Her Dragon: An Urban Fantasy Romance (Silver Shifter Book 2) Page 6

  Cash’s shoulders slumped in relief. “I’d appreciate that.”

  Virion chuckled before he turned to face me. My palms began to sweat under the scrutiny of the entire Dragon Council.

  “Would you mind telling us exactly what happened, Ariana?” the head of the council asked. He spoke so kindly that it made me relax, too.

  I exchanged a look with Cash. Before we’d gotten in the car that morning, he’d told me to just tell them what they wanted to know—there was no use hiding it. Still, it felt personal. My dragon was mine. They had no right to treat me or her like a lab rat.

  Without wasting time, I explained what had taken place, where I woke up, how Maximus was chained with silver, and the vampire in charge delivered a long monologue before pushing me off the building. Then, there was the fire. Rage had consumed me. I had been so angry at them for hurting my mate and daring to try to kill me. Before I hit the ground, that rage had consumed me, and from my body had unfurled a dragon.

  By the time I was done, things were getting fuzzy. I had been so tired on the flight back to wolf territory that I’d collapsed in the yard.

  “I saw her fly through the trees and change back,” Cash supplied when I was done. “She fell unconscious, probably from overexertion on her first shift.”

  The Dragon Council regarded me with wide eyes. I glanced at Cash, not sure what to do or say now that I’d told them my story.

  “This is absolutely preposterous.” Laurence slammed his fist on the table. “There has never been a shifter who could change into two different beasts—even during interspecies unions.”

  The councilmembers wrinkled their noses and exchanged wary glances. My stomach soured with nausea. So shifters really did hate interspecies relationships. Were they that unnatural?

  “As I said, I witnessed it myself,” Cash said, his fists clenching on the tabletop.

  My wolf snarled along with him, angry for both of us.

  Virion held up a hand. “Laurence is getting ahead of himself.” He turned to the younger councilmember. “What do they have to gain by lying?”

  Laurence blanched. Finally, something he didn’t have an answer for.

  “How could this be possible?” Genevieve asked.

  “I don’t know,” Virion began. “But we will—”

  A rumble like thunder rolled through the building, shaking everything around me. My stomach dropped as I grabbed the table for support. The chandelier above the round table trembled like it had entered the eye of a hurricane. Then it fell, crashing onto the floor and scattering the crystal droplets.

  I shot to my feet at the same time as Cash. He grabbed my hand and yanked me close, putting a protective arm around me.

  “What the hell is going on?” Anton, one of the other members shouted. He rocketed to his feet, a vicious growl rumbling from his throat.

  The building shook again. My knees wobbled with the effort of keeping myself standing straight. Even with Cash’s help, the second explosion nearly sent us sprawling on the ground.

  “We must evacuate,” Virion boomed.

  Cash ripped the door open, throwing it off its hinges. He dove through, pulling me into the hallway. My breathing came in quick gasps as I looked down either end of the hall. All of the paintings of old dragon alphas had been knocked from the walls. Dust rained from the ceiling, and red emergency lights flashed down the hall.

  “Get to the stairs!” Cash ordered the men and women fleeing the council room.

  We moved to follow when a chill ran down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I sniffed the air to see what had alerted my senses to more incoming danger when a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me from Cash’s grip.

  I yelped as I was thrown down the hall. I slammed against the floor, air exploding from my lungs.

  “Ari!” Cash bellowed.

  I gasped for breath as I rolled onto my side. Shadows blurred past, and that’s when I smelled them. Vampires.

  “Shit,” I hissed.

  I leapt to my feet just as another vampire made a grab for me. I backed toward my mate and the rest of the council.

  A crash behind me nearly made me look over my shoulder, but I didn’t. If the pits had taught me anything, it was never to let my guard down. A woman with red hair and a feral grin approached with her hands splayed at her sides.

  “Heeeere, puppy.” She whistled, the sound almost a screech in my ears.

