Chapter 13

Octane

I want her again.

I want her.

My dick is still at full-mast. It's worse than before because now I know how she feels wrapped around my cock. I know the noises she makes. I know how tight she gets when she comes.

I know!

I can never unknow. Sex with the Red was supposed to make it better. It was supposed to take away this driving need.

It hasn't. It was like gasoline to an open flame. What the hell have I done?

Trinity is my enemy. She's a Red. She belongs on her island with her own kind. What am I doing fucking a pregnant female? Just looking at her curved belly brings instincts up in me that I have no business feeling. Especially since the baby isn't mine.

It isn't mine.

She isn't mine.

In fact, Trinity is the opposite of mine.

I need to remind myself of my past. Of why I'm doing all of this in the first place. Of why I fight so damned hard. Of why I have given up on so much. I should have a mate and children and a life outside of work. I don't. I live to protect Draig and my people.

We keep walking through the jungle at a fast pace. There is no talking. Not so much as a word.

I keep stealing glances at her. She's beautiful. I don't want to admit it, but I can't help it. She is!

"Stop looking at me like that, Draiger."

"Like what?" I pretend to focus on the trees up ahead.

"Like you want me again."

"I'm just…appreciative of the view."

"Well, you shouldn't be."

"Well, I am," I grunt.

"We're not doing that again," she says. "Not ever!"

It sounds like a challenge, which gets my blood firing. I give a small shake of my head…she's right. It can't happen again.

"No, we can't," I admit.

"Glad we're on the same page. Now stop looking at me; it's irritating."

"No more irritating than when you can't take your eyes off my cock."

She chokes out a laugh. "It's not like you can miss that thing. A male's anatomy is ugly as sin. You have a huge ego. It's irritating me."

"Oh, so ugly things turn you on?"

"We're not having this conversation, Draiger."

I choke out a laugh. "Because you know I'm right. I'll admit that I find you spectacular. Doesn't mean I like you, though. But I won't lie about being attracted to you."

"I was attracted to you, but it's done now. Like you said, the itch has been scratched."

"You don't want more?"

"No!" she practically snarls, sounding put out. "There should never have been a first time."

"That was the right answer."

"Let's just walk in silence. Unless you have something interesting to tell me. You said that you used to come to these parts as a child. You said you liked hunting and fishing around here. That's how you knew about the cave. You can tell me more about that as a way to pass the time."

My blood turns a touch cold. I won't be telling her anything about that time in my life.

"As a way to pass the time, you say?" I pause, licking my lips. "Are you sure it isn't because we had sex, and now you're emotionally invested in me? You want to know all about me now, is that it?" I'm not sure why I even say that. Perhaps to piss her off, and it works.

"No! That's not it at all," she pushes out.

"That's how it sounds to me. One fuck, and you want to know all about me. How fucking sweet."

"No! I couldn't care less. I thought talking about nothing much important might help pass the time."

Nothing much important…aka me. Hah! Right!

"Maybe you're a spy, sent over here to gather information. They sent a pregnant female so that we'd never suspect."

"You're paranoid, you know that? What the hell happened to you to make you like this?"

"You did, Red. You and the rest of your kind happened to me," I say in a low growl, meaning every word.

"You poor thing," she says, sounding… I'm not sure how she sounds. Sad, maybe. I think she was angling at sarcasm, but it came out wrong. I'd know if I looked at her, but I don't dare. I don't want to give her the satisfaction. I don't care, regardless.

Once again, we walk in silence. It's not a comfortable silence. Not even close.

The tension mounts between us more and more with each step. She's infuriating. I want to shake her and kiss her. No! I want to fuck her… Yes, that's better.

I get a strange feeling in my gut and grab Trinity's hand. I gesture for her to keep silent. She nods, frowning. Her eyes dart about the jungle. I realize what is wrong. What's piqued my senses. The sounds of the jungle have stopped. It's silent. Too silent, and I can"t shake the feeling that we're not alone. Every rustle of leaves, every twig snap sends adrenaline coursing through my veins.

We have to hide, and right now.

Trinity touches her ear and points to where we just came from. I hear it, too… Footfalls. They're running. Someone is tracking us. It has to be them. The three Red males from last night. I glance at Trinity, and she has gone pale.

"We have to run," I whisper, grabbing her hand and pulling her along with me.

Trinity nods, her eyes wide with fear as we dart through the jungle, trying to keep our footsteps silent and our breathing steady. The only problem is that if we can hear them, they can hear us.

As if to confirm it, we hear a shout from behind us. I think it's Titan.

"It's no use running. We'll catch you," he yells, followed by, "You're outnumbered. Four against one."

Four?

Trinity's eyes dart to mine. I see the confusion clouding them. It is quite possible that they are lying through their teeth. It doesn't matter, anyhow. I would love to stand and fight, but I can't risk Trinity. From her reactions to them, I would say that they mean her harm.

"We're shifting," I tell her under my breath.

She nods.

"Then we're flying hard for camp. We're not too far anymore. We can do this."

She gives me a resolute nod.

As we hit the next patch of jungle that isn't as dense, we shift. I do so in an instant. It takes Trinity longer. She is losing her dragon more and more by the day. It won't be long before she won't be able to shift anymore. For now, she manages the shift. Her pretty blue scales glint in the sun. I don't have time to admire her in her dragon form because our pursuers are also shifting.

I can hear it.

We take to the sky. Trinity might be small, but she is fast; I'll give her that. We fly with everything we are worth. We don't look back.

