Page 18 of Wild Fire

“I have three days off before I have to report back, but my lieutenant said I can have whatever time I need. I’ll call in before we leave and ask for a couple of weeks at least.”

“That would be best. I don’t mean to rush you…”

“No. Let’s get this place cleaned up and get out of here. I think you’re right. If this Shadow League is behind the cult, they are more of a threat than I imagined. I’ll let my boss know so he can warn the other members of the task force, but it sounds like we’ll be on their radar more than anyone else. We need to figure out where we can go, and we’ll both need more clothing and supplies.”

“I have an idea—the Phantom Fire has a number of properties spread out all over the world. There will be clothing and pantry staples. I can hunt and fish and we can gather wild, edible vegetation.”

“If you’ll take care of the kitchen, I’ll get the rest of this place squared away. Are we close enough to hike? I’d like to put my Jeep in storage so they can’t track us.”

Warrick grinned. “I’m a dragon, remember? I can fly us wherever we need to go…”

“Radar?”

“I love how quick your mind is. But organic things are far more difficult to track than those created by man. Besides, it’s fairly easy to stay above the clouds and avoid aircraft. I agree, ditching the car would be best.”

Warrick carried their plates into the kitchen and started to clean up. Thankfully there wasn’t much to pack or get ready to go. Dani couldn’t believe how much pleasure she had taken in him calling her intelligent, and he treated her as an equal. As she packed their bag, she couldn’t help but notice the predatory grace with which he moved.

She called the lieutenant. She knew she should tell him what was really going on, but there were two problems. The first was that he wasn’t going to be inclined to believe her—dragons? Yeah, that wasn’t going to go over well. And the second was that she was convinced if Warrick was taken by the human authorities, he wasn’t likely to fare much better with them than with this Shadow League.

Her phone call to the lieutenant made, she couldn’t believe she was actually considering running off with an honest-to-god fire-breathing dragon. Had she lost her mind? She was human. If he was right and there was a war coming, they’d be on opposite sides, wouldn’t they? And yet the small, frightened girl who’d hidden from her truly evil stepmother and escaped to Narnia and played in the woods, casting them as Terabithia and other magical places, thrilled at the idea of this wild, unexpected, and truly fantastical journey.

The practical side of her nature reminded her she had a job to do, but wasn’t her higher duty to protect those in need of it? No one ever said to protect only the humans. No, her duty and her honor demanded she band together with Warrick and help him and the Phantom Fire take down this Shadow League.

No longer would the fairytales and fantasies of her childhood be something of the past or merely of her imagination. Instead, she would be living those adventures. Accepting that her fate may now well lie with the sexy dragon shifter and his people, she felt her heart pumping stronger, setting the blood in her veins singing with emotion and power. She felt the oxygen coursing through her body, imbuing her with a kind of magic. It was as if a veil had lifted, and she was seeing life for the first time.

Warrick was glaring out the window. Before she could ask what was wrong, he muttered a curse under his breath, grabbed her arm, and started out through the bath and the outdoor shower. She grabbed the bag as he dragged her past it.

“They’re here,” he whispered. “Time is up. They found us. Do exactly as I tell you. To do otherwise could get us both killed.”

“Maybe you should go without me.”

Shooting her a look that let her know in no uncertain terms that wasn’t about to happen, he kissed her soundly and then tossed her over his shoulder as if her weight were nothing. Swiftly and silently, he moved across the small scrap of open ground between the outdoor shower and the surrounding woods. As sexy as that looked in real life, it was damned uncomfortable bouncing around on his shoulder.

Once they had cover, he stopped and set her down. They watched as the cult members milled around, pacing back and forth as if waiting for something or someone. They didn’t have long to wait as a black, luxury SUV drove up to join them.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her after him. “We need to get far enough away that they can’t see or hear me shift, or at least that I’ll have time to shift and get airborne and out of reach of any weapons they have. You need to climb up and sit at the base of my neck in front of my shoulders. Grasp the spikes along my neck and grip with your thighs and knees. I’ll try to keep the acrobatics down to a minimum, but you can’t hurt me, so hold on as tightly as you can.”

They ran through the woods, coming out in a clearing dissected by the river. They made their way across a bridge that had seen better days.

“That bridge was a little scary,” she said, trying to minimize her own fear.

So far there had been no sign they were being followed.

“That wasn’t a bridge; that was a piece of Mezo-American architecture that should be preserved for posterity, not used for foot traffic.” She couldn’t help but laugh when he grinned at her. “Good girl. Give me some room, and as soon as I emerge, you get on and hang on tight. I won’t let you fall.”

“But…”

“Dani. I won’t let you fall. I will keep you safe. Let’s go.”

Warrick stepped back from her, and she could hear the rumble of thunder as a maelstrom of lightning, color, and electrical sizzle enveloped him. In the distance she could hear those who were looking for them begin to head their way. She turned and was staring at the trees when a brilliant flame of brightly colored fire streamed past her, setting the bridge ablaze.

When she turned, Warrick had bowed down and she was able to scramble up his leg and hoist herself onto his back. He turned away from the river, taking several galloping steps as he beat his enormous wings and then she felt them leaving the ground. Behind them she could hear shouting but she was too caught up in the wonder of flying to pay attention—not in a plane, which she loathed, but on the back of a winged dragon as he climbed into the sky.

Dani wasn’t crazy about heights, but knowing it was Warrick who carried her, she felt safe and began to laugh—not with maniacal fear but with pure joy. This was every childhood fantasy she’d ever had. She was riding a dragon. Game of Thrones had gotten it all wrong, but Anne McCaffrey’s description of being a dragon rider was pretty damn close.

They soared through and over the clouds, and Dani felt as if she’d been doing this all her life. It was as if she had been training for this from the time her mother died and her father had married that ‘awful woman.’ It was the only thing she ever called the woman he’d married—that ‘awful woman’ or her ‘evil stepmother.’ It had finally driven a wedge between her and her father, creating a breach that neither had been willing to cross.

They flew for hours, with Warrick ducking into or below the clouds or hugging the ground or a water feature to avoid detection. Dani felt as if she was seeing this country for the first time—not from a plane or passing by in a car or train but like the birds experienced it—having far more freedom and space than mere humans or other earth-bound creatures.

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