  I winced and continued to backtrack until warm hands closed on my biceps. Instinctually, I thrust my elbow back.

  Cash grunted at the impact, the air whooshing from his lungs.

  I spun to face him. “I’m sorry, I thought it was—”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Sparks of rage danced in his eyes as he looked over my shoulder, eyeing the female vampire approaching. She had at least ten or eleven others flanking her, all with skin pale like death and eyes red like blood.

  “Get back!” Virion rushed forward from the group of councilmembers that still remained. I looked up in time to see Virion sail past, fire brimming in his palms. He growled at the vampire woman, and she snarled in return.

  Cash ushered me behind him, but I planted my feet. Did he really think he was going to fight these vampires without me?

  “Didn’t you hear me?” Virion growled. He glared at us over his shoulder. “I said, get back!”

  I blinked in surprise. I thought he’d been talking to the vampires.

  Genevieve appeared on one side of us, Anton on the other. They pulled us back down the hall, letting the other councilmembers push through to flank their leader.

  “What are you doing?” Cash snapped.

  “You’re our alpha,” Anton said, squeezing Cash’s arm. “And she’s our Silver Shifter. You both need to get the hell out of here.”

  “May the great Dragon God’s grace go with you.” Genevieve gave us a quick bow before she released us and raced back down the hall, fire already consuming her fists.

  My heart raced as Anton pushed us toward a sign marked ‘emergency exit’. “We’re just going to leave them?” I asked.

  Cash worked his jaw back and forth. He looked between Anton, the council, and me several times before he nodded. “Yes.”

  Anton sighed in relief. “Be safe, Cash.”

  “You, too, old friend.”

  Anton flashed a grin before he turned and ran back down the hall to join the fray. I couldn’t see much between the balls of fire and hissing smoke, but I could hear vampiric snarls and dragons growling in rage.

  “Let’s go,” Cash said.

  I glanced back one last time before following the signs to the stairs. As soon as I slammed my hands against the bar on the door, it careened inward, nearly spilling me onto the floor.

  Cash caught me, hauling me to my feet. The second the door closed behind us, silence descended in the stairwell.

  I turned to look at Cash’s conflicted face. “What the hell is going on?”

  He met my gaze, worry and rage waging war in his eyes. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

  9

  Ariana

  I raced down the steps, taking them two at a time. Why did the council chambers have to be on the twenty-third floor? Was that really necessary?

  Fear flooded my chest, heating me from the inside out. My legs burned the longer we raced down stairs. Before we could reach the tenth floor, a crash sounded several floors below.

  I stopped on the landing, my heart racing wildly. “What was that?”

  Cash leaned over the railing to peer at the floors below. He pushed back, his eyes wide as the sound of pounding footsteps met my ears. “We have company.”

  I inhaled deeply. “Vampires.”

  “Let’s get out of the stairwell until they pass.”

  “I’m sure they’ve heard us by now,” I countered. Before he could open his mouth to argue, I yanked open the door to the tenth floor. I didn’t disagree that we had to get out of the stairwell, but there was no waiting until
the vampires passed. We needed to either make a stand or run.

  I rushed through the door, and Cash was quick to follow. I looked around for an escape, finding a long hall filled with offices. “How are they out in daylight?”

  We’d arrived around noon, and the sun had been in full blaze. There was no way vampires should be out so early. If it was overcast, that’d be another matter, but luck and the weather had been on our side today, which was one of the reasons I agreed to go with Cash alone.

  Cash growled. “The tunnels.”

  “What?”

  “There are tunnels built below the city streets. They should be well guarded, but somehow they must have slipped passed.”

  “What if they encounter sunlight?”

  He shook his head. “Did you see what they were wearing? The black body gear and hoods?”

  I blanched.

  “You’re right. The sun won’t help us in here. We’ve got to get out.”

  I nodded and began looking for another way out. “Any way down besides flying?”

  “There’s another stairwell on the other side of the building.”

