Page 3 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
I smiled wide enough to show teeth. “You hate it when I sugarcoat things, so why bother?”
“Damn, psycho women.”
Rayna and I worked together to boost Conrad onto the horse. It wasn’t that he felt heavy with our superior strength, but rather that he’d become limp and awkward. I feared we’d have to tie him onto the stallion like the time I’d gotten my revenge on him in Tennessee. He’d been asleep for that, but I swore that this time, it was even harder to get him settled as he began to tremble with pain.
“I’ll ride with him and hold him,” Rayna said, mounting the horse behind Conrad. She looked down at me. “Will you be okay?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me. Take him to the safe house right past the border, and the lady there will help. Oh, and if you see Esphyr, let her know I’ll be along shortly.”
I’d made a few allies before leaving for North Carolina. Thankfully, they welcomed me back after five years away with no problem. Sometimes, I needed a place to store stuff or recover from injuries after a battle. A few people around the city were happy to help whenever I needed it, and I’d introduced Rayna to most of them, so she’d have support during those times she hunted without me.
Conrad arched his back and groaned. “Damn, this sucks.”
It was too bad I couldn’t stay with him during the transition, but I no longer had that luxury as a pendragon’s mate. Duty called. “I’ll get word to Rosalie so she can come be with you.”
His girlfriend would be a better source of comfort anyway.
“Why can’t I just go home?” he asked, misery in his brown gaze.
“Sorry.” I shook my head. “You’re barely gonna make it across the border before it gets so bad you’ll be out of your mind and praying for deliverance. Every movement and touch against your skin will feel like agony. Trust me that you need to get to the nearest safe place.”
Most of my memories of the transformation process were hazy, but a few key things stood out from that time—pain beingchief among them. I didn’t envy Conrad that experience, but at least he’d finally get his wish and be stronger for it. We had a war to fight. He’d become an essential asset as a full slayer and feel a hundred percent better afterward. There was a significant difference between fighting dragons before and after the process, especially with a slayer’s rapid healing abilities. It took a hell of a lot of damage for us to die.
“Take care,” Rayna said with a wave, then nudged her horse into a smooth lope.
I watched them go while Conrad begged her to slow down, moaning in pain. She’d have to weave through wrecked city streets, roving gangs, and who knew what other obstacles to get him across the border fast. He’d have to tough it out until then.
I took off at a jog, following in the same direction. They left my sight moments after I started, but I didn’t worry. There wasn’t a green dragon in the sky. We’d been seeing fewer and fewer Shadowan in recent weeks, likely because they put more of their forces at the Thamaran border to the west. Or rather, the Kandoran border since their evil army had taken over without making it official. The urine markers hadn’t been updated by any clan on that side for at least a few years. Shifters told me that since I wasn’t about to sniff around and check.
Avoiding the main streets, I ran through neighborhoods. Some had burned down at some point, but others remained standing. None of them looked like anyone had maintained them in a long time. It didn’t mean people didn’t continue to live inside, though. They knew better than to advertise signs of habitation that would trigger the pure dragons to investigate further, so they let the outside become overgrown, littered with trash, and dilapidated.
Garbage and the noxious odors of overflowing sewage were major problems outside of Norman. Humans beyond the town’s limits hadn’t organized in any meaningful way beyond maybe protecting each other in certain neighborhoods, so the living conditions continued to worsen. I’d heard the city planners hoped to expand and include more places for clean-up, running water, and electricity wherever enough humans agreed to cooperate.
I’d run about a mile when I spotted three men sitting on a porch with pistols and rifles in their hands. They tensed when they first saw me but didn’t stand or lift their weapons. I didn’t change my pace, choosing instead to meet their gazes and wave.
“Slayer,” one of them called as I passed, a grin splitting his face. “Keep up the good work!”
Word had gotten around that I was back, and they knew how to recognize me with my black camrium uniform—along with Conrad and Rayna, who wore the same. Our specialized clothing was fireproofand bulletproof and didn’t tear easily due to the strong leather-like material and magical properties imbued into it. No one with any sense messed with us. They knew we wouldn’t hurt them unless provoked, and we only came out to kill dragons. Nobody minded that. Only the occasional idiot with a chip on their shoulder considered challenging us, but that rarely happened anymore.
I considered passing them without replying, but I felt obligated to say something.“Have you heard what’s coming?”
The man who’d spoken to me grimaced. “There’s been rumors.”
“It’s gonna be bad,” I said, a warning in my voice. “We’re gearing up for battle and can use all the help we can get, so if youfeel up for it, talk to someone on the shifter side about joining us—or just make sure you get underground during the war to stay safe. We hope to win, but it’s gonna take a while with the army coming our way. Stock up on all the supplies you can.”
The three men glanced at each other with wary expressions before the same one replied, “We appreciate you tellin’ us. We might think about joinin’, but no promises.”
“It’s fine, whatever you decide, but could you pass the word along?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “We can do that.”
The Norman city council had been distributing flyers around the Oklahoma City area over the past few weeks to get the news out, along with Hank—the radio guy—doing the same. We were trying to prepare everyone the best we could and recruit anyone willing to fight. Some people were too tired from years of barely surviving to care about the big picture anymore. It was simply one more problem in a long list of many.
We’d all been through a lot since the dragons arrived, and many didn’t have much left to give. I tried not to judge despite lacking that choice myself. Like it or not, I had to face the enemies coming. Every slayer in the area would feel compelled to do so.
“Stay safe, guys,” I said, continuing on my way.
The skies remained clear as I picked up the pace and resumed jogging through the city. Relief filled me when I finally spotted I-240 up ahead, knowing it marked the neutral travel zone before entering Taugud territory. A quick sky check told me no green dragons currently patrolled the area. I put on one last burst of speed as I made my way under a bridge and crossed into my safe zone.
