He would catch and mate a human female. His king had tasked him and he would deliver.
Chapter 6.
The water was icy cold. It took her breath away and made her teeth chatter. Her feet were already cut up from the long walk there. Right now, they were completely numb. It had taken them two and a half hours to get to the stream. They spent another hour creating a false trail. All three of them had crossed the stream and trudged for a half an hour in the wrong direction. They took branches and wiped away their footprints as they trudged back. They then were very careful to step in the same footprints as before as they headed back to the stream. Hopefully it would look like they crossed the stream and they were able to mask their scent and trail. It would buy them some time and, hopefully, cause a bit of confusion.
Even though it felt like her feet were going to fall off, she forced herself to continue. Candy was breathing hard, her jaw was set. Julie could hear Pauline making the odd sound of discomfort. The woman was behind her. They were all feeling it. The pain, the burn. No one complained. They had to keep going. She wasn"t sure how many of these dragon men would be on their tail. They had to keep focusing on escape and for now that meant continuing on, and putting enough of a head start between themselves and the men behind them. The ones that wanted to use them and harm them.
It was ten till twelve. In a couple of minutes, the hunt would begin. They were the prey. Julie knew what it felt like to be that deer at the end of the scope, only death would not come so quick. If those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds thought they could have her, have any of them and keep breathing, they were wrong. Dead wrong.
She was pretty sure that many of those that hunted them would go after Lisa first. It sounded like they were required to fight amongst each other in order to win a woman for themselves.
Jo had left herself in the open so hopefully this would mean a whole lot of fighting before they continued to chase them. Some of these men would then go after Lisa and some would come after the three of them. It was horrible to think that way but it was true. The other two women might end up buying them some time.
What then?
What if they did manage to escape? Would the wild animals get them? Or the elements? Julie couldn"t think like that. One step at a time, one minute at a time. If it came to it, she would fight. They would all have to fight.
The male next to him bellowed as they caught sight of the female. A whole chorus of males shouted out behind him. Coal kept going.
What was the female doing?
Why was she still at the drop off point? She should have been miles away by now. This could only mean that she had decided not to run. She"d given up, before she"d even begun. As Coal grew closer he could hear that the female was crying, whimpering. She pulled herself into a tight ball. It reminded him of when Inferno had been a young boy. His brother would cover his eyes and just because he couldn"t see anyone, he would truly believe that others couldn"t see him as well. Coal felt saddened. He felt sorry for the female. At the same time though, she irritated him. There was no fighting spirit within her. No drive.
He slowed. What should he do? There was only one other male closest to him. Granite. The male was strong as nails but he wouldn"t expect Coal"s attack. He didn"t have his entourage with him. Mistake.
It would be easy to dispatch of the male to take the female for himself. She was his for the plucking. The only problem was, he didn"t want her. This was not the kind of mother he wanted for his children. If all the humans were similar to this one, he was in a world of trouble.
There were four more females. Four females that had actually chosen to partake in the hunt. This one seemed broken and useless. Even further down the food chain than a gazelle. At least a deer had the decency to run. To try. Still, it saddened him to see her like this.
There was only one thing to do, he held back for a split second allowing the earth king to run up behind him and at the last second he punched, hearing cartilage and bone smash as his fist connected with the male"s face. On a loud groan, his adversary went down, falling hard. There was a tight group of males behind him. The one at the head was Torrent. By taking Granite down, it would ensure a fight between the males in the group, as well as those close behind. This would buy him time to take the lead. Unfortunately, it looked like the air king would secure a female. This put more pressure on him. He had to win one of the other four at all costs.
Coal sprinted past the female, his nose in the air. He followed the scent. The sounds of fighting ensued as the males realized that Coal was not interested in the female and that they stood a chance. There was a whole lot of grunting and the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh. Shouting, groaning and moaning. The noises only grew louder as more and more males joined in the fray. Coal couldn"t think on it. Needed to get ahead. This was an opportunity. Let the others fight for her.
There were two options, down the valley or into the forest towards the river. If he were running, he would choose to go towards the water. This was the wisest and most logical choice and therefore he took it himself. If he was forced to take a human, he would take the strongest and most intelligent of the five females. He was the fire prince, heir to the throne. He deserved nothing less.
Half an hour later, he reached the stream. It was knee-deep at the center and only six feet wide. He was disappointed to find that the females had chosen to cross the river and continue on. The current path he took would lead him to the base of the peak. A human could never hope to climb such a mountain. It would mean having to skirt around the base which was a waste of time. It didn"t make sense. Although the scent was still strong, he could see that that they had made a silly attempt to cover up their tracks. Stupid humans!
Then all of a sudden the trail disappeared. As in gone. Scent and all. What magic was this? Adrenaline coursed through his veins. The need to continue running rode him hard. The need to shift rode him even harder. He fought back against the feeling of his scales as they rubbed his skin and his teeth as they threatened to erupt into something far more sinister.
He sucked in a couple of deep breaths and willed himself to calm down. This didn"t make any sense. Had they somehow managed to completely mask their scent. It was not possible.
