Page 71 of Training my Human

“What should we do?” Maddox asked.

I cupped my hands to my mouth. “Abaddon, where are you?” I called for my Little Fella, wanting him to know I’d escaped.

No reply.

“Hey bud, I’m with Pip. Can you hear us?” Maddox added his voice.

The pair of us took turns calling for the dragon. We were noticed, just not by who we wanted.

A guy in bulky snow gear that included some kind of apocalypse mask appeared suddenly in front of us and aimed his tranquilizing gun at us. “Well, well. If you ain’t the chick that’s been hiding the dragon. Hands up, both of you,” the guy barked.

“You don’t want to hurt us,” Maddox stated, lifting his hands. “You’ve seen how the dragon reacts to threats.”

“Yeah, but I’ve also seen how he dotes on this bitch. He won’t dare roast me if I’m holding on to you.” The guy lunged for me, and Maddox stepped forward to intercept, his fist flashing out and hitting the fellow in the jaw. Given the goon stood slightly larger than my boyfriend, it didn’t knock him down, but Maddox was just getting started.

The boys traded blows as I stood there shivering. Turns out I should have been more aware of my surroundings because I never heard the person who snuck up behind me and wrapped an arm around my throat.

I got dragged against another dude who shouted, “I’ve got your girlfriend. Stand down or I will snap her neck.”

Maddox slowly stood and straddled the guy he’d pummeled to the ground and scowled. “Let her go and walk away.”

“Like fuck. Farris had the right idea. I saw in the videos how much that lizard likes the woman. She’s my ticket out of here.”

“You want to leave, then go. But I’d strongly suggest you do so without Pip if you’d like to live to see tomorrow.”

“I’ll let her go once I’m clear of the dragon.” The guy tightened the arm around my neck enough I could barely breathe.

It should be noted, I’d been in this situation before and almost died. Again, one of my bad choices in boyfriends. The last time, I’d stomped on his instep before elbowing him in the gut. This fellow, while smaller than my ex, wore some heavy-duty winter boots and a thick parka, making that method of escape less than feasible. But after the choking incident with my ex, I’d taken some self-defense classes and had specifically asked the instructor how to deal with this situation if it ever happened again.

It had been a few years, but I still remembered the steps. I parted my feet and bent my knees slightly. I already had a grip on his choking arm and I kept it firm as I abruptly leaned forward. The rapid movement set the thug slightly off balance and as I felt his weight on my back, I flipped him, breaking his hold on me.

The goon hit the ground and before he could recover, something swooped from the snowy sky and spat a hot stream of fire. The brightness of the blast had me blinking. Disbelief had me gaping. Shock kept me silent as I watched my first body burn alive.

Damn.

The heavy weight that settled on my shoulder helped snap me back to the moment.

“Abaddon,” I exclaimed happily.

“Hello, Pip. I’m here to rescue you,” my Little Fella announced.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” I asked.

“Bah. The enemy is much too slow and stupid for someone of my greatness. Today’s warriors are not of the same caliber as those who hunted my ancestors.”

He must be fine for his arrogance remained intact.

“Good to see you, bud,” Maddox stated.

“About time you showed,” my dragon replied. “Now, duck.”

Rather than ask why, Maddox swiftly crouched and more flame jetted from Abaddon, this time striking the goon who’d been about to strike Maddox from behind.

Hard to feel bad for the idiot who saw what happened to his buddy and still thought,Hey, let me do something stupid that will get me killed.

The warmth of the two roasting bodies plus Abaddon did much to ease the chill of my body, however, sticking around didn’t seem like a good idea. Who knew how many more of Malone’s thugs lurked or what evil tricks the doctor might attempt next.

“Time we blew this joint. I know where Leo keeps the keys to his cars and stuff. Let’s grab a set and run while we can.”

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