Finding His Dragon
ONE
Careful not to make any sudden moves, with her heart racing, and palms damp, Charlotte quickened her steps. Someone stalked her from the shadows. It wasn’t so much that she’d seen them, but her prickling skin alerted her that something wasn’t quite right. It had been a hard lesson to learn, but a year of torment at the hands of her clan had taught her one thing, to trust her instincts. And right then, her gut was telling her to get out of there, and fast.
Glen Farley was a cute little town. With people who were more or less tolerant of the dragons among them. Oh, she’d received a couple of sideways glances by the townsfolk, but for the most part, people had been welcoming. She hadn’t held any delusion of being able to stay or set down roots, but she’d hoped to be able to linger a while. Now all she could look forward to was staying in the room she’d already paid for and lay low for a couple of days before leaving town.
Where the hell she would go next was beyond her. It didn’t matter how far she traveled, or how fast she went, her clan, or worse yet, Adrian and his band of nasty men were right there one step behind her. Charlotte glanced over her shoulder before ducking left. As soon as she was around the corner, she ran down a narrow alley. Light on her feet, she hardly made a sound, but that didn’t matter. Dragons had incredible hearing.
She didn’t look back as she ran. If they were following, her energy would be better spent running than looking for them. Her lungs burned as she dashed around the corner at the other end of the laneway, going full speed. At lease, she had been until she slammed straight into what could have been a brick wall were it not for the warmth radiating from it, and the grunt the man made as she plowed into him. His hands came up to steady her. Tiny bursts of electricity rushed through her where his hands rested against her skin, making her gasp as she pulled away. His big blue eyes caught her gaze, keeping her imprisoned for a beat before she shook herself out of it.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she looked over her shoulder. She still couldn’t see them, but that didn’t mean a thing. The man was saying something, but she didn’t hear him over the blood rushing past her eardrums. Deep inside, her dragon lifted her head, sniffing the air, her interest in the stranger making Charlotte want to lean in closer for a good whiff. Shaking her head, she forced herself to pull back. She took one last look at him before darting around him and running as fast as her legs would take her. As gorgeous as the man was, she wouldn’t let that be the reason she was captured and sent to Adrian.
Another hundred feet and she’d be in the park, another two blocks after that, and she’d be safe, at least temporarily. As long as the breeze continued to blow down the mountain, any lingering scent she might leave behind would be swept away in a matter of minutes.
It wasn’t until she unlocked the door to her dingy apartment and slammed it closed behind her that she allowed herself to process what had happened.
A huge shadow had blocked the sun for a moment, but that was all it took to send her scurrying for cover. Of course, there were other dragons about, and it could have been anyone out flying across the bright morning sky, but Charlotte couldn’t afford to take chances. One mistake and she would be right back where she had started two months ago. As melodramatic as it sounded, she would rather die than let that happen. She was no fool. Having run from her clan could very well mean her death regardless, but only if they caught up with her. At least, she had a chance at freedom. A life on the run had to be better than mating to the cruel man her brother had chosen for her.
Charlotte leaned against the wooden door she had locked behind her. It wasn’t until she brushed the hair from her face that she caught the scent of the man she’d knocked into lingering on her palms. She gasped. Heart pounding, she pulled her shirt up and pressed her nose into the soft material, taking a long sniff. The faint scent made her dragon stir. Nervous energy vibrated through her. Part of her wanted to go back out, and look for the man to get more of his delicious scent on her clothes—on her skin.
“What the hell are you thinking, Charlotte?” she scolded herself. “That would be suicide, and for what? A sniff of a man you don’t even know?” She pulled herself away from the door and headed for her backpack. She had to figure out where she would go from there. She had enough food to last two days, three at the most, and enough money to keep her for a couple of weeks. After that, she’d be screwed if she couldn’t find someplace to hide where she could earn a bit of money before she had to run again. With a heavy sigh, she pulled out her maps. There had to be somewhere she could go that they wouldn’t find her.