No.
Forget it.
He inhaled deeply. Then the real reason dawned on him. What a fool he was. Maybe these human females were not as stupid as they seemed. He suddenly felt anxious to meet with the one that had devised this plan. Worry flooded him. What if some of the others hadn"t been so easily fooled? It would mean that he could be behind or at the very least that he would no longer have a head start. At first he was tempted to run back the way he had come but that would alert any others to the trap the females had set. If he had fallen for it, others would too. If he wanted a chance at finding and winning the female that set this up, he needed to continue on parallel with the river and then head back to the water, only further along the bank. The females would be trying to hide their scents and therefore sticking to the water. It"s what he would do if he was in their place.
This was becoming more and more interesting by the second. Coal picked up the pace. fifteen minutes later he was swinging in. He could hear the sound of the water as it trickled and gurgled. It wouldn"t be long now.
Coal watched a grin appear on Flame"s face as he caught sight of him. There was a group of about four males running closely behind his friend. They weren"t working together but since this was the most likely path the females had taken, it meant others would be on it too. Coal frowned.
"They caught you out, didn"t they?" Flame said. His friend had blood smeared on his face. Some of the others had torn clothing and blood smears and splatters. The males had fought for the female and had lost. Torrent was a little behind the group. It shocked him that the male had failed to secure the female as well.
Flame chuckled. "You fell for the oldest trick in the book."
Coal growled. "Are there any others ahead?"
Flame shook his head. "Not a chance."
Coal nodded once and turned back to where the river meandered. He didn"t feel much like small talk. He needed to concentrate on staying ahead.
"Relax! I"m pretty sure that this group is not the only one that didn"t fall for it and I"m pretty sure that there"s more than one female up ahead so maybe we can work together."
Coal did not answer.
"I"ll let you have first dibs."
"First what?" he growled. Coal was not interested in games.
"First dibs. It means that you can pick first." Flame was an arrogant male. He was strong and fast. One of the best warriors. In a compet.i.tion such as this, Coal"s status meant nothing. They were all equals.
Coal made a grunting noise. "That"s nice of you." He was still a royal though, still one of the fastest, strongest males. He didn"t need to make pacts.
Flame laughed. "Not in agreement then?" He paused. "That"s a pity."
They continued to run on the bank of the river. Aside from the fact that humans would easily tire, they would also not be able to move very fast while sticking to the water. There was a distinct possibility that they were on the wrong trail but his gut told him that this was the way that the females were headed.
It didn"t sound like the others were growing closer. For now though, it was just himself, Flame and the four trailing males, one of whom was a water prince and the other the water king. The young prince was not much compet.i.tion. Torrent on the other hand.
The forests on either side of them grew thicker. The currents within the river grew stronger and the banks deeper. The water cut a sharp left up ahead as the river began to meander.
The females had gotten further than he would have thought possible. They ran on. The mud thick beneath their feet. The air crisp in his nose.
He sniffed again and Flame did the same. There was a hint of citrus, something floral and berry in the air. It was a scent he hadn"t smelled before. By the reaction of the males around him, the scent of human females was up ahead. The water prince roared. One of the others growled. The whole group surged with renewed strength. They were on the right path. Adrenaline coursed, this reinvigorated him and he picked up the pace.
Unfortunately, it reinvigorated all of them. Flame surged forward with a roar. They would be just around the bend.
Pauline stumbled and fell to her knees with a soft gasp. Julie turned, the other woman struggled to get back onto her feet.
The tiny woman gave her an attempt at a smile. She looked exhausted. "I"m sorry, but I don"t know how long I can go on like this," Pauline whispered.
"We can"t stop now," Candy whispered back.
"Just a little bit further." Julie added, keeping her voice as low as possible.
Just then, a loud roar erupted from somewhere behind them. They all turned. There was a sharp bend in the river about a hundred feet behind them.
"s.h.i.t," Candy murmured. "We need to move. Now." She began to run.
The stream was no longer a stream but an honest to G.o.d river. It was deep and strong. They needed to be careful not to go in too deep because the currents would sweep them away. Thankfully the pebbled edges were muddy with flat stones. By now she was so cold that she could barely feel her feet. It didn"t matter, she picked up her pace behind Candy and could hear Pauline right behind her. They made their way to the bank since they no longer needed to mask their scent.
There was another roar, louder this time.
Julie heard Pauline stop dead. The other woman whimpered softly.
"Keep going!" She shouted, not daring to look back. Candy leapt out of the river and Julie followed suit. The hunt was on and in full force. They were gaining on them. It terrified her but it also fueled her. They all picked up the pace.
There was a loud splashing noise as Pauline began to run once more. She made more whimpering noises. "I see them. I see them!" She shrieked. "Oh G.o.d." There was another loud splash and then the sound of footfalls on the ground behind her. It sounded like Pauline had also jumped out of the river.
