Page 4 of Fated to the Grumpy Dragon
And two men were standing above me. Neither was Bob. These men wore black uniforms. With guns. They had lights attached to their guns, the beams pinning me to the ground.
“Help me,” I moaned, something other than water leaking into my eye.
The world spun as I tried to move.
“What about this one?” one of the guards said, pointing his light in my face.
I screamed at the brightness. The scream set off more pain. And thus, more screams.
“Be quiet,” the other one snarled, kicking me in the stomach hard enough to expel air.
Everything was going fuzzy and dark. There was nothing but the men. And the flashlights. The bright lights. The lights. So bright. Bright. Pain.
The light surged immensely until I cried out in pain once more, throwing an arm over my face to try to block it out. But I couldn’t. It was everywhere. Surrounding me.
“What the hell is going on? Are you okay?”
I didn’t recognize the voice. Narrowing my eyes to slits, desperate to figure out who it was, I opened my eyes.
The sun was out. That seemed … wrong. Why did it seem wrong? I was lying on my back, staring up into the confused face of a man I didn’t know. Eyes as green and clear as the seas peered down at me from under a pair of bushy eyebrows. Weatherbeaten but still healthy skin wrinkled as he frowned down at me, his handsome features etched with concern.
The sun was out. In the background, I could hear what sounded like the ocean. I could taste the salt in the air.
“W-where am I?” I managed to get out. “Who are you?”
All I got back was a look of confusion.
Chapter Three
Rhyse
Damn, they’re back already?
With that thought on my mind, I ducked back beneath the waves, spending just a little longer wrapped in the soothing embrace of the ocean as my tail propelled me toward shore.
They were a long way back. I’d only spied them entering the market out of sheer luck. There was plenty of room to avoid them, and I intended to do just that. Just knowing they were back soured my mood immeasurably.
I surfaced once more, this time between the boats moored at the seaside piers, using the steep-sided trawlers and sleeker pleasure yachts to shield my approach to the dockside market.
If they’re back, that does put to rest one rumor at least. The war with the humans must be over. There’s no way assholes like that would avoid the chance to inflict pain on those weaker than them.
A spray of salty water accompanied that thought as I snorted, powerful dragon lungs giving an added effect. At nearly the sametime, my front paw dug its talons into the murky seabed. I was as close as I would get.
Closing my eyes, I changed, my body taking the shape of a human. The saltwater instantly soaked my clothes to the bone, but that wasn’t an issue. I would dry out swiftly in the strong morning sun.
Diving back under the water, I snagged the net that, until then, had been secured in one of my hind paws and hauled it over my shoulder as I easily swam for one of the wooden ladders leading up to the piers. Nearby, a gull cried out and dove into the sparkling waters, emerging triumphant with a fish between its beak.
Brushing aside some sea growth, I grasped the ladder rung and hauled myself up one-handed until I was standing on the dock. Flicking my hair back so it plastered itself to my shoulders and not my face, I let the water cascade off me for a moment. A nearby shifter mending a fishing net gave me a raised eyebrow.
There was a nice sandy beach less than a hundred feet away that made far more sense to use than the ladder. I shrugged by way of non-answer. I wouldn’t let him know I was hiding to avoid a confrontation.
“Good haul?” he asked.
“Not bad,” I answered, tilting my head respectfully in his direction before I headed into the maze of stalls and shops that made up the dockside market.
The cries of the various vendors hawking their wares washed over me like a familiar blanket, mixing with the smells of salted fish and fresh mussels of all sorts. Dragons meandered along, stopping here and there to inspect one item or another, occasionally engaging in lively debate over the prices for the goods on display.
Elsewhere, stalls filled with smoke and steam as they prepared food to order. A dragon woman dressed in a brilliant greenglaniwandered by, keeping a tired eye on two youthful children who bore the same dimpled smile that graced her face when she saw me watching.
