Chapter 2
Kytrima didn’t make it far. The bullets from the gun had been small, but there had been many of them. She’d thought the injuries were minor at first, but each beat of her wings tore the tiny holes in her wings larger. She’d had no choice but to land or risk serious injury.
She couldn’t make it back to the lair.
She needed to heal first.
She gave a growl under her breath. There was no one here. No one to perform the Mesmer ritual to help her heal. She’d heal eventually, of course, far faster than a human would. But by the time she was recovered enough to fly properly, the princess and the human who had dared to shoot at her would be long gone.
She howled in frustration, and a flock of birds rose from a nearby tree, flying away into the night squawking in fear. Damn that human. She’d been so close. If he hadn’t been there, then the princess would be hers by now.
She wouldn’t be limping through the bush, too wounded to fly.
How was she going to get back to the lair? No one would find her here.
Oh, someone would be looking for her soon enough. When a fellow Trima dragon showed up tomorrow morning to take over watching the Rian prince’s Mesmer chamber, they’d realise she was gone. But they had no idea where to look for her.
They wouldn’t know she’d been chasing a princess. No one would have expected one of them to show up unannounced like that. They were supposed to still be fast asleep.
They’d just think she abandoned her post for no reason. Kytrima’s heart sank. It had been a huge honour to be assigned to guard one of the prince’s Mesmer chambers. Kytrima had waited for years for this opportunity. She was sure she’d never get another chance again.
Now that she was injured and couldn’t fly, she had no way to make it right. The Mesmer chamber would be completely unguarded until tomorrow morning. That thought made her wince. She’d really messed up this time.
Then again, she’d had no idea one of the princesses was going to show up at the canyon. Any other Rian dragon she could have handled. If one of the princes had shown up with half his clan, she would have followed procedure. Retreat just far enough to inform the clan so that backup could be there as soon as possible.
The princesses though, they were all supposed to be asleep. And she would never have expected one to arrive on their own. She must be desperate. Separated from her clan, alone and defenceless, she should have been an easy target.
She would have brought Kytrima much glory when she returned with their first ever captive Rian royal.
Now there would be no glory. Not only was she injured and away from her post, but she hadn’t even managed to keep track of the princess. By the time she’d staggered back to her clan, they’d be miles away.
Kytrima heaved a sigh, her head drooping. The effort of sustaining her dragon form was too great, and she shifted back to human form. Blood stained her upper arms, the fleshy human limbs bleeding more than her tougher wings did.
Kytrima blocked out the irritating pain.
What was she going to do now? She was miles from anywhere.
Well, except the human’s house.
If she went back there, she could at least find some clothes. Maybe clean up some of this blood. Then if any of the humans saw her, they wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Since there was nothing better to do, she trudged back to the house. She watched it for several minutes, but all was quiet.
Well, not completely quiet. From time to time, a dog howled, as though it had been abandoned.
Which it probably had.
The humans and the Rian dragon had fled this house soon after they’d shot at her. She’d heard their car leaving in a frantic hurry. At the time, she’d been satisfied at their fear. Now she wished she’d pretended she’d lost the princess. She could have hidden in the bushes and watched them. Then she’d know where they were, and she wouldn’t be injured.
She walked up to the house, all her senses alert for any signs of movement.
As she neared the corner of the house, a dog ran at her, barking furiously.
Kytrima’s nerves were so on edge she actually jumped.
The dog pulled to a violent stop metres from her, held in place by a chain, continuing to bark furiously.
“There, there, I’m not going to hurt you,” she told it, trying to keep her voice calm.
It didn’t abate the barking.
Kytrima glanced towards the house. Surely if the human or the Rian dragon where still here, the noise would have alerted them to her presence.
They were either preparing to attack, or hiding.
But she could hear no sound of movement. And the car they’d left in hadn’t returned.
She advanced on the house, pausing to listen at the open door. It was hard to hear over the dog’s frantic barking. Those creatures were so loyal to the humans. One could almost admire it.
This one’s loyalty though, was misguided.
The humans had abandoned it. She was sure.
She walked into the house, more confident that it was empty now. A glance through the rooms confirmed it.
The Rian dragon had fled.
A scent made her pause.
Milk.
Sweeter than the cow’s milk that humans drank.
A lactating dragon.
The Rian princess had a baby?
This was indeed news.
Excitement fluttered in Kytrima’s chest. This was the sort of information that could help make the clan forget she’d abandoned her post. Enough that she could convince them it was worth it.
If only she had some way to relay that news to her clan.
She needed to find a way to get back there as soon as possible.
She rifled in the draws in the bedroom and pulled out some of the human clothes. They weren’t the kind of thing she usually wore. Many Trima dragons had adopted human clothes, especially those who went out in public. Kytrima had herself. But she still preferred to choose subtle, natural tones, not the bright ones that the princess’s clothes all seemed to be. But they would have to do. Just in case some random human came by.
A thought occurred to her. A daring one. The humans had only taken one car with them. The other was still out the front. Kytrima didn’t have much experience driving, but all Trima dragons were required to learn the basics. Ultrima had always insisted that the human technology was far more powerful than dragon magic, and that to overlook it spelled doom.
She just needed the keys.
She returned to the living room and searched. Where would the human’s keep them?
In a bowl on a shelf apparently. Kytrima grabbed them and headed out the front.
She had to try three keys before she found one that fitted.
When she turned it, the engine made a grinding, high pitched sound that hurt her ears. Kytrima tried again, but still the car didn’t make the sound that indicated it was working properly.
That was probably why the humans had left it here. Kytrima heaved a sigh. So much for that way of getting back to her lair.
That was when her keen dragon hearing heard it.
A siren, approaching rapidly.
Humans. Police.
Kytrima hadn’t had any contact with police before, not in an official capacity, but she knew the risks. They had far more powerful guns than the human who had shot at her earlier.
Hailey, one of the local police officers who was mated to a Trima dragon, had given them all lessons in avoiding the police. They were even more dangerous than a normal human. If Hailey were here though, Kytrima could send her a message…
She abandoned the car and retreated to the bushland and watched.
Unfortunately, the occupant of the car was one of the male police officers. Hailey had warned the dragons that neither of them would give them any leeway. Kytrima just couldn’t catch a break.
He searched the house, talking loudly into his radio, while the dog barked frantically.
Kytrima watched from the trees, hoping he’d leave.
Not that she was sure what she’d do once he did. There was nothing in the house that could help her.
He spent about half an hour searching the area, then left.
Leaving Kytrima no better off than she’d been before.