Careful not to make any sudden moves, with her heart racing, and palms damp, Charlotte quickened her steps. Someone stalked her from the shadows. It wasn’t so much that she’d seen them, but her prickling skin alerted her that something wasn’t quite right. It had been a hard lesson to learn, but a year of torment at the hands of her clan had taught her one thing, to trust her instincts. And right then, her gut was telling her to get out of there, and fast.
Glen Farley was a cute little town. With people who were more or less tolerant of the dragons among them. Oh, she’d received a couple of sideways glances by the townsfolk, but for the most part, people had been welcoming. She hadn’t held any delusion of being able to stay or set down roots, but she’d hoped to be able to linger a while. Now all she could look forward to was staying in the room she’d already paid for and lay low for a couple of days before leaving town.
Where the hell she would go next was beyond her. It didn’t matter how far she traveled, or how fast she went, her clan, or worse yet, Adrian and his band of nasty men were right there one step behind her. Charlotte glanced over her shoulder before ducking left. As soon as she was around the corner, she ran down a narrow alley. Light on her feet, she hardly made a sound, but that didn’t matter. Dragons had incredible hearing.
She didn’t look back as she ran. If they were following, her energy would be better spent running than looking for them. Her lungs burned as she dashed around the corner at the other end of the laneway, going full speed. At lease, she had been until she slammed straight into what could have been a brick wall were it not for the warmth radiating from it, and the grunt the man made as she plowed into him. His hands came up to steady her. Tiny bursts of electricity rushed through her where his hands rested against her skin, making her gasp as she pulled away. His big blue eyes caught her gaze, keeping her imprisoned for a beat before she shook herself out of it.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she looked over her shoulder. She still couldn’t see them, but that didn’t mean a thing. The man was saying something, but she didn’t hear him over the blood rushing past her eardrums. Deep inside, her dragon lifted her head, sniffing the air, her interest in the stranger making Charlotte want to lean in closer for a good whiff. Shaking her head, she forced herself to pull back. She took one last look at him before darting around him and running as fast as her legs would take her. As gorgeous as the man was, she wouldn’t let that be the reason she was captured and sent to Adrian.
Another hundred feet and she’d be in the park, another two blocks after that, and she’d be safe, at least temporarily. As long as the breeze continued to blow down the mountain, any lingering scent she might leave behind would be swept away in a matter of minutes.
It wasn’t until she unlocked the door to her dingy apartment and slammed it closed behind her that she allowed herself to process what had happened.
A huge shadow had blocked the sun for a moment, but that was all it took to send her scurrying for cover. Of course, there were other dragons about, and it could have been anyone out flying across the bright morning sky, but Charlotte couldn’t afford to take chances. One mistake and she would be right back where she had started two months ago. As melodramatic as it sounded, she would rather die than let that happen. She was no fool. Having run from her clan could very well mean her death regardless, but only if they caught up with her. At least, she had a chance at freedom. A life on the run had to be better than mating to the cruel man her brother had chosen for her.
Charlotte leaned against the wooden door she had locked behind her. It wasn’t until she brushed the hair from her face that she caught the scent of the man she’d knocked into lingering on her palms. She gasped. Heart pounding, she pulled her shirt up and pressed her nose into the soft material, taking a long sniff. The faint scent made her dragon stir. Nervous energy vibrated through her. Part of her wanted to go back out, and look for the man to get more of his delicious scent on her clothes—on her skin.
“What the hell are you thinking, Charlotte?” she scolded herself. “That would be suicide, and for what? A sniff of a man you don’t even know?” She pulled herself away from the door and headed for her backpack. She had to figure out where she would go from there. She had enough food to last two days, three at the most, and enough money to keep her for a couple of weeks. After that, she’d be screwed if she couldn’t find someplace to hide where she could earn a bit of money before she had to run again. With a heavy sigh, she pulled out her maps. There had to be somewhere she could go that they wouldn’t find her.