I can hear them right behind us. Dammit! They're too close. I bellow as loud as I can. I do so several times over in a distress call. I hope that there are dragons at the training grounds. If so, they might just hear me and come to our aid.

I don't think we will make it back. Trinity is fast, but the males behind us are faster. There is no doubt in my mind that she would run circles around all of us if she wasn't pregnant.

She is.

Very much so.

I bellow again; there is anger in my voice. I growl and nudge at Trinity. Then I turn to face them. She falters for a second, turning also, but I roar at her.

Go!

Go now!

I roar again. This time, she listens. Thank fuck! I almost didn't expect it, but Trinity races on while I stay to fight.

Four! Yes, there are four dragons. I'm not sure where the fourth one came from. I don't care. It doesn't matter. I am outnumbered.

They come at me. All four of them, claws up and teeth bared.

Trinity

No! No! No! No!

Was that…?

No! It can't be. It isn't him. I'm being paranoid.

I look back, seeing the four Reds move in on Octane. I am too far away to make out any features of any individual dragon or hear them roar, but I can still see that Octane is in trouble. They will kill him. They are going to do it. He doesn't stand a chance.

I falter.

I can't leave him. I have to go back. I have to help him, even if it means having to go with them…with Titan. If Octane dies trying to save me, I'll never forgive myself. I turn and start to fly. I'm not going to make it in time.

No!

I roar, but they ignore me. It's that, or I'm still too far away. I should never have let him stay.

Octane!

No!

I'm getting close enough to hear the battle roars. The yips of excitement the four males are making. The closer I get, the more I recognize the fourth dragon…but it can't be. Perhaps a cousin or…his younger brother, perhaps. Igor and Titan always spoke of a younger brother. I never met him; this must be him.

The five dragons collide, the Reds ripping into Octane, who rakes his claws across Titan's chest, opening him up from his chin to his belly. One of the others has his jaws clamped on Octane's left wing.

Octane bellows in pain, striking back by twisting his body and gouging the offender with his claws. He uses his tail to swipe at the other two, who have come at him from behind.

The dragon with Octane's wing in his mouth lets go, screaming in pain as the gash on its chest starts spouting blood.

Octane starts falling. He tumbles through the air, trying to get his broken wing to work and failing.

Nooooooooooo!

I roar and realize my mistake instantly when the dragons focus on me. I hover in one place, letting out a whimper when Octane hits the ground below. He crashes through trees. He hits hard, so hard that dust puffs up in a cloud.

No! Please, no!

Then something unexpected happens. The four dragons with their sights set on me turn and flee. They fly hard and fast.

I turn and see six dragons making for us. Six Draigers and they are a sight for sore eyes. I whine, diving for Octane.

Please let him be okay. Please!

I swoop down and mewl when I see that he has shifted back into his human form. That isn't good at all. It means that he is gravely injured or— No, I refuse to believe that he is dead. His leg is at an odd angle, and there is blood…so much blood. Octane looks broken.

I screech, but he doesn't respond. Then I land and shift. It takes time. It's maddening.

My heart is pounding in my chest as I rush to Octane's side, dropping to my knees to check on his vitals. His breathing is shallow, and he's losing a lot of blood from a deep gash on his side, but he is alive. His heart is still beating.

Thank god!

The Draiger pack lands behind us, and I hear shifting as I gently murmur Octane's name.

"Get away from him, Red!" the female dragon, Shadow, growls at me. "Do it now, or I swear to god, I will tear you limb from limb."

"Get away from him," a human female repeats the demand. She is dressed in leathers and sitting astride a dragon. I see several more humans, all dressed the same. They're dragon riders. Sky Wardens, and we used to have them too, but that was many moons ago. Long before my time.

"I didn't do this," I say, getting to shaky feet.

"Move! Now!" Shadow snarls.

"You heard our leader," another male snarls. I think his name is Devil. His eyes are a bright blue and narrowed on me. "Move!"

"I didn't hurt him, it was—"

"The other Reds. The males sent to rescue you," Shadow says. "It may as well have been by your own hand."

"Yes, they were sent…but…no, it isn't how it looks." I hold up both hands and take a tentative step away from Octane. I note that he is wheezing. "I think he might have a pierced lung," I tell Shadow.

"Oh, you think? He's a broken, mangled mess because of you."

"This isn't her fault!" Kim yells. I realize she's astride a dragon, too.

"She didn't ask to be captured by Octane," Blaze says; he has his arm around Kim. I'm not sure if it's to reassure her or to keep her from intervening. "You can't blame Trinity for trying to escape."

I am about to thank him for siding with me when he says, "But you didn't have to do this, Red. Octane is a good male…one of the best. You may have killed him," the male growls and his jaw sets.

"It wasn't her," Kim starts to defend me again.

"It wasn't," I say, tears rolling down my cheeks. "I didn't do anything. Please help him," I plead.

"You can save it," another male says, grabbing my elbow and pulling me away.

"Yeah! Keep quiet, Red. You're nothing but a troublemaker and a liar," Goliath says. "Kim was very upset about how you got away from her. Do you know how much trouble you got both of us into?"

"Now is not the time," Shadow says. "Take her back to camp. I want her tied up and under lock and key. Do not buy the tears and the innocent act."

"Oh, I won't," Devil says.

"Me, neither," Goliath growls, grabbing my other arm.

"The two of you can escort her back. The rest of us need to get Octane stable and then get him home. I hope he makes it." Shadow's voice wavers as she kneels next to Octane.

"Please let me stay. I didn't mean for this to happen," I shout, but it is of no use since I am being dragged away. "Octane!" I scream. "No! Leave me alone. Octane!"