Dragon Defender (Dragon Home #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

P oe was dying. There really wasn’t any doubt. There wasn’t any sort of confusion about it. The only reason he was alive right now was because the sun hadn’t gone down yet.

Vampires had found him in a club dancing, being innocent. He just wanted to go to listen to the music. Let the beat pound through him and enjoy the crush of people around him, the lights spiraling over his scales.

He’d been an idiot.

They’d grabbed him as he’d left, his drink spiked with something that rendered him weak and disoriented. He’d woken up in a basement, chained, on a bare concrete floor. They’d fed on him for days.

It wasn’t sexual. Isn’t sensual. It hurt. It was filthy. And broken. And it hurt . He’d begged to die, but that would have been too easy. Okay, these monsters weren’t human. They lacked compassion. They lacked empathy. And all they knew how to do was consume. There was not enough blood left in him to survive, to fight, to resist. To even have hope.

Then yesterday something had changed.

Yesterday, they’d brought in another dragon. A young one. Not a baby, not even a toddler, but young. Her screams tore at him. But it wasn’t until dawn when the sobs started. That was when he knew he had to get out. They might die, but they were not going to die in this grungy fucking basement that smelled of copper pennies and stagnant water. There were a lot of things that Poe could do. But right now, giving up wasn’t one of them.

Little one, we have to get out. He tried calling out with his mind.

Hello. She stopped, sniffling. What?

We have to get out of here. We have to run.

Where?

Anywhere but here. Into the sun. If he was going to die, he wanted to die in the sun. I’m in a cage; can you see me?

No, but I can hear you.

They’re going to bring food soon. It’s a human who does that. Just a person. They’re careful around me, but they won’t be so much around you. You look like a teenager. Are you able to fight them at all?

I can try, but my dragon form doesn’t always come.

Let yourself be mad. I just need some time.

Do you have a plan?

Kill the human. Get upstairs and run. Basic, simple.

That’s a good plan. Her soft chuckle was sad. My parents are gone.

I’m sorry. So are mine. But we can do this together, okay? We’re not alone now. And dammit, he wasn’t giving up on her. No way. He was going to save them because he had to save her.

Okay. Her tears completely stopped, and he could feel her focusing, drawing her anger around her and what power she had left.

Good. That was good. He breathed deep, ignoring the smell, pulling in air so he could have the energy he needed to do this.

He’d only be able to use his powers once, and that was only if he was lucky. He was so weak.

What does your dragon do, sweet girl? Please be fire. Please. Or sunlight.

Fires. I make fires.

Thank the goddess herself. He nodded. Good. That’s what I want you to focus on. I want you to make a huge fire, and I want you to burn everything. Then once you do, I want you to let me out so that I can help, all right? After that, we’re going to run out into the sunshine.

And then what?

Then we find shelter and food, and we figure out what to do together.

Together? There was a sheer desperation in the single word .

I swear. What’s your name? I’m Poe.

Tanya.

All right, Tanya. We’re going to figure out what to do together, but first we have to make the fire. Are you ready? It’s soon now. He could hear them up above, opening the door, bringing water so that their bodies kept making blood.

I’m ready. I’m scared.

It’s OK. Just remember, we’re going to make a big fire.

I will make a big fire. I will burn them all.

Burn them all. Poe agreed . Just not me.

Okay, I can do this. I can do this. But you’re not going to leave me.

You have my promise, little bit.

He wouldn’t leave her. Poe wouldn’t leave anyone to this hell, but this little girl, this little dragon? Not a chance.

He might be small and lean. But he was mighty.

The door opened, the human bringing in the food. Poe would feel guilty about what was to happen, but the guy was a rampaging psychopath who loved working for the vamps. Probably gave his limp dick a sense of power.

He pulled his power to him, waiting for the man to get close enough for Tanya to do her thing.

A soft sob sounded, and then a vicious laugh.

“Oh little girlie…it’s going to be okay. You’re going to feel so good…”

And Poe’s heart sank. She wasn’t going to be able to do it.

Poor sweet baby. She was just not going to be able to handle this. He closed his eyes, gathering up his energy. If she couldn’t, then maybe he could kill the bastard from in here.

Then he heard it.

A tiny rumble that turned into a roar, and then like an arrow, a line of fire shot out so hard and so hot and so fast that the son of a bitch didn’t even get a chance to scream.

It was a shame, really. Poe wanted the fucker to feel that for days. It should hurt.

Come on, Tanya, come let me out. This is the time. Let’s get me out. Then we’ll get out of here together.

She appeared in front of his cage like an avenging angel, black hair in a halo, eyes glowing as she kept blowing fire.

The lock. Melt the lock.

He’d be damned if she didn’t just nod and burn that lock right off the cage. It hadn’t been too strong. The vamps knew he wasn’t a firebreather. They didn’t care.

Tanya stood there, swaying, her lips damn near blue.

He nodded to her and grabbed her up, wrapping her in a gross blanket, to help warm her.

All we have to do is get up and get out. And kill as many as he could on the way.

He headed for the stairs, running up as fast as his exhausted legs would carry him. There’s going to be another human, maybe two at the door. The vampires are all asleep. They can’t wake up. Do you hear me?

Yes.

Good. If I need you to, roast them. Otherwise, be still and quiet. There’s going to be a big light. Don’t look at it, okay?

All right, I promise.

People always thought that light was simple, but it wasn’t. It was complicated. And what he breathed wasn’t sunshine. It was just light, but every color of light had a different effect. Every color could hurt.

He just had to hope he could get them outside and somewhere safe before it got dark.

Because he only had one last chance in him, and then he’d just be walking, just another homeless guy on the road.

Tanya whimpered, and he drew on the faint light he could now see around the doorway, ready to let the vamps feel his powers. And, sure enough, two of them spilled into the hallway, ready to stop them from escaping.

So Poe opened right up and let them have it. Every bit of light he could pour out of him, searing them with it, knowing it would have enough of the UV spectrum in it to burn them to an ever-loving crisp.

He heard the screaming, smelled the sizzle of burning flesh, but he had to keep running. He held Tanya to him so she couldn’t see, his legs working hard, the exhaustion trying to pull him down.

Someone grabbed him, and he screamed, Tanya’s voice joining his.

“Relax. Easy. I’m here to help. Dragon. Not vampire. Dragon.”

“We have to get out of here.”

“Yep! I’m Corbin. Come on. Let’s motor. There’s a great big dragon waiting for us outside, and he can cloak himself when he flies. So we’re all going to climb aboard and get the hell out of Dodge.”

“Don’t leave me,” Tanya cried.

“Never. I’m right here. Stay with me.” Poe followed this Corbin; he had to. He didn’t know what else to do.

They rushed out into the sunshine, his eyes trying to close against how bright it was. Corbin’s hand locked around his arm, and Poe could see the big red and black dragon shimmer in the light, coming in and out of focus. Corbin easily tossed him and Tanya up behind the wing ridges, then climbed on behind him.

“Go, Hawk!”

Hold on! the big dragon roared, and Tanya burrowed into Poe’s chest.

Don’t drop me. Please. Please don’t drop me.

I won’t. I swear to you. I swear by all I hold holy. Never.

Where are they taking us?

Somewhere safe. He had no idea, but he figured they were going to die anyway. They were either going to die down in the darkness, or they were going to die up here in the sunshine. He’d take it. And he had to believe that no dragons would rescue them from the vampires to kill them so… We’re going somewhere safe, sweetheart.

You promise?

May the Goddess burn me to a crisp if I’m lying.

That seemed to satisfy her.

Now he just had to pray that he hadn’t actually been lying to her.