Chapter Eighteen

Jade

Magnus jerked his chin at the windshield, putting the Jeep in reverse. "That guy. Watching us. He's likely already reported us to Arnaud. What took so damn long?"

"Getting ten grand from the bank takes time," I replied, unable to see just who he spoke of. There wasn't a black SUV parked anywhere. "What guy?"

He steered the Wrangler into traffic, then accelerated. "He's back there. Trust me. We gotta ditch him and fast."

I watched my side mirror, searching for the tail, and saw none. "Maybe you lost him already."

"Nope." His tone grim, he studied the rearview mirror. "Grayish pickup, think Nissan, older model."

"Holy shit, there he is. Speeding up."

"Yeah. He's gonna make damn sure he keeps us in sight."

The pickup accelerated, passing across lanes, weaving in and out of cars. Magnus also increased our speed, the right and left turns he made accomplished nothing. The little truck stayed right where it was behind us. Within moments, another sedan joined the chase.

"We have two now," I said, my stomach in knots. "We're not shaking them."

"Yeah, I see that. We can't have a high-speed chase here, too many might get hurt. Including us."

"Head for the mountains."

Magnus shot me a quick glance. "That's in the opposite direction we need to go in."

"We have to get rid of these yahoos," I said, grim. "We may not want witnesses for what I think I'll need to do."

"Do I want to hear this?"

"Probably not. There. Get on the freeway, head west."

Magnus obeyed me, spinning a hard left, skidding across the intersection, annoying drivers who used their horns liberally. The two pursuers also made the turn, without crashing, unfortunately, and followed as Magnus entered the broad four-laned freeway.

"I better not exceed the speed limit," he muttered. "We really don't want to attract the cops."

"If we could trust they aren't Arnaud's people, I'd say run straight to a cop." I looked over my shoulder at the pair who drove side by side directly behind us. "They'd take off in a hurry."

"Haven't they called for support yet?"

"Hey, let's not be too eager to involve others," I said. "Those two are bad enough."

"They can't follow us all the way to Washington," he snapped.

"We'll get rid of them."

We only managed a few miles before two more joined the fun. "There they are," I said. "Black SUVs. Your pop spends his money rather foolishly, doesn't he?"

"He always liked extravagance," Magnus commented. "Fancy black vehicles make him appear big and bad. You know?"

"Yep." I turned to look forward, mentally planning three steps ahead, trying to recall where some of the mountain highways went. "Isn't the Highway Seven a twister?"

"Yeah. Heads for the ski resort."

"Take that when we reach it. It's a few miles away."

"What do they hope to accomplish back there?" Magnus demanded. "Tag along until we run out of gas?"

"That might be their objective, yeah," I answered, watching the four vehicles. "Unless they're thinking to shoot at us."

"With all these other cars around, drivers ready to film their license plates, call the cops? If they wanted to start shooting, they'd have done it by now."

"But they're following us without doing anything," I complained. "That's not making sense."

"What they're planning makes sense to them," he answered. "Whatever that plan might be."

"I hate it when you're logical."

We drove along in silence for a time, our four hangers-on loyally following. The freeway decreased from four lanes to two, but that merely forced Arnaud's goons to slide in behind one another. The mountains closed in around us, snow clinging to the branches of the evergreen trees. What the plows had piled up along the shoulders hadn't melted by much.

"Okay, we're almost at the turnoff," I said. "Take the exit and drive as fast as you dare."

"What have you got in mind?" Magnus asked with a sharp glance at me.

"You'll know."

"Ay-yi-yi."

He made the right turn at the signs to the ski resort high in the mountains. Naturally, our pursuers tagged along, one after the other. As I'd hoped, the narrow blacktop road twisted and turned around the side of the mountain. The higher we went, the steeper the drop to my right grew.

I looked ahead, searching for the right spot. There. Right fucking there. "Don't stop, no matter what."

"Jade, what the fuck are you doing?"

"You're driving, so I'm gonna get rid of them."

"Oh my God, you're gonna do something really drastic, aren't you?"

"Drastic is my middle name."

I cracked the door open, bringing in a wash of icy air and setting off the Jeep's open door alarm.

"Jade, don't!"

I ignored him. The Jeep swung around a sharp curve, perilously close to the edge of a very steep drop off. I pushed the door open, my hair whipping into my face, my eyes, and braced my feet against the door's edge.

I jumped.

The centrifugal force of leaving the speeding car sent me sailing well over the rocky edge. Spiked branches of dead trees, as well as needle covered live ones pointed up, ready to spear me. Still, I timed it perfectly.

Shifting, I flared my wings, turning my freefall into a soar. Banking around, treetops brushing my belly, I flamed.

The lead pickup tried to swerve away from my deadly fires, crossed into the other lane and slammed into the mountain. I dipped my right wing to fly past, then dropped into the valley again. While I'd stopped one, I still had three more to contend with.

And the occupants could also fly.

Work fast, girl. You don't have much time.

