Blood Dragon Box Set: Vampire Dragon Shifter Romance

Chapter 2

2

Sarah’s shoes crunched on the sparse gravel that littered the alley. Potholes filled with water dotted the bleak landscape and forced her to twist and turn to dodge them. Her eyes flickered over every shadow and she jumped at every sound until she scowled.

“Come on, Sarah, there aren’t any gangs around here,” she scolded herself.

She paused in front of a bare wood fence some eight feet tall. Scrawled on the surface in black paint was a mark for one of the local gangs. Her shoulders slumped and she glanced up at the sky. “Really?”

Sarah shook her head and continued down the alley. The block was twice as long as most of the other residential areas because of the school bus garage that lay at the far end and on the left. A tall chain-link fence with plastic slats and topped with barbed wire protected the valuable vehicles.

The length of the block meant another alley ran perpendicular to the one through which she traveled. The point of connection was cornered by the open lot of the bus garage and three fenced yards. Old trees rose from the backyards and covered the area in a thick, quiet darkness.

As she approached the intersection Sarah found herself holding her bag tighter against herself. She dragged her feet as her eyes became captivated by the shadows that lay in the perpendicular alley.

A noise made her heart jump. She stopped a yard away from the intersection and leaned forward to look down the right-hand alley which was the source of the sound. Silent, still darkness met her gaze.

She sighed and clutched her wildly beating heart. “Easy there, girl. . .” she whispered.

Sarah straightened and marched forward. She’d already wasted enough time with bogey-men that Jenny was going to start worrying-

The chain-link fence to her left exploded outward as two figures crashed through it. They flew across the alley and slammed into the fence on the opposite side. Slats and barbed wire flew everywhere. Sarah covered her head with her bag as the shrapnel rained down on her. Dust swept over the area and created a thick haze.

A deep, guttural ground made her lower her bag and look up. Her heart stopped.

A man in a gray business suit had his back pinned to the wood fence. A streak of blood ran down his face as his wide eyes looked up at the shadow that covered him. The hulking figure that pinned the man was two feet taller than him and had two leathery wings that protruded from its back and lay folded against its body. The upper and lower bodies were that of a man clothed in the remnants of jeans and a white shirt. A long, thick, dragon-like tail protruded from its jeans and whipped back and forth and nearly hit the end of its black hair that was tied in a tail down its back. Its slitted eyes glowed a terrible yellow as it curled its lips back and snarled at him.

The man turned his face away and shut his eyes. Sweat poured down both sides of his face. “D-don’t hurt me! Please don’t-” The creature lifted one of its thick arms. There was a glint of claws before it brought its hand down on the man’s neck.

The blow severed the man’s head from his body. Blood splattered the fence and the man’s suit. The head dropped to the ground and rolled a few feet away. The creature leaned back and opened its clawed hand. The headless body slid down the fence and slumped onto the ground.

Sarah’s tremblings legs collapsed and she fell onto her knees. Her mouth was agape and her hands that clutched her bag trembled.

The creature stepped back as the dust settled. A soft tread of shoes came from the bus garage, and a moment later a young woman of twenty strode through the damaged fence and into the alley. Her long red hair cascaded down her back and swished from side-to-side as she walked. She wore a thin black trench coat with high black boots, a short black shirt and short mid-drift shirt.

The woman strode over to the hulking figure. The creature stepped aside and lowered its head as she passed. She stood over the headless body and folded her arms over her ample chest. Blood poured out of the stump and the face held a permanent shocked expression. The woman knelt down and pulled a vial from her coat. She dipped the vial into the puddle of blood beneath the head and put a stopper on the container before she stood.

A smirk accentuated the red lipstick on her lips as she looked down at the head. “You weren’t much fun for my dragon. I guess your bloodline wasn’t that great, after all.”

