Page 297 of Night's Fall
When she got close,Aleksei’screature was already on his hind feet, sending trolls flying with tail, wings, and he clamped one in his maw, biting down, and three bits of bloodied, ravaged dead troll fell to the turf when he opened his jaw.
She dove into the troll who’d had his tail, and she heardAleksei’screature’s roar, but it didn’t stop her.
She caught the troll in her jaw in mid-flight, ascended, and even as the creature struggled in her mouth, beat at her snout with his fists, she soared over the sea, faster, farther, faster, higher, faster, and then she dropped him.
A ferocious, unearthly wail escaping the troll’s mouth as, limbs flailing, he fell to the depths from a height that would likely shatter his bones on impact with the water, but even if it didn’t, he was in a place no creature could swim back.
She turned and he was there, sending a line of infuriated amethyst dragon fire over her head.
And then she did something she’d never done.
She opened her mouth, and a stream of white-hot flame streaked out, aimed well below his magnificent body.
His wings flapped back, exposing his claws and breast.Hebellowed, but she ignored his surprised fury and beat a tattoo back to thePalace.
He soared into place beside her.
By the time they returned, the defense bots had been unleashed, and the flashes of laser beams coming straight from the ends of their limbs were downing trolls all over the west gardens.
He bumped her and tried to guide her, but she ignored him, so he had no choice but to allow them to fall into sync, releasing distraction streams of dragon fire in aid of still-battling shifters, demons, fae, vampires and witches.
And he dispatched another two trolls by divebombing (to her fury) in order to capture them, severing them in his teeth and fangs: one who’d cornered a fighting female fae, and another who looked to be besting a male demon.
They circled and blasted,Timothee’sblue and black beast and the king’s fierce golden dragon with its amber eyes took their wings until it came clear the defense bots had it in hand, andAleksei’screature guided us to the courtyard.
The other two dragons sought their own shrubbery, he and she landed behind a line of conical arborvitae.
He shook off his creature.
She let out a cute sneeze andIstood naked withAlekseiin the garden.
He had blood around his mouth and down his chest.
Along with murder in his eyes.
But two could be pissed right the heck off.
“You need to stop divebombing!”Ishouted.
“She streams?” he asked with clearly barely controlled calm.
Some dragons had fire, some did not.Itwasn’t about gender or class, it was about genetics.
Until that night, mine did not.
I shrugged. “Shehasn’t before.It’snew.”
I tensed when he suddenly whirled, andAleecerounded the shrubbery with her arms full of clothes.
Gaze averted, she handed him what looked like a sweater and jeans, then she came to me, her eyes avoiding mine, but she was smiling, soIdidn’t think she was protecting my nudity, but instead, hiding her insane amusement (what was amusing,Iask you!), and she gave me the same.
“I’ll just…”Shehooked a thumb to the shrubbery and skedaddled.
“Never again.”Aleksei’svoice was vibrating with fury as he spoke and yanked up his jeans.
“Honey.”
“Never do that again!” he thundered.
