Flight of Dragons(17)

Brycen’s vision changed from normal colors to red as the dragon inside him surged forward. No one would threaten his mate—no one. Everything in him wanted to attack the couple, but something held him back. Hunts of these types didn’t come cheap and weren’t a solitary endeavor. Going after dragons alone was tantamount to suicide. There had to be more hunters nearby.

The man stopped in his tracks and looked at Alexandra as though she’d just given him a winning lottery ticket. “Darlin’ if you can make that happen, I’ll double what we’re paying you,” he said, proving that there were more of the bastards out there somewhere.

Alexandra looked up at him, batting her eyelashes. “I can’t guarantee it, those dragons tend to be a little over protective, and very overbearing when it comes to their mates, but I’ll tell you what? If she comes along, and you get a shot at her, maybe you can pay me for the bonus in other ways.” She stepped closer to the man, brushing her breasts against his arm.

“I’ll pay you that bonus whether the dragon bitch shows up or not, Lexie. What’s a pretty girl like you doing organizing a dragon hunt, anyway?” Trevor wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, all the while, leering at her overflowing cleavage. The gold band on his left ring finger sparkled in the sunlight.

“Easy money. I get paid well for what I do, and usually when the carnage happens, I’m long gone, so they’re none the wiser. The only reason I’m still here this time is because they insisted on keeping me in a damned cabin with no way to get back to town without one of them getting me there. I’m just lucky I was able to get back here to meet up with you guys before anything happened.”

“Trev, keep your dick in your pants. Something is brewing. I can feel it in my bones. Time to bag some dragons.” Another man’s voice came down the trail. For people who thought themselves dragon slayers, they didn’t try to be quiet.

Trevor grinned down at Alexandra and grabbed her breast, squeezing it in his hand even as the other man came into view. “What’s going on Bill, I was just getting better acquainted with Lexie.”

“There’s some movement on the other side of the clearing. It’s gotta be the dragons.”

Brycen sniffed the air, and sure enough, he caught a whiff of both Luke and Austin. If they were there, Jace wasn’t far behind. He should have gone to the cabin first like he’d told Jace on the phone, but he’d gambled on finding Alexandra here and dropping her off so he could get back home. If they were there, chances were that at least they had been paying attention and had noticed the hunters in the area.

His skin prickled again, and it took all he had to keep from moving and giving away his position. There were more men around, but where? Surely, they weren’t stupid enough to stand in the clearing and wait for dragons to show up. No, they had to be in the forest around him. All he had to do was wait for them to show themselves.

“Let’s get into position, boys,” the one named Trevor announced.

At least Brycen wouldn’t have to worry about warning his friends. Even if they didn’t already know about the hunters, the racket the humans were making would be heard for miles around.

Out of the corner of his eye, the slightest movement caught his attention. A man, no more than twenty feet to his left shifted, giving his position away. Brycen shrank down lower. Sheer luck was all that had kept the man from looking toward the brush and seeing Brycen hunkered there. His face painted in camo, matched his outfit. This one was serious about the hunt.

Brycen waited until the man moved forward and joined his friends on the trail before breathing again. The small group had just disappeared around the bend when the hiss of an arrow slicing through the air right next to his head had him ducking. Fuck. The bastard hadn’t made a sound. He turned his head, searching for the hunter, but nothing moved. Damn it.

Staying where he was wasn’t an option. The hunter already had his location. Shifting would give the bastard a bigger target, but if he could get into the air, he had a chance of getting out of range. He needed a few seconds to shift, and another few to get into the air. If he could get the man to shoot without actually hitting him, he’d have a shot before the hunter could draw again.

Grabbing a pebble at his feet, Brycen tossed it a few feet away, hoping the sound would divert the hunter’s attention, if not draw his fire. The moment the stone landed, the whine of another arrow cutting through the air sounded. Focusing his thoughts and energy, Brycen shifted and took a deep breath. It dug into a tree less than a foot from where Brycen now stood in dragon form. With a mighty flap of his wings, he lifted from the ground. With the other hunters so close, he didn’t dare roar or breathe fire, though he’d love more than anything to do just that. Kill the filthy humans who wish to harm our mate. The dragon’s voice roared in his mind.