I didn't know if one of the passengers or drivers would try such a stunt. Hoping they'd feel the need to stop, get out, shift, and thusly taking extra time, I banked upward, flaming, my front talons out and ready.

I struck a black SUV with both flames and talons, seized it within my grip, and turned toward the prickly valley below. Though heavy, the vehicle came with me. I heard the panicked screams of the occupants, burning within the flaming Chevy, as I let the thing drop.

Without time to watch it crash and burn, I banked around to come at the last two from behind. The rear sedan was far easier to set on fire and toss into the canyon, the resulting explosion a dim noise I paid little attention to.

A thug from the second SUV had climbed up through the sunroof, and crouched on top, swaying with the road's twists and turns. He bared his teeth at me, then leaped into the air. As I did, he shifted mid-jump, and came at me, flaming.

Let's dance.

My jaws wide, my talons ready to slash and tear, I met him head on. Of course, he went straight for my throat, his wings wide, perhaps hoping to pin me on the ground and rip me apart.

I dissuaded him of that notion.

At the final second before impact, I somersaulted over him, and seized his horns in both talons. My weight did the rest.

His neck snapped backward, his body flipping in midair. I let him go when he stared up at the sky, four legs up and wings down, and spun around him. He fell, unable to right himself at such a low altitude, and crashed onto his back in the middle of the road.

I should finish him off.

Except that black SUV may hold more dragons. If more flew from it, they'd overpower me, kill me. If I got to them first, before they shifted, I'd halt the threat before it became a threat.

"I hope this works."

The SUV hadn't halted in its chase. It continued to pursue Magnus up the steep mountain grade, and this time I saw a semi-automatic rifle emerge from the front passenger window. The Chevy's more powerful engine closed the distance.

I no longer doubted that chasing the SUV was the better choice. Had I not, they'd shoot until Magnus either died outright or the blown tires forced him over the steep edge.

Flying high above the SUV where I wouldn't be seen in any mirrors, I folded my wings and dropped.

My tremendous weight smashed in the roof instantly. I didn't know if I killed the occupants or not, but I at least put them out of action. Lifting my wings, I grabbed the squashed Chevy through the opened sunroof, lifted it, and tossed it over the edge.

"Bye, bye."

"Bitch!"

The dragon hit me broadside, knocking the wind from me, and sending us both spiraling toward the canyon below. His wings tangled with mine, making them useless, even as his jaws clamped onto the back of my neck. My thick hide protected me to some degree, still he could eventually chew his way through to my spine and snap it.

If we both don't crash on those rocks and kill each other.

His broad wings slowed our fall, but I couldn't get him off of me. His teeth ripped into my neck, my blood spurted into his mouth. I twisted, bucked, snapping my jaws uselessly, trying to claw him off my back.

"Then we're gonna die together, asshole," I snarled.

I folded my wings as best I could, making me dead weight in his grip. Plunging together toward the huge rocks and the silver stream that flowed among them, his wings weren't strong enough to hold us both. He had to either let me go to save himself or crash with me.

"Let her go, mother fucker."

Magnus!

The dragon's teeth tore free of my neck, his weight lifted from my back. Spreading my wings, bleeding, ignoring the pain, I swept around as Magnus gripped the other dragon by his shoulders and sent burst after burst of flame at his head. The thug screamed, roared, blinded by the fires burning him.

Gaining altitude, I flew up under both, then turned my body until I flew upside down.

I trailed a long burst of flames from the thug's throat to his genitals.

His scream gave me a great deal of satisfaction.

Diving, I turned, banked around, and flew toward the pair. Magnus bit deeply into the goon's neck, shaking him, his talons ripping into the other dragon's shoulders. When Magnus let go to gain a better grip, the goon broke free of him.

Dead in his path, I charged in, flaming. His talons raked down my neck and chest, cutting deep. My jaws missed his throat but closed on his lower jaw.

Desperate dragons are dangerous dragons.

With an almighty punch to the side of my head, he knocked me loose. Half-stunned, I dropped several yards in altitude, my wings unable to work properly. I'm falling .

Then I felt Magnus's grip on my shoulders halt my dangerous drop.

"I got you."

My head spinning, I worked my wings, forcing them into lifting me once again. Magnus let me go, banking to one side. I squinted as the other dragon fled, burned, his hide torn, defeated. Maybe I succeeded in gelding him.

"Are you all right?" Magnus asked, flying beside me.

"I think so."

"You're bleeding bad."

"Am I?"

The fight over, my adrenaline rush fading, the pain set in. Hot agony rushed through my deep cuts from the goon's teeth and claws. My flying wobbled, but I followed Magnus toward the parked Jeep. He'd stopped in a wide overlook, but it certainly wasn't wide enough for two dragons.

"You first," he said. "Land and shift."

I did, leaning against the hood as I gently touched the gashes on my neck, my fingers coming back bloodied. Magnus also landed, and his hands on me turned me around so he could look at my wounds.

"Those are deep," he said, clicking his tongue. "I can start pressure on them, but you'll have to hold it. I saw lights. The cops are headed this way."