Page 44 of Burn for the Dragon
Rage flared inside of Hawke, burning so hot he wouldn’t have been surprised if fire started shooting from his mouth like the dragon. These idiots were acting on panic, shooting everywhere, without a care that others might get hurt. He gave Everly a push between her shoulder blades to tell her to stay down, and then he rose up with a roar and rushed the nearest guard. Another wave of bullets pelted his side before he grabbed the gun and flung it so hard into the wall it broke into pieces and slid to the floor.
The human yanked a handgun from his waist, but before he could fire it, Hawke reached out with one hand and secured his wrist. Twisting it down and back bones splintered and popped as he sank his fangs into his neck. The gun slid from the human’s hand.
He was on the other three before they saw him coming, all of their attention on the beast in the cell. Once he had them disarmed and either dead or unconscious, he turned to get Everly and get her the hell out of there.
And saw he was too late.
Everly had gotten under one of the metal tables along the side of the wall after the shooting had broken out. She curled up into the corner as the dragon, with one last, furious charge, broke through the glass and rammed into the cell bars. Two of them bent under the pressure of its weight. The dragon backed up, his sides inflating on a deep inhale.
“Everly!” Hawke’s shout was lost in the flames as it heated the bars, then charged them again. A surge of relief made him lightheaded when he saw her still in the corner and apparently unharmed.
The dragon backed off again, preparing to send another round of fire.
Hawke moved fast. He knew he stood no chance against the shifter. It would burn him alive with hardly a thought. His only chance was to get Everly the hell out of there and either wait it out until her brother changed back or call Kohl.
Appearing in front of her, Hawke dragged her from under the table and lifted her into his arms, preparing to run. But as soon as he turned around, he found himself impaled by a pair of crazed reptilian eyes. The dragon looked at Hawke, and then to the woman struggling in his arms.
“Motherfucker.” He tightened his hold on Everly, and then he ran like he’d never run before, a trail of fire heating his back as he escaped the room and took off down the corridor.
“Let me down!” Everly twisted in his arms, trying to break his hold, but Hawke only held her tighter until they got outside. Emergency lighting flickered and dimmed, before it surged bright again, lighting up the grounds and destroying his hope of hiding in the shadows of the night.
Setting her on her feet, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her until she looked at him. “You cannot go back in there!”
Her eyes widened, and he saw a trace of fear in the gray depths that sent a spear of guilt through him. Hawke could only imagine what he looked like, all vamped out and bloody with the death of at least two of the guards on his hands.
“Everly—”
Her eyes fell to his throat. “Were you shot?” she asked. Her shaking hands pulled at his shirt, buttons popping everywhere as she separated the material to see the flesh beneath. “Hawke! You’re shot!”
The building behind her rocked on its foundation, and a few bricks fell to the ground.
“Motherfucker,” Hawke muttered again as he watched it.
Everly spun around to see.
Hawke grabbed her arm and began to pull her away. He hadn’t made it two steps when he stuttered to a halt and swayed on his feet. He was losing too much blood too fast before his body had a chance to heal itself. He needed to feed, but other than Everly, there was no one around to fulfill that need, and he couldn’t take from her when she would need all of her strength to escape this place. The humans had fled the scene. Hawke couldn’t blame them. He had no desire to be burned alive, either.
He realized Everly was holding him up. Hawke took her face between his hands and tried to focus on her. “Run.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving you.” Her jaw tightened. “Or him. That’s my brother.”
“That’s not your brother right now, honey.” He took a ragged breath. “You have to run. Get the hell out of here before he kills us both. Fucking run, Everly!” He shouted the words right in her face.
Tears filled her eyes, but she stood her ground. “No!”
Fuck. Hawke dropped his head, too exhausted to argue with her. He’d have to get her out of there himself.
Everly grabbed his arms and shook him. “Hawke!”
He raised his head, but she was looking behind him. Not wanting to see, but knowing he needed to, Hawke twisted around.
The building was collapsing, piece by piece, as the dragon fought its way out. Its shrieks of rage filled the air, the roar of flames following each one busting out windows, black smoke billowing into the sky. As they watched, something exploded, the back half of the building began to crumble, and the dragon came bursting out of the thick cloud of smoke. It stretched its wings wide, blood dripping from the injured one, then gave them a hard flap, and rose high above the smoke as it released another shriek. This time of freedom.
Hawke realized they were standing out in the open and began edging his way over to the side of the closest building, one eye on the beast as he pushed Everly in front of him. For once, she didn’t resist, stumbling backwards as she stared in awe at the creature hovering in the air above them.
“He’s beautiful,” she whispered.
Dragging her into the shadows, Hawke pressed her back against the wall, protecting her with his body, and grabbed her face to get her attention. “He’s not in his right mind, Everly. Not even for a dragon. He won’t know you.”
