me. Judging me. Her face falling, bronzed skin paling as I lifted a hand to try to stop her from leaving. A hand dripping with blood.

My dragon rumbled a warning. It was time to go. In the distance, a helicopter was nearing. That was the last thing I needed. I had to get out into the night sky before its spotlight located me.

Turning on my heel, I sprinted for the far side of the roof, gravel crunching underfoot.

My shoulders bulged and wings sprouted from them as my body covered itself in scales, the transformation sweeping me up in its magic as I launched myself skyward with a mighty leap.

Air whooshed as I flexed new muscles, my wings driving down, lifting me higher into the air, propelling me faster. Somewhere down below, a keen-eyed observer shouted, but it was too late. I was gone into the darkness, disappearing in the night sky before anyone could truly realize what they’d seen.

I left the building behind.

Please forgive me, I whispered to the figure in my mind. I was only doing what I had to.

Blonde hair rustled in the wind of my imagination, and then she was gone.

Chapter Six

Elanya

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Good to see you, too, Rob,” I said, lugging another case of meal kits toward the SUV’s already packed trunk.

“No, I’m serious,” he said, blocking my path as I stowed the heavy case and went back for another. “You aren’t supposed to be back for another week, Elanya. You said you needed time off.”

“I had all the time off I needed,” I retorted. Two days of sitting around was too much.

My anger wasn’t directed at him, however. It was at myself. Perhaps a little at Damon, as well, for just disappearing on me. Had I been that bad?

I shoved the question aside, not wanting to go back down that mental spiral.

“You haven’t even been off for seventy-two hours,” he countered, rubbing his balding head. “And you look like you barely slept in those three days either. So, I ask again, what are you doing here?”

“What does it look like?” I said, darting around him to grab another meal case. “I’m loading up to go back inside.”

“I didn’t mean literally ‘what are you doing here’, and you know it,” he said, a bit of heat creeping into his voice. “Whatever it is, I didn’t do it, so don’t go taking it out on me.”

“You’re right,” I said, sighing. “I’m sorry, Rob. You’re a good guy. I know you’re just trying to look out for me. But right now, I don’t want it.”

“Which is exactly when a friend should be looking out for you,” he said.

“I have to go back,” I said. “I can’t stay here. There are people in there struggling to survive. The food and supplies I’m bringing can be the case between life or death for a lot of them, and you know it.”

“I’m not arguing that,” he said. “But you have to realize you’re human, Elenya. You can’t just keep going on without a break. These trips are taking a toll on you. I can see that. We all can!”

His voice echoed through the giant warehouse Blue Star had commandeered as part of their relief efforts for those trapped behind the lines. All sorts of aid, from the cases of meal kits I was packing to survival packs that contained one of everything to blankets, bottled water, medical supplies, and more, was piled high in every corner.

And all of it was on the wrong side of the lines. Which left it up to people like me to ensure it got where it needed to go.

“Maybe,” I said, acknowledging his point. “But I’m not staying, Rob. I have to get back in there.”

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