She drew her foot back and gave the head a hard kick. The head shot forward and ricocheted off the fence. The head bounced onto the gravel and rolled to a stop in front of Sarah. Its wide open eyes stared up at her in terror. She screamed and scrambled backward until her back hit the chain-link fence. The remains of the fence rattled hard.

The woman swung around and glared at her. “So we had an audience. We can’t have that.” Her eyes flickered to her right where stood the creature.

It stomped toward Sarah and reached out its clawed hand to grab her. She pressed her back against the fence as her heart pounded in her chest. Sarah shut her eyes and silently prayed.

Someone save me. Please.

“Behind you!”

The voice came from the alley in front of Sarah. A figure flew from the darkness. Their leg was outstretched and their foot connected with the heavy jaw of the creature. The creature’s head snapped to the right and it crashed head-first into the hole in the fence.

The figure landed neatly on the ground and rushed over to Sarah. She saw it was a handsome man of thirty with short black hair and dark eyes. He was a head taller than her and looked down as he knelt in front of her. “Can you stand?” She nodded. He gave her a dazzling smile. “Good. Now we’ll see if you can run.”

He grabbed her hand and yanked her onto her feet. She barely had time to get her balance before he pulled her down the alley in the direction she came. His speed was incredible. Adrenaline pumped through her body, but even she could barely keep up with him.

“Get them!” the woman behind them screamed.

Sarah looked over her shoulder. The dragon creature pulled itself from the wire and stood. It threw back its head and gave a great, echoing roar.

The stranger turned back and grinned. “Looks like we made him mad.”

The dragon stretched out its leathery wings and leapt into the air. The wings flapped and gave it flight as its shadow sailed over them. The creature slammed down ten feet in front of them and turned to face the pair. They skidded to a stop and the stranger moved to stand in front of Sarah as the dragon took a step toward them.

He backed up and pursed his lips. “Damn it. . .”

“Nice try, little boy,” the woman cooed as she walked up behind them.

He half-turned to her and grinned. “It was, wasn’t it? You wouldn’t mind rewarding good efforts by letting us go, would you?”

She smiled and shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t let that happen. I can’t have witnesses, and with that kind of speed I think you’re quite useful to my needs. However-” she raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The dragon grabbed one of its scales from its chest and drew it out. The scale transformed into a long spear with an end as sharp as a knife. The creature pointed it at them. “I can promise you a quick, clean death. Think of that as your reward.”

Sarah took a step backward and her heel bumped into a trashcan. The side knocked against the backs of her knees, throwing her off balance before it clattered to the ground. She stretched out her hand to catch herself as she fell backward. The man spun around and reached for her hand.

Sarah’s eyes widen as the scale spear shoved itself out of the man’s chest. His blood shot from the wound and splashed over her front. She fell into a pile of trash as the man took a step forward. He coughed and blood spurted onto the ground.

Behind him stood the dragon creature with both its hands on the lower part of the spear. It snarled and shoved the tip of the weapon into the ground, pinning the man. The man grabbed the spear with both hands, but they fell back and his head dropped forward. He didn’t move.

The dragon wrenched its spear from the man and stepped back. His limp body dropped face-first onto the ground and lay still. A pool of blood expanded outward from beneath him.

Sarah stumbled to her feet and backed up until she pressed against the fence. She couldn’t take her eyes off the limp figure slain by the spear. Warm tears coursed down her cheeks.

The woman sauntered up to the man and grinned at the corpse at her feet. “This is nothing personal. It’s just business.” She turned away from the man to Sarah and folded her arms across her chest. “Now it’s your turn.”

The dragon creature walked past the woman and over to Sarah. Its hulking form towered over her as she tilted her head back. Sarah looked with wide eyes as the dragon drew the spear back to stab her. For a moment time stood still. One thought played through her mind.

It can’t end here. Not like this.

A shadow appeared behind the dragon creature and slammed a trashcan down on its head. The shadow pushed off from the front of the can like a game of leap-frog and threw the dragon off balance. The creature stumbled backward into the woman, and both toppled to the ground.

