Page 66 of Dragon Touched
“No, they won’t.” He jerked his chin toward the crowd at his back, but never took his eyes from his prey. “The people here are either too sloshed to see straight or too focused on the band.” A dark, twisted smile flitted across his lips. “And no one will be the wiser when this piece of garbage disappears.”
Lorenzo took off in a half-run, half-waddle toward the entrance of the building, where there were no onlookers.
He really is dumb,Sacha mused,because if he had a working brain, he’d flee in the opposite direction, toward the safety of the milling, raucous crowd.
Something small, red, and shiny darted through the open front doors and headed straight in Lorenzo’s direction, like a flaming arrow seeking a target.
“Cyan.” Sacha’s heart was in her throat, and her heartbeat pulsed with a maddening rhythm.
“Bloody hell,” Fin muttered. “He was supposed to stay outside.” His eyebrows scrunched together and threw a quick glance around the dance floor.
Forcing his attention to Lorenzo again, Fin watched the dragon barrel into the man’s wide chest and seize the lapels of his shirt with sharp talons. Clinging to the man’s clothing, Cyan’s head jerked toward his face and his jaws opened wide. The pulsing, dizzying lights from overhead gave his razor teeth a sharp glint before they clamped onto the man’s bulbous, acne-riddled nose.
Lorenzo screamed.
Cyan let go and slammed his brow against the man’s chin.
“Goddamn.” Blood poured from both of Lorenzo’s nostrils, and loose skin dangled from the left side like a saggy, deflated balloon. When his fat fingers came away bloody, he made a grab at the dragon’s body still splayed across his shirt. “You nearly tore off my nose.” His voice shook, either from rage, pain, or restrained tears—Sacha wasn’t sure.
“Trust me.” Fin’s voice was tight and flat. “It’s an improvement.” With a quick curl of an index finger, he pulled the green sphere a couple of inches from the man’s ruined nose. “Get over here, Cyan.I’mtaking care of this problem.”
Lorenzo tore at the little dragon’s clawed foot.
Cyan let out a shriek of pain. His thin wings fluttered.
“You’re hurting him.” Sacha ran toward the beloved dragon, but Fin threw an arm out to block her way.
“No. Stay back. He’s tougher than he looks.”
The long talons of Cyan’s other leg raked Lorenzo from temple to chin, creating three deep, red gashes exposing gristle, fat, and sinew beneath the epidermal layers.
Now faced with this fresh onslaught of pain, Lorenzo let go of the dragon to clutch at his shredded cheek. A deep, low wail began in the back of his throat.
Even over the loud, live music, Sacha feared someone would glance behind and see what was unfolding.
Free at last, Cyan darted into Sacha’s arms. She tucked his tiny body in the crook of her elbow.
Fin flicked his fingers toward the green orb of light, and once more, it soared to the bloody-faced man.
His low wail turned into a high-pitched scream but stopped when the sphere touched the flesh of his arm. After a flash, he disappeared and a small, green pea wobbled on the floor, near a chair.
Both Fin and Sacha searched the crowd.
Several feet away, a tall, burly man stood as still as stone, his sleeveless wife-beater shirt revealing tattooed sleeves on each arm. His jaw hung loose, and a ballcap sat askew atop his head. One hand cradled a can of beer, and the other held an electronic vape pen.
“Damn.” His wild eyes swept the small vegetable on the floor, the dragon in Sacha’s arms, and then to Fin. “Sara was right—I gotta quit drinking this cheap shit.” As if to emphasize his statement, he poured the entire can of beer onto the floor, stumbled a few times, then meandered a drunken path through the crowd. Every three seconds, he’d twist his neck to throw wobbly glances over his shoulder.
Sacha marched to the shaky pea, raised her foot, then smashed the vegetable. Green goo shot out, and she smiled.
“Now, that’s what I call appeasement.” Knowing what he’d had planned for her, not a trace of guilt clouded her mind. He deserved his end.
Cyan nudged her chest and trilled.
“Are you okay, little guy? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Bright, golden eyes gave a languid blink. His lips stretched into what looked like a smile of daggers.
“Good.” Sacha placed a light kiss on Cyan’s head. “You’re too precious to lose.”
