In order to not throw sand all over her, I paced away and toward the rushing surf. Spreading my wings, I leaped heavenward. The light wind, scenting of salt, lifted me higher and higher until I circled over the beach and Hayley.
“You’re beautiful,” she yelled, laughing.
I soared higher, throwing a long burst of flame into the sky. I then dove, straight down, to splash into the ocean. Under the water, I flamed again, frightening a pod of dolphins into panicked flight. I paddled with my four legs to the surface, and, using my wings as pistons, beat my way into the sky again.
I never saw him.
I reached perhaps two thousand feet over the sea when Damon struck me from above. His talons slashed my back, seeking to slice my wings’ tendons at my shoulders. His mighty jaws clamped on my neck, biting deep, inching closer and closer to my jugular.
Folding my wings, I dove.
The impact of hitting the water jostled him from my back. He couldn’t hold his breath while his jaws were fastened to my neck. I twisted my head toward his face, and blasted my red-orange flames at his vulnerable eyes. Damon wrenched his body away from me, turning, and sent a returning blast of fire at my flank.
Unharmed, I slashed my talons at his throat as he swam for the surface. I missed, but sank my claws into his tail, forcing Damon to drag me up with him. Bubbles burst from his opened mouth as he shrieked in frustration, his legs and wings frantically paddling to reach the air above.
As I had filled my lungs before hitting the sea, and Damon hadn’t, I forced my wings to sweep me, us, further down. Inch by inch, I dragged Damon deeper under the surface. He fought, still trying to swim upward, yet my sheer weight on his tail made his progress nearly impossible.
Twisting, Damon raked his talons across my face, missing my eyes by a fraction. My blood turned the ocean around us red while the salty water stung crazily. Still, I refused to let go of histail, and caught his swinging left forearm in my jaws. I bit down, breaking his leg.
He screamed. Panicked now, drowning with only three usable limbs, Damon fought like a mad thing. He thrashed and tried again to blind me with his right talons. I avoided the strike easily, still dragging him backward. Even so, I, too, needed to breathe. My chest ached with the need for air.
Damon, in a swift movement, sank his teeth into my shoulder. Forced to release his tail, I slashed and clawed at his face and neck. Using his talons like a club, Damon hit me on the side of my head, half stunning me.
Had he the breath, he may have finished me off. However, his need to gain the surface overrode his desire to kill me. He swam up, his limbs and wings working frantically to reach the sea’s surface. I swam hard behind him, nearly out of oxygen and bleeding badly.
His head broke the surface. I heard his gasp for breath, saw him flailing wildly to get his wings working in order to become airborne. He trailed water and bubbles after him just as I breached, sucking air into my starved lungs.
I, too, used my wings for flight rather than swimming. Chasing Damon, cursing, my rage all but blinding me, I flew in his wake. Beating his wings, he flew fast toward the city’s lights. Not to turn and fight, but to escape me. He knew damn well he’d die if he banked around to charge headlong into battle.
He also knew I’d not risk openly fighting where humans might witness it.
I slowed my pace, cursing uselessly, watching him fly away, escaping my wrath.
Banking around while still over the ocean, my left wing dipped, I sucked in my breath –
And blasted my wicked fire straight into Fiona’s face.
She screamed, her talons rising to shield her eyes. I didn’t slow down as I body slammed her, my claws raking deep gashes in her muzzle, her head, and neck. She dropped like a stone, falling away from me, letting gravity assist her in gaining some distance from me.
“Bitch,” I yelled, diving after her, my wings folded.
Lighter than me, slender and trim, Fiona’s gold dragon ducked and dodged my reaching talons. I missed seizing her tail several times, and could not match her for sheer speed. Like her cowardly mate, Fiona raced toward Damon and the city in her need to escape me.
Breathing hard, I circled, watching her flee. Within seconds, she vanished into the distance. “Damn it.”
Bleeding heavily, my neck, shoulder and back scored with wounds, I banked toward Hayley and the beach. Pain burned away my rage as I back winged a dozen feet from and sand, then dropped.
“Alaric!”
Hayley, running hard, her hair flying, reached me as I shifted into my human form. I fell to my knees, my teeth clenched to avoid yelling in pain. Ripping her shirt into pieces, Hayley staunched the blood flowing from my shoulder. This time I did yell out as she put pressure on the wound.
“Hold still,” she ordered. “Don’t fight me, dammit, just relax. Relax as much as you can.”
“Trying,” I grunted, holding my hand against the gash on my neck.
“You need a hospital,” she said. “I’ll call 911.”
“No.” I grabbed her hand as she reached for my cell in my pocket. “No hospital. I’m okay.”
