Skyborn (Dragons & Druids #1)(41)
My head reeled back as I laughed. “The armpit?” What a joke.
He shot out lightning-quick then, and shoved his thumb up into my armpit. A cry tore from my lips as I moved my body, trying to get out of his grasp. Deep pain radiated from my elbow to my ribcage, and then he let go.
“Hurts like hell,” he stated.
I glared at him, rubbing my underarm. “Yeah it does.” I was totally burning his next meal.
He nodded. “Your turn.”
He opened his arms wide as if asking for me to bring it on. I frowned. “I don’t know about this. I’m not a fighter type of person.”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “The first ten minutes of knowing me, you punched me square in the jaw as I tried to save your life.” His jaw muscle twitched and I stepped back a foot.
“I did?” Oops. I must have been acting on instinct. I certainly didn’t remember doing that.
“Yes, you did, and I was pissed, and also relieved. That’s the kind of attitude you will need to survive this lifestyle. Someone threatens you, you take them down. No questions asked.”
He was right. I needed to not care about hurting him or embarrassing myself. I needed to train, to learn to protect myself so I didn’t have to depend on a pack. I put my arms into fists in front of me and Logan grinned.
“Horrible form, but I like your spirit.” He winked, adjusting my hands.
Over the next hour we went through one repetitious drill—karate chop to the throat, thumb to the armpit, and then knee to the groin. I didn’t do it hard, but Logan pretended to fall over every time, and that’s when I was supposed to run. Throat, arm, groin, run. We did this until my muscles creaked and Danny looked like he was dozing off from boredom. I was about to ask for a break when Danny suddenly sat erect.
“Druids are here,” he said in a flat monotone voice. He flung out his hand and a glowing yellow light slammed into the knife cabinet where Logan kept his glowing green swords. Could these druids sense the dragon magic that adorned the blades? Logan’s eyes bugged out of his head.
“Why are they here?” Logan mouthed as we heard the crunching of tires on gravel.
Danny closed his eyes, breathing deeply, as if in a trance. “They are the same ones from Eva’s bar. They want to meet Sloane.”
Oh shit.
“Shit,” Logan muttered, coursing my internal dialog.
Danny stood. “We chat with them, assure them all is well, and they will leave.”
Logan looked nervous, which I hadn’t thought possible before now. “How many are there?”
The sorcerer closed his eyes and then opened them again. “Three.”
Logan looked absolutely shocked. “THREE! I thought only two were at Eva’s bar? Do they have their truth witch with them?”
I was guessing that druids didn’t hang out together, because Logan seemed downright shocked that this many were clustered together.
Danny looked deep in concentration, his eyes rolling under the lids, emanating a faint yellow glow. Then he grinned. “Their truth witch has fallen ill, thanks to Eva. They must have flown this third druid out to finish their investigation.”
A car door shut and Danny put a finger to his lips. Did he just say investigation? I felt like I was going to be sick. What if they smelled that I was one of them?
Logan crossed the barn quickly and slipped his hand in mine, the warm skin making my dragon coil tightly inside of me as a low buzzing worked its way up my arm and into my chest. Logan leaned in slowly and whispered in my ear. “You’re my wolf shifter girlfriend. We’ve been dating about a month, and I asked you to move from Phoenix to join my pack here in Flagstaff.”
I swallowed hard, trying not to think of the way his hot breath tickled my neck or the way I liked how he called me his girlfriend, even if it was fake.
“Okay,” I replied.
Logan nodded to Danny. “Okay.”
Danny walked over to the barn door and swung it wide as Logan kept my hand tucked firmly in his and pulled me alongside him. We were walking out there, right into the path of these whack-jobs who wanted to kill me and eat my soul, or whatever it was. This was a really bad idea and I was totally going along with it. YOLO.
10
AS WE EXITED the barn, Danny walked in front of us, probably to shield us if the druids started flinging red magic fireballs. Logan had my hand firmly grasped in his; I was slightly terrified, so my palms were dripping sweat, but he didn’t seem to care. I could see now that Keegan had the front door wide open and was leaning in the doorway, holding his shotgun while three druids in sleek black business suits stood on the porch.
“To what do we owe the pleasure, gentlemen?” Keegan’s voice dripped with sarcasm and it was clear the druids were not welcome here. A man stepped closer to Keegan, extending his hand. He was the largest of the three, and had a dark brownish-red ponytail, and tattoos that crept up his neck; that’s all I could see from my angle behind them. “Nice to meet you, alpha. I’m Steven of the North Ireland druids.” He had a thick Irish accent and I couldn’t believe it when Keegan looked at his hand and didn’t make a move to shake it, outright rejecting him.
“I know who your people are. What are you doing on my property?” Keegan asked curtly, his eyes going golden.
Danny shuffled his feet faster, stepping closer to the porch. “Now, darling, is that any way to treat our guests?” Danny called out to Keegan, turning on his charm and causing all three druids to turn around.