  “So, more running then.”

  Cash grinned. “You got it.”

  I took off, Cash close behind. We raced across the carpet, doors with meaningless names blurring by on either side. We were halfway there when a crash sounded behind us. Damn vampires.

  “Don’t stop,” Crash growled. We kept running despite the fact we both knew we were no match for vampire speed. It was too late to run. Now we had to fight.

  The rush of wind met my ears, and three black-clad vampires stopped twenty-feet in front of us. I skidded to a stop and looked back the way we’d come. Three more stood in our path.

  Six opponents. Good odds.

  My wolf growled, raging inside me. Though she’d been scratching at the door of my mind for some time, now she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

  I pressed my back against Cash’s so that we both watched a set of vampires. There was no turning our backs on the enemy now.

  “Ari, let me take care of this,” Cash said, his voice low and dangerous.

  I scoffed. “Not likely.”

  “Ari,” he warned.

  The vampires shot forward in a blur of speed. My heart dropped at the same time I pushed forward. There were two males and one female on my side. They were my sole focus now. I had to concentrate and find a moment to shift. Though I wasn’t completely useless in human form, my wolf could shred them.

  One of the men stopped just short of me and reached for my arm. I spun from his grasp, just avoiding the woman’s clawed fingers as well. The third dove at me, a wicked grin on his face.

  I leapt, leapfrogging his body. He crashed to the floor as the woman let out a cackle. Golden rings like pointed claws hid the tips of her fingers. She swiped at me once, then twice, each time narrowly missing my stomach as I jumped back.

  They’d separated us just like that. While I was forced back the way we’d come, Cash faced off with his own opponents in a blur of fire.

  A snarl ripped from my throat as I realized what they’d done. They were trying to keep me from my mate. I didn’t know exactly what they were after or why they wanted me. All I knew was that they were going to pay.

  The woman sliced again, this time ripping through a layer of skin. With a snarl, I leapt back, putting as much space between us as I could.

  A roar filled the hall, and the vampires froze. Fire flared through the hall, and Cash looked at me with a grin so wide it revealed teeth.

  Now! He was causing a distraction.

  Howling filled my ears as I let my wolf free of her cage. My body fell to all fours. Before I could feel even a pinch of pain from the transformation, I was a wolf, tearing through my clothes to fight.

  I growled, low and angry at the vampires.

  They turned to face me, surprise registering on their faces.

  “Shit,” the woman hissed. “You weren’t supposed to let her change!”

  “I didn’t let her do anything,” one of the men snapped.

  While they were arguing, I leaned back on my hind legs and leapt forward. My powerful wolf body tore down the hall, my breath panting from my muzzle. I charged the closest vampires. He grabbed my scruff, cursing as my claws dug into his flesh.

  Before he could throw me free, I dove at his neck, sinking my teeth in and grinding down with all of my strength. His body fell limp beneath me, his head thumping from my blood-soaked jaw. Ash burst on my tongue.

  My lips pulled back in disgust. I hated the taste of bloodsuckers.

  “Get her,” the vampire woman screamed.

  The second male dove forward, but I leapt to one side, using the wall as a springboard to launch myself onto his back. He fell under my weight, giving me enough time to rake my claws down his back before tearing off his head.

  “You bitch!” The vampire woman grabbed the back of my neck and threw me down the hall in her rage.

  I twisted in midair, my thoughts racing as I recalled all the times something bigger than me had sent me flying. I landed on my feet, my claws destroying the carpet to stop my momentum. Then the vampire was running at me.

  I snarled and charged to meet her, but before I could leap, her eyes went wide, and fire burned right through the center of her chest. She had enough time to look down before the life left her body and she fell limp.

  Cash’s hand was still extended from where he’d shot the fireball. The second the bloodsucker went down, he sighed in relief. “Are you all right?”

  I nodded, though the motion felt awkward as a wolf.

