Page 47 of Cruel Daddy Dragon

Rufus!

I haul the car as far up the mountains as it can go, up until the roads themselves stop. Once I can’t drive anymore, I just wrench the car into park and throw myself out of the door. I don’t bother to stop the car or close the door. I just sprint. I run toward the roaring, the snapping, the sound of the draconic voices through the air.

Please don’t let me be too late!Pleasedon’t let me be too late!

I’m getting closer. I can tell—I canfeelthe voices of the dragons through the air more than hear them now. It’s like a heavy bass shuddering through my chest cavity.

I draw my handgun and keep sprinting.

Then, I see a gleam through the forest, and I recognize the scales.

Rufus!

But I slow down as the blood-red scales follow where Rufus falls—my best advantage is the fact that they don’t know I’m here yet.

I follow along at a distance. Rufus is fighting back, but it’s not where I remember him dying. His dragon body is curled around a tree, and it wasn’t in my vision. I think I have a moment. I keep running forward but keep my footsteps as light as I can.

The blood-red dragon leaps on Rufus’s back, and my heart skips a beat. But Rufus rolls over and kicks the dragon off him, slithering away.

“How many of you are we going to have to kill before you leave Greyson Ridge alone?!” Rufus snarls.

I see him slightly limp as he walks past; I think he’s buying time.

The blood-red dragon bellows out a few barks of harsh laughter.

“Oh, you can’t think that Soleilus has enough members to protect this town forever,” the new dragon sneers, “If nothing else, we’re going to outlast you.”

I tread forward, getting slower and sneakier as I go. Soon, I close in on them, hiding behind a tree.

“I can’t wait until you’re all gone,” the Eclipse dragon jeers, “Every one of you. Did you really think a straggler clan like Soleilus could keep a powerful cradle of magic like this one away from any other clans? I can’t wait until the town is ours.”

The blood-red dragon stalks toward him, and Rufus limps away.

Then my heart clenches:that’s the place he got killed! It’s just about to happen!

I don’t have any more time. I aim my handgun at the blood-red dragon’s head. I pull the finger and open fire:

CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!

I see the rounds soar and hit the scarlet dragon at the back of his head.

“Ow!” he snarls.

But other than that, the bullets fall away, making tinkling noises as they plummet, hitting the scales as they tumble down. The dragon growls. Their nostrils flare, and plumes of hot air escape. Then the beast turns around, fixing serpentine eyes on me.

“You?” he snarls simply, “You did that?”

Shit. Those bullets did as much as a mosquito bite!

The blood-red dragon turns around, his mighty feetcrashinginto the snow and shuddering the ground as he swivels to meet me.

“ A human?” the dragon asks, “What is ahumandoing up here?”

“Sarah!”Rufus roars suddenly.

The blood-red dragon starts barking horrible, bitter laughter.

“You care about this one?” he asks, “Even better!”

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