Page 9 of Wild Fire

“Point taken. The door is over that way,” she continued, indicating a roll-up door, “in the southwest corner. That’ll take us into the access alley for the warehouses.”

Warrick nodded. “Those who held me captive would come back periodically to try and keep me weak. They are still upstairs. We need to be quick.”

“The minute you open that door, I’ll start the Jeep and pick you up. We’ll be gone before they can do anything.”

Warrick ran towards the door. Dani took a moment to watch his muscular butt and legs running to get the door open. He really was a hunk—and a dragon. Somehow, he was a dragon, and she couldn’t forget that.

Warrick sprinted across the floor to the door and turned to ensure he had her attention. Dani hopped in the Jeep and flashed her headlights at him. He hit the button to raise the roll-up door and Dani started the engine, throwing it in gear and flooring it. She slid to a stop to let Warrick in as the first shots were fired their way.

Looking in the rearview mirror, she could see them as they flipped on the bank of lights closest to them. The group was an interesting mix; some of them looked like cult members—punked-out thugs—and two others were far more conservative. The thugs appeared to be higher than kites, screaming and firing randomly at them. The others merely observed but did not engage. She’d found indications that the cult wasn’t acting alone and had begun to believe the human trafficking operation was far too sophisticated and organized for the cult to be acting independently. This seemed to support that theory.

She engaged her Jeep’s rear camera and snapped several pictures, hoping the tech guys could both enhance and enlarge the image quality. She’d like to get a better look at the entire gang, but especially the two newcomers to the party.

Dani careened out the door, the Jeep fishtailing before the tires caught hold and she roared down the access road. Up ahead, she could see lights approaching the side edge of the building. Someone was moving to cut them off.

“Here, keep us going straight,” she said, rolling down her window as Warrick reached over to grab the wheel.

Dani leaned out the window, leaning on the accelerator and using it to steady herself. She brought her SIG up and opened fire at the very front end of the vehicle that she was sure was going to try and block their exit. She fired at the tires and as they popped, at the hood of the SUV, hitting the engine and taking a kind of pride when the thing caught fire.

Slipping back into the Jeep and sliding down into the seat, she set her SIG into the holster she’d had specially made and attached to the side of the console between the front seats. “Thanks, I’ve got it,” she said taking the wheel in her hands. “You should be able to reach some of the water in the back. There’s some elastic net-like thingies and there’s three or four bottles in each.” She looked over to see him watching her. “What?”

“Fire-breathing dragons that can shift into men, slavers, people trying to kill us, and you’re still concerned with getting me food and water. By the way, whoever sold you the side of beef sold you an excellent grade. It was delicious even if I did have to wolf it down. I’ll reimburse you.”

“No need. I have a friend who’s a butcher. She wouldn’t let me pay for it. We need to get you to a hospital.”

“Let’s think that through. Do you really believe there are any hospitals that have the experience or capability to deal with a dragon shifter?”

“Is that what you call yourself?”

“It is. There was a time when purebred dragons walked this earth. Then we were known as human/dragon hybrid shifters. But since our purebred kin roam no more, we are simply dragon-shifters.”

“Are there more of you?”

Warrick chuckled. “Far more than you would care to believe. But to ease your mind, I am already healing. We heal much faster in our dragon form, but the beef you gave me will help, as will not being doused with a toxic solution and having bits of flesh cut out of my hide every three days.”

“Were they torturing you to try and make you talk? Wait, did they know you could talk? Did they know you could become human?”

“Their torture was only for their amusement and to keep me weak enough so that their iron bindings could hold me. We cannot shift when our skin is in contact with iron.”

“Kind of like your Kryptonite?”

“Something like that.”

“What were they spraying you with?”

“A diluted form of seawater.”

“Seawater? There’s nothing toxic in seawater.”

“Not unless you’re a dragon or a dragon-shifter in his dragon form. Pure seawater acts as a strong acid and given in a sufficient amount can kill a dragon.”

“And you live by the ocean?”

“Some of us do, but not all. May I say you’re taking this remarkably well for a human with no prior knowledge of shifters.”

“I didn’t think I had much choice. When you say ‘shifters,’ do you mean there are other kinds?”

Warrick nodded. “Many. Most have purebred counterparts but there are some, like dragons, where only the hybrid exists.”

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