  “Can you change back?” He knelt before me, pushing his fingers into the fur around my face.

  Something rumbled deep in my chest.

  Come on, Wolfie, let me change. My wolf whined but did as she was told. In the next moment, I was human again, panting heavily as I knelt on the shredded carpet.

  Cash held my face in his hands. He smiled, relief clear in every inch of his body. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  I snorted. “I was a pit fighter for years. What did you expect?”

  A cheeky grin spread across his face, and then he kissed me. My entire body heated at the contact, but he pulled away far too soon. A little groan of disappointment left my lips, embarrassing me while making his grin turn cheshire.

  “Let’s go, my little killer.” He held out his hand and pulled me to my feet.

  I realized then that I was naked. My cheeks burned while Cash’s gaze trailed down my body. I gritted my teeth but didn’t move to cover myself, no matter how uncomfortable I felt. If he were anyone but my mate, I’d have hated his eyes on my naked skin. But being naked and having him so close was giving my wolf a different reason to growl.

  After leering at me for a minute, Cash pulled off his blazer and wrapped it around my shoulders, buttoning the four buttons up the front. It was huge on me, but at least it covered everything.

  “That’ll have to do for now,” Cash said.

  The scent of copper caught my nose, not like the ashy smell of vampire blood, but the smell of shifter. I squeezed his hand and looked him over. “You’re bleeding.”

  A vampire had torn a gash through his white button up shirt, and a trickle of blood stained the fabric. “Hardly a scratch.” He wove his fingers through mine, leaning forward to plant a kiss on my forehead before releasing me. “Now let’s get out of here.”

  Five minutes later, we tore out of the stairwell and into the lobby.

  I could feel Maximus’s urgency through the pack bond. He was worried, but I let him know we were okay and almost free. Maximus was getting close, and soon my mates and I would all be together again.

  “We made it!” I called, rushing ahead. The enormous three-story lobby opened to a glass exterior, giving us a slightly darkened view of the street and all the emergency vehicles wailing beyond.

  Cash chuckled. “I guess we—”

  A gasp made me whip around. A vampire stood
over Cash, his fist clenched from where he’d just punched him in the gut.

  “Cash!” I cried. I rushed forward, my wolf already howling for freedom. Heat coursed through me as my rage ignited.

  Fight, my wolf growled.

  Kill, my dragon screeched.

  The vampire turned on me just as more footsteps sounded behind me. I swung around to find a dozen more spilling from the the stairwell at the back of the lobby, spreading out past the elevators and security desk.

  Cash dove forward, tackling the man who had hit him. A flurry of hissing went up, and then it was all out chaos. Vampires dove in every direction, some making a grab for me while the others ran to help their comrade.

  Cash slammed his fist into the face of the one who downed him first, then got a right hook on another. Each of them flew back just in time for the next to arrive. The scent of copper blossomed in the air, and I realized another vampire had those awful clawed rings. The woman sneered as she ducked low, slicing open a long strip of Cash’s leg.

  “Stop!” I screamed. I slammed my elbow into the chest of the first vampire to grab me. He grunted and took hold of my elbow. I growled and pulled for freedom, but another captured my arm. “Let me go.”

  Fury heated my blood and my skin, too, because both vampires yelped and let go. I snarled at them, but the sound was unfamiliar. Something awoke within me, bathing me in heat and ash and fire. It tore through my mind and itched at my skin until all I could see was red.

  The two vampires lunged to grab me again, but I backhanded the first away with surprising strength. When he went flying across the room and slammed into the wall, two others appeared to replace him.

  I couldn’t stay human, but I couldn’t feel my wolf anymore. She was so distant, locked deep inside my head as another beast roared to life. And damn, beastie was angry.

  “Run, Ari,” Cash shouted.

  I didn’t need to turn to see half the vampires were on him, and it wasn’t going well. He might be a dragon shifter, but there were still more vampires piling in. If Cash didn’t get a second to shift, we might lose this fight.