Page 2 of Surge of Storms

From out of the water a massive black dragon comes exploding out. He’s easily double the size of Aydan and Evander. A kind of power swirls around him that I’ve never felt before, like in his claws he holds both life and death. Like he’s some kind of ancient god of vengeance as lightning sizzles across the sky all around him. He shoots straight at us with bloodlust in his dark gaze.

Except, I don’t care about that, about anything, except that I know his voice. I can smell his scent, that of old books and soap, washing over me. My heart hammers.Granger. He’s alive… and he must be the storm dragon.

The last of my harem.

Granger. Is. The. Storm. Dragon. He’s alive. It’s like my head can’t process it all. Like my heart hasn’t accepted what it knows.By some miracle, he survived the fall and became one of us.

Tears sting my eyes. I long to wrap myself around him, to cover myself in his scent. But the claws in my wings hold me in place, keeping me from him.

I don’t know what I expected, but Granger flies right over me, and a second later, there’s a terrible pain as the green dragon is plucked off of my back.

I try to fly. I do. But it hurts too much. I just… can’t.

At least Granger survived. That’s all that matters.

Falling, I try to keep Granger and the green dragon in sight, but I tumble like a leaf in the wind, staring instead at the unwelcoming ocean. There’s only a moment for me to wince before I hit the icy waters. The chill shocks my system as I slowly sink to the bottom of the sea, darkness closing in around me.

Sam, are you okay?Granger asks, panic in his voice.

I jerk, realizing where I am. I wasn’t okay. But now I am because he’s here.It’s not time to give up yet.Yes, just get that bastard.

Forcing myself to move, I start flapping my injured wings enough to raise myself in the water. Painfully slowly, I struggle to the surface. It takes me so much time and so much effort that I’m out of breath and fearing for my life when I finally break free.

I drag in air that feels like broken pieces of glass in my lungs. My gaze is instantly on the sky. The black dragon and the green dragon are fighting. No… they aren’t fighting. The black dragon is tossing the green dragon around like a toy—biting him, clawing him, releasing him, and catching him again.

Stop! Please!the green dragon begs.

Where was your mercy with HER?the black dragon roars.

Granger. Roars.

My jaw drops. I’ve never seen anything like this before. The dragon that was so fearsome as he tore my wings to shreds is now screaming for help. He’s trying to run away like a coward, but Granger isn’t allowing it.

The green dragon is going to be fucked up… if he survives this.

I start to tire from keeping myself from sinking.Granger…My voice comes out quiet and weak.

In an instant, his head snaps to me.I’m coming, Sam.

At last, the green dragon starts flying away, unevenly, and Granger lets him go. The coward barely keeps himself above the water, but is obviously flying with all his might. Granger has done a lot of damage in a short time. But then again, he’s huge. And powerful.

Granger flies down until we’re staring at each other. He’s hovering above the water. It’s hard for me to breathe. It’s hard for me to do anything except stare at Granger, who’s a dragon as dark as night. He’s not as slender as Aydan, Evander, and Zane. Instead he’s built like a boat, all hard muscles and scales.

You’re okay, I finally manage to whimper.

But are YOU okay?he asks.

A sob explodes through my mind and his.I don’t think I can fly, Granger.

He doesn’t even hesitate.I’m going to take care of you. Okay? Trust me.

Something inside of me calms. I trust Granger. I’ve always been able to trust him, dragon or human doesn’t matter.

He dives into the water behind me, and a second later, he surfaces from under me. He flaps his big powerful wings and launches us from the water, me in my dragon form on his back. It feels strange. Dangerous. But I stay safely in place as he flies slowly and carefully toward the shore.

I thought you died, I say, followed by a sob.

Never. I’m never going to leave you, Sam. I promise.

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