The formerly impaled man dropped to the ground in front of Sarah and grinned at the pair over his shoulder. “Nothing personal. I just don’t like you.” He turned to Sarah and grabbed her hand. “Now let’s really get out of here.”

He pulled her down the alley in the direction she had been traveling. Sarah got a good look at his back. There was a large hole in his shirt where the spear had entered. Blood scabbed over his skin, but she could see hints of the large stab wound.

“We have to get you to a hospital!” she shouted.

A roar came behind them. The man grit his teeth. “Hold on!”

Sarah yelped as he pulled her forward with so much strength that her feet left the ground. He swept his arm beneath her legs and drew her against his firm chest. Without her trailing behind him his speed doubled. The world flew past them in a blur as her long hair whipped at her face. She clutched onto him and shut her eyes.

Sarah didn’t know how long they ran, but he eventually slowed to a halt. He set her down feet-first and stumbled away from her. She steadied herself on her shaky legs and watched him slump his back against a nearby brick wall. He lay his palm on the front of his shirt where the spear had exited his chest. A large splash of blood covered his front, and some of that blood dripped through his hand and onto the ground.

Sarah inched toward him and pursed her lips as she glanced between his pale face and the red shirt. “A-are you okay?”

He raised his head and gave her a shaky grin. “I’ve. . .been better.”

“I think you need a doctor.”

He shook his head. “No police.”

She glared at him as she fumbled through her bag and pulled out her phone in bag. The time on the screen showed her it was only ten minutes since she’d left the school. “We have to get you some help.”

“No police.”

She dialed the emergency number and pressed the phone to her ear. “Police? I’ve got an injured man at-” She looked around them and frowned.

They were in an alley near its mouth, but not the same alley as before. Gone were the homes around the school. In their places were tall, brick apartment buildings crowded together like rows of dominoes. The stoops and alleyways were filled with trash, and the streetlights flickered on and off like worn-down fireflies. A few beat-up cars littered the street, and in the distance a police car blared its siren.

Sarah’s mouth dropped open and she returned her gaze to the man. “We’re in the Muzzle District!”

“I hope you don’t mind.”

“Hello?” came the dispatcher’s voice. “Is anyone there? Ma’am?”

Sarah shook her head. “But that’s. . .that’s impossible! That’s five miles away from the school!”

He nodded at the phone in her hand. “That’s why you need to put that away. I can explain it to you, but not to them.”

Sarah pursed her lips. The dispatcher’s voice crackled over her phone again. “Ma’am? Are you okay?”

Her gaze never left him as she raised the phone to her ear. “I’m. . .I’m sorry. The guy’s fine. It was just a prank he pulled on me. Sorry to bother you.” She pressed the end-call button and lowered the phone.

He leaned his head back against the brick wall and gave her a weak smile. “Thanks. I never liked hospitals much, anyway.” A cough wracked his body. More blood spilled from his mouth.

Sarah knelt down in front of him and looked him over. “If you don’t want a doctor, then what do you need?”

He closed his eyes and his voice faded. “Just. . .just get me somewhere safe. I’ll be. . .good there. . .”

Sarah sighed and shook her head as she climbed to her feet. “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but-” she pressed the first number on her speed dial and turned away from the man.

“You’re too late. The pizza’s all gone,” came her friend’s voice.

Sarah glanced over her shoulder at the man soaked in blood. “I’ve lost my appetite, and I need a ride.”

There was a short pause followed by her friend’s tense voice. “What happened?”

“You’re not going to believe me without seeing it for yourself. Just get down here. I’m near-” she strode forward out into the road and squinted at the nearest road sign, “-Mediterranean Avenue.”

“How the heck did you get all the way down there?”

“It’s a long story, just get here.”

“I’m on my way!”

The phone clicked in her ear. Sarah half-turned to look at the strange man. His head leaned to one side his face was still strained. Even covered in blood, though, he was still handsome.

“What have I gotten myself into?”