Page 45 of The Dragon's Warlock

Two black SUVs across the tarmac had their doors open, and she could see the men’s heads come up behind the doors. “Guns?”

“I’m guessing it’s tranquilizers. They can’t use magic and shift. There’re too many humans around.”

“What are we going to do?” she asked.

They were in the open, barely able to hide behind the stairs. It would only be a matter of time before they took a shot.

“See that building?” he asked. About fifty feet away was a white building.

“Yes.”

“When I say run, you’d better use your shifter strength and run. No shifting. The last thing we need is for someone to get a video of a giant dragon at the airport. It wouldn’t be safe for you.”

“What are you going to do?”

He glanced back at the SUV. “Run behind you, and if I go down, keep going. And when you get inside, hide. Kirin was supposed to be here soon. When he gets here, he’ll take those men out, and he’ll take care of you.”

“This is the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard—” Another shot sounded, and it pinged off the stair. She looked back at the SUV. It was slowly making its way toward them. They were out of options.

She nodded.

“Run.”

Diem pumped her arms and ran as fast as she could. She didn’t need to glance over her shoulder to know Gideon was only a few steps behind her. Her dragon sensed him. That wasn’t the only thing her dragon sensed. It heard the slight pop in the air of the gun firing again. The building was only twenty feet away when she heard Gideon grunt behind her.

A couple of steps later, she heard him stumble. Instead of doing what he’d asked her to do, she stopped and caught him before he fell. A blue dart was sticking out of his back. She yanked it out and threw it to the ground.

“Leave me,” he slurred.

She shook her head and wrapped his arm around her neck, helping him stand. “Come on, Gideon. We’re almost there.”

He was heavy and almost dead weight, but he kept going with her. They only had two more feet to go. But luck still wasn’t on their side. Sudden pain hit her back. Her dragon roared in her head, and her feet stumbled, but she had to get Gideon inside.

With each step, the world became hazier, and it felt like the ground was moving. Gideon was stumbling next to her, making each step harder to take. With the final step, they made it into the hangar. She sat Gideon against the wall, and she slid down next to him. But they weren’t safe. She hadn’t shut the door.

Loud voices arguing in the background were the last thing she heard before everything went dark.

---