Dragonfury 01 - Fury of Fire Read Online Free PDF

that was before she saw the fireball.
    Like an inbound missile, it came over treetops, trailing an orange and blue-flamed tail behind it. Bastian spun into a crouch and wrapped himself around her, using his body to shield her and the baby an instant before the ambulance blew sky high. Metal groaned and the acrid smell of burning rubber billowed on a wave of black smoke. Wide-eyed, Myst watched the vehicle sail twenty feet in the air, flipping end over end before landing in a twisted heap in the driveway.
    With a sob, Myst drew her knees up, curled herself around the baby and into Bastian. All of a sudden, prison seemed like a safer alternative.

Chapter Four
     
    Bastian smelled the Razorback before he saw him. But seeing was believing, so he stayed low, eyes glued to the edge of the tree line. He didn’t wait long. The rogue came in on a slow glide, wings spread, iridescent brown scales flashing in the moonlight. Caught by the sudden rush of air, black smoke swirled, touching the dragon’s underbelly as he circled the debris field, looking for bodies in twisted metal and burning medical supplies.
    Crouched between a rusted-out car and the garage wall, arms locked around Myst, Bastian stayed perfectly still. The big male circled again, giving Bastian a clear shot from his vantage point on the ground.
    He didn’t take it. The approach was all wrong, the sight line way too easy.
    Hovering above the crumpled ambulance, eyes glowing like beacons in the night sky, the Razorback waited. Bastian counted to seven before the rogue gave up and banked left, dipping low over the sad-looking house. As the tip of his brown tail disappeared behind the peak of the roof, Bastian shifted right, keeping them hidden behind the Buick while he improved his view.
    The jack-offs were getting smarter.
    Usually the Razorbacks attacked en masse, without care for the consequences. Sending in a lone soldier to draw him out was new for them. Smart as far as strategy went; dumb-ass stupid in terms of outcome. Did the idiots really think he would take the bait?
    Probably. He sometimes did—just to keep things interesting—but couldn’t now.
    Not tonight.
    Tonight the battle strategy revolved around one thing…protecting Myst and the precious bundle sleeping in her arms. He sure as hell wasn’t going to risk them. And the idea of Myst’s death? Yeah, no way he would go there.
    Bastian pulled Myst a little closer. She’d stopped fighting him—thank Jesus. But, shock had set in and she shivered, air coming in raw rasps as she struggled for each breath. He wanted to apologize for that: for her fear and what she was about to witness. She deserved better, had been through hell already, and didn’t need the added trouble of discovering dragon-shifters in her tidy little world.
    It couldn’t be helped. Circumstance had dealt her a bad hand. All he could do now was make sure she lived to see another sunrise.
    Sheltering her, Bastian drew the edges of his leather trench coat around her. Curled into a ball between the spread of his thighs, she turned her face into his chest. With gentle hands, he tucked her head beneath his chin, lending his heat, absorbing her chill while he scanned the perimeter and listened hard. Fire licked towards the night sky and long grass rustled as enemy claws touched down in the backyard.
    The sound carried on the damp wind, the infinitesimal snick louder than a gun being cocked at close range. Battle-lust roared through Bastian, tightening muscle over bone, urging him to shift, to make the rogue pay for coming near Myst and the baby. He locked himself down. Patience was the priority, caution an absolute must. The cloaking spell was doing its job, hiding them from enemy eyes—making the pack improvise and change tactics.
    Bastian understood the Razorbacks’ strategy. They couldn’t attack what they couldn’t find. Shit-for-brains in the backyard was a smoke screen, a decoy sent to draw him into the open for the others to