Page 47 of Dragon His Heels
No fucking way are we giving her up.
Gabe just had to figure out how to get out of this predicament. Alive.
“I notice you don’t have any buddies to back you up this time,” the Rojo dragon taunted.
“I didn’t need them last time.”
“Yeah, well, this time, my boys are joining the fight.”
Of course they were. “What, scared I’ll best you again?” Hell, Gabe wasn’t confident he could win one on one, let alone if the other four dragons joined in. This guy’s guns were three times the size they were last time they’d met.
The Rojo dragon growled, smoke wafting from his nose as he glared, clearly fighting the urge to shift.
Frankly, the only way Gabe stood a chance was if he used the element of surprise. He jumped off the stoop, shifting in midair, his dragon roaring with approval. Rain hit his scales like tiny shards of glass; thunder rattled his teeth. Lightning slashed across the sky, awfully damn close to his left wing. He dismissed all the discomforts, focusing wholly on what he needed to do, to save Ruby. To save himself.
He flew low to the ground, shooting fire at the nearest dragon, who was still in human form. With a scream of agony, the guy fell to the ground and started rolling, trying to put out the fire quickly consuming him.
The rest scattered, trying to shift. He reached out with his back feet, his talons wrapping around the closest Rojo, and then he swept high into the sky, releasing his victim when he was a good hundred feet in the air.Thud!The guy had been in too much shock to shift in time to save himself.
That left three. Better odds, but still not terribly comforting. Not now that they were all three in dragon form.
We got this.
Gabe whipped his head around, wincing as the stabbing rain stung his eyes, and watched as another dragon appeared through the clouds and rain, flying toward him even as her gaze swept the area, searching for their adversary in the dim light, raging wind, and pounding rain.
Talia?
Yep.
Get the hell out of here.He turned his back on her, flew the other way, hoping the three Rojo dragons would follow him and ignore her.
No such luck. He heard her scream both in his head and out loud and he jerked around in time to see one of them slash his talon across one of her wings. She started falling to the ground, and Gabe dove toward her. He didn’t know what the hell he was going to do, only that he had to save her.
But then she righted herself, although her balance was wobbly.
Go home,he commanded. Like she’d ever obeyed him before.
This is my fault. I can’t let you do this alone. Which by the way, I wouldn’t do even if it weren’t my fault.
Stubborn woman.
A screech warned him seconds before a ball of fire came flying at them. Gabe hovered in front of Talia, and breathed fire at the ball, the force stopping it from hitting them. The water pouring from the sky dissipated it far faster than if this had been a clear, sunny day.
All right, don’t let anyone get behind you. You can’t outfly them with that injury. So you need to face them and belch fire at them every chance you get. Got it?
I know how to fight.
Yeah, well, this is real, sweetheart. Nothing like the practice sessions we’re used to.
Stop talking and veer left.
He did as she said without even checking, narrowly missing getting body slammed by the dragon that had been flying toward him full hilt. With a roar, the dragon rolled in midair and flapped its wings, heading back toward them. Talia twisted so that she faced him, and when he was close enough, she spit fire, singing his left wing. Tit for tat.
The three Rojo dragons regrouped after that, and Gabe flew to Talia’s side, prepared to face them head on. They dove, one right after the other; Talia and Gabe split up to avoid getting hit. One whipped around and flung his tale, slamming Gabe in the side. He growled and blew fire, and the dragon swerved to the left to avoid getting hit.
But the dragon came back again, slashing with his talons, slapping his tail around, while Gabe fought off the attack. These guys were far better at combat than Gabe was; he couldn’t find an opportunity to go on the offensive.
I could use some help here.
