Page 22 of Burned

The waitress returns with our check, and I put some money down to cover it.

“I’ll pay you back for my half when I get back home,” Alrick offers.

I wave my hand in a gesture to dismiss the comment. “You’re here because of me. The least I can do is buy you a meal. We should go though.”

“Sure.”

We rise, drawing the attention of several customers again, and one of them looks at us a little too long for my liking. The hair on the back of my neck pricks up and my dragon thrashes defensively. I really don’t want any trouble tonight, but if I have to protect Alrick, I absolutely will.

We exit the tavern and walk down the darkened sidewalk, heading straight through town to the wooded area on the other side. I really hope the archaic directions I found in my book are still relevant and I’m not just leading us into the vastness for no reason. At least Alrick has my fire inside him to help his stamina.

As we walk, a sense of foreboding grips me just as Alrick moves closer to me.

“Hey, Lord?”

“Yes?”

“I think we’re being followed.”

ALRICK

In fact,I’m sure we are. I glance over my shoulder, aware of the shadow slipping between the trees.

“That’s what I’m sensing,” Lord says.

“What do you think he wants?”

“No idea, but I doubt it’s good.”

“Fucking great. I don’t have my sword.”

“We’ll be okay.”

That’s when I remember who I’m next to. Lord is a dragon. He can protect us, if necessary, which is both incredible and terrifying. Up to now I could plausibly deny my suspicions, but ifhe shows himself, then what? We’ll have to quit dancing around the topic and face it head on, that’s what.

My family would expect me to turn on him and kill him, but the thought of plunging a sword into Lord’s chest makes my stomach sour and threaten to reject the meal I just scarfed down.

I keep in step with him as he speeds up, leaving me slightly surprised that I have the energy to do it, but it’s probably the weird medicine he gave me causing it. A tree branch breaks and snaps and the sound makes me grab Lord’s arm.

“I’m aware,” he whispers.

His skin is warmer than usual, almost hot, though the air around us is cool.

I’m tempted to feel safe, but then another, more alarming thought invades my head. What if Lord lured me out here to give me up to his dragon friends? He got me far away from the protection of my family, drugged me up, and now he’ll destroy me, leaving me to rot out here where I’ll never be found.

The thought enrages me. Am I stupid enough to trust a dragon? Is he really so ruthless that he’d pretend to be nurturing and kind only to betray me? Hell of a long game he’s playing if so.

Before I can form another thought, the sound of increasingly fast footsteps closes in on us. Lord shoves me to the ground, and right before my eyes, orange scales with black tips ripple across his skin. His eyes seem to glow bright orange in the darkness, and his shirt is torn from his body as wings spring from his back.

My jaw drops as Lord wraps a clawed hand around the intruder’s neck and raises him into the air. The man, large and carrying what looks like a gun, kicks his legs wildly, pulling at Lord’s hand around his throat.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Lord demands, his voice deep and inhuman.

Weirdly, my cock swells in reaction, my chest heaving with breath.

“Holy fuck,” the man yells.

Lord tosses the man with enough force that he slides across the leaves and stones that cover the forest ground. The man grabs his chest, trying to catch his breath, but Lord stomps forward, taking the man’s weapon and squeezing it in his hand until it’s nothing but crumpled metal.

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