5. Jaiyana

CHAPTER FIVE

JAIYANA

T he sun hung low in the sky. The first light pinks of sunset lit the puffy clouds, mocking my crazy flight without offering respite from the heat. Blood ran down a small slice in my upper arm, and I slathered it with more mud to hide my scent, trying not to think about the amount of animal shit I just introduced to an open wound.

I didn't have magic to heal myself anymore. Was I still immortal? Or would I die because of an infected cut? I shook off my fears. I hadn't suddenly aged. Whatever was keeping me from my magic had some limits. I just didn't know them yet.

I crawled out of the second mud pit. A mad grin split my face, and a curse squeaked out of my lips. The adrenaline rush made my body hum, and my thoughts focused on the here and now. I loved obstacle courses and mud runs, though I'd not done one in years. Why had I stopped competing?

Because you did them all, twice.

Oh, right. Even doing things you love gets old after a while.

My stomach twisted painfully, growling with hunger. I grimaced.

I thought the dragons would get the point that I wasn't interested hours ago. Fucking stubborn shifters. My burst of energy came to a crashing halt. I sagged against a tree. My tired limbs trembled from overuse. The initial thrill and joy of the challenge had long left me. I was running on empty, even after the rations I'd pulled out of my pocket. Healing took a lot of power from the healer and the healee, and I was probably still in a major deficit after my car accident.

I needed to call a time-out.

That's exactly how dragons work.

Sarcasm. So helpful.

I snorted and grimaced again. Even that little noise had a hint of squeak to it.

I made it most of the way up this mountain, but my feet dragged. My goal to get to the top felt impossible.

With so many women to chase, why the fuck were they still after me?

The big red one roared as he caught the tail of a smaller dark blue one, attempting to dive down into the trees to my left. I raced forward into a thicker patch of foliage, unsure if either of them spotted me.

Branches whipped through the air on my left, making me jerk. A deep voice grunted in pain, and I gave a silent cheer. The one in the air wasn't my immediate problem. The one chasing me on foot was.

Hopefully, my little booby trap annoyed him enough I could slip away. The mud caked to me helped keep my scent to a minimum, though it wasn't enough. I couldn't slow down. I lurched off the tree and continued my ground eating sneak toward the mountain top.

The first colors of sunset kissed the world as I broke the tree line. A tremor of fear that had nothing to do with fatigue ran down my spine. As fun as pushing my mortal limits was, I needed my powers.

I slowed, keeping low, trying to create as little of a trail as possible. If I had my magic, I'd erase my footsteps and hide my scent. Fuck, for that matter, I could teleport myself in a heartbeat.

No, pull yourself out of this, Jay. You don't have it, so use the tools you've got.

Even without my magic, I was a goddamn enchantress with a thousand years of experience! I'd won wars and battled monsters unknown to this dimension. I even sat through the entire Star Wars Holiday Special.

Branches cracked behind me.

Shut up, Jay, and fucking run!

Although my fingers danced, commanding the air to part around me and my weight to lighten, none of it happened. Instead, my tired, heavy limbs lumbered forward, making as much noise as a drum set. I cursed my inability to be quiet as an idea burst to life.

I ran faster, making as much noise as possible, even ‘cursing' as my feet snagged on roots and tufts of terrain. A body appeared out of the tree line, hot on my heels and gaining. I forced myself to keep going up. The sound of my heavy breathing filled my ears.

A final steep climb brought me to a peak highlighted by bright pinks and oranges of sunset. I found a barren patch of rocks and jumped up and down. ‘Oi, I'm here. Come hither, fowl beast!' except it sounded more like: ‘Squ, Squ, Sque. Squeak squeak, squeak squeaakkk!'

Forgotten modern English, have we?

Really? It didn't even come out right, and you're still judging me?

The shifter following me on foot slowed, narrowing his eyes. He was almost as dirty as me. His built, bare chest rose and fell as he caught his breath. Even in the low lighting of sunset the perfection of his jacked muscles was a work of art. His dark blue cat-slit dragon eyes burned with a need that lit a fire between my legs.

A roar split the air, and the wind whistled in my ears. I turned my attention to the sky. The red dragon tucked his wings and dove toward me. The air around him rippled, distorting the texture as he shrank in size until only his wings flared out dramatically behind him.

I would've been impressed by his entrance, but I was exhausted and now completely exposed. Bunching my leg muscles, I jumped backward and rolled, coming to a stop behind a pile of boulders. No footsteps followed me. Although I knew this was my chance to run, curiosity got the better of me. I scrambled to one side to peek at the two dragons I'd forced to confront each other.

The red dragon shifter stood tall, outlined by the sunset. Not as bulky as his counterpart, his defined muscles looked sculpted out of marble on his human frame. Broad shoulders tapered into a terrifyingly narrow waist and perfectly balanced, shapely legs. I licked my lips, trying to decide if he was naked or not, but no exciting bits showed in his silhouette.

What the fuck, Jay. Exciting bits?

"Tyson," my on-foot pursuer's deep voice bellowed.

I crossed my fingers. Based solely on the red dragon fighting above me, I counted on these two not getting along.

"Rehan," the red dragon—Tyson, I would guess—responded, his voice much lighter though still ringing with authority. "Give up now. She's mine."

God, I'd watch this movie. I think I'd seen the porno version. But as I was a part of it, and my magic was still missing, I should not stick around to see if these two fought or fucked.

Rehan charged Tyson. Dark blue wings emerged from Rehan's back in a ripple of water droplets. I bit my lip and watched his bulky muscles contract. His mostly destroyed shorts didn't hide his perfect bubble butt as he punched forward.

Tyson didn't bother with fists. His fire engulfed Rehan, blocking my view and returning my brain.

What was wrong with my libido? Granted, it had been a while, but I wasn't a part of this mating hunt. For the millionth time, I wished for my magic or the ability to sense if foreign magic was on me.

But I had nothing.

Tyson's fire didn't stop Rehan, and a cloud of steam hissed around them. An elbow stuck out of it before the sound of pounding fists and grunts of exhilaration filled the peak.

Fight it was.

I spotted a ledge to my left. An ideal spot to see over the island. In a few stumbling steps, I collapsed against the edge. The view wasn't the three-hundred-and-sixty-degrees I hoped for, but from what I could see, I was on a roundish peninsula, possibly an island. Textured greens and dark reds from the volcanic soil made the land look like a lumpy blanket. The lights of two cities in the distance caught my eye—one close to the dark sea and one barely visible on the side of another mountain.

The map in my pocket could only be a ten-mile radius; the cities weren't on it—nor the body of water surrounding the land. Enough stars peeked out that I recognized the summer triangle, Vega, Altair, and Deneb. I was somewhere north of the equator, probably in the Atlantic Ocean.

Great, now what?

One of the dragons grunted and hit the dirt above me. A few pebbles rained down onto my legs. A moan of pain sounded like Rehan, and my heart squeezed.

I poked my chest and violently shook my head to dislodge the sudden sympathy. Neither of these shifters mattered. They distracted each other, and I needed to get the fuck out of here.

Backing away from the intense emotion, I made a decision. Dragons liked mountains, and saltwater interrupted magical currents. The city toward the coast was my best bet.

I tried to cast a spell over my eyes, increasing my vision in the falling night, but I still had no sparkly juice. Promising never to take my magic for granted again, I memorized my line of sight and half ran, half slid down the mountainside.