Julie"s arms were pumping and the muscles in her thighs burned but she kept on going. It wasn"t long before she heard them. The hard pounding of their feet against the ground behind them. The ragged noises as they breathed in and out. She risked a glance over her shoulder and wished that she hadn"t. They were huge. At least six and a half feet of raw muscle. There was no way they were escaping this. That bully, Scarlet, had been right. If they were caught, they were going to be torn apart. She glanced back a second time, locking eyes with one of the men. His...o...b.. were pitch black and filled with determination like she"d never seen before. A shiver raced up her spine.
For a moment she thought of dropping to her knees and begging for a life. Screw that. She picked up the pace, coming up alongside Candy. The other woman didn"t look like she was going to last for much longer. They had to keep going. The river turned sharply this time to the right and as it did, she could see how the water rushed faster. How it swirled, gurgled and surged. Deep and wild.
In that moment, she realized that there was only one chance of getting away. It certainly wasn"t on foot. She would need to give herself over to the mercy of the river. There was only one little problem with that, she hadn"t been taught how to swim. It wasn"t like swimming was high up on the list of subjects at the orphanage she was from. Foster families were so busy trying to put food on the table or they just didn"t give much of a s.h.i.t. Swimming hadn"t featured much. It was a luxury. Sure, she could swim from one side of the pool to the other. Slowly and carefully. Doggy style. But could she actually keep herself afloat long enough to survive the immense power of the surging river?
There was a loud scream behind her. It was bloodcurdling and so filled with fear that it almost had her stopping and turning. Pauline, they had Pauline. There was no other explanation.
"Let go of me!" She screamed. "What are you doing?" She screamed even louder.
Everything in her told her told her to stop, to help, but it would do no good. There was no way that she could stand up to these brutes. Julie glanced at the river. It was either stay here and face these men, with very little chance of survival or take her chances in the river. She glanced over her shoulder. The other one was right behind her. There were several more of them behind him. If he reached out, he might just be able to touch her. If he missed, there would be more to take his place. It turned her blood cold.
From the corner of her eye she saw Pauline sprawled out on the ground. She continued to scream. There was a man on top of her, his hands were all over her. It angered her. The injustice and the brutality of it all. The savagery. It sickened and disgusted her. She had to remind herself that there was nothing she could do, if she stopped to try and help, she would be next.
On a loud yell, that came out sounding more like a battle cry than a scream of terror, which was what she was feeling, she hurled herself into the river. For the first time, she was thankful that she was wearing so little. At least the light dress wouldn"t weigh her down. The woolen shawl had long since fallen in the river, swept away by the current much like what was about to happen to her as well.
The dark eyed brute managed to snag her dress. There was a moment where time seemed to stop. Then there was a tearing noise as her dress ripped free from his grip. The current grabbed her immediately, it pulled her down. Her eyes were squeezed shut. The air forced out of her lungs in a whoosh as the cold gripped her.
Her arms and legs flailed, almost of their own accord. Her lungs burned as the need for air a.s.saulted her. She kicked harder, finally breaking to the surface. There was a splashing and kicking next to her. Panic seized her. It had to be him. The one with the dark fathomless eyes. She was moving quickly. It felt like she was being pulled under and then spat out. Breaking to the surface for short periods of time to gulp air before being pulled back under. She caught a glimpse of long, blonde streaked hair and realized that the splashing was coming from Candy. She was in the water with her.
Go Candy.
Although, right now she was feeling that maybe taking a chance on the river was not the best idea after all. Her knee banged against something and she let out a yelp. Probably a rock. Just then the current tugged her under again and water filled her nose and mouth. She coughed as she came up. Her lungs burning. Her muscles shaking with fatigue. She"d never felt so cold or desperate in all of her life.
Almost as soon as she came up, she was being pulled under again. She barely had enough time to take in a breath. Her lungs ached with the need to cough. Using the last reserves of strength she had, she kicked hard, breaking the surface. Julie sucked in a deep breath. Her lungs protested and she coughed.
Oh G.o.d.
She couldn"t take much more of this. She tried to look around but there was no sign of Candy. There were rocks up ahead but the currents were pulling her under again. She sucked in another deep breath just before her head became submerged. Her left arm sc.r.a.ped against one of those rocks and she cried out. The noise swept away by the currents.
It was a miracle she had lasted this long and an even greater miracle that she managed to avoid so many of the rocky outcrops. That she managed to keep fighting for air. Otherwise she allowed the river to carry her. Her only consolation was that she was moving further and further away from the enemy. She knew that the currents were strong and that the river was moving fast but she hadn"t realized quite how fast. Not until she caught sight of the forest just beyond the steep bank, it rushed past in a blur.
She just kept kicking, fighting, praying. Just when she thought she wasn"t going to be able to hold on for much longer, the river turned yet another corner and she was flushed out onto a narrow bank. Just to the right of her, the river continued to surge. Her feet found purchase on the soggy silt covered bed. It was difficult going but she shuffled and kicked and dragged herself until she hit the sand on the edge. Julie threw herself onto the bank. Her feet still dangled in the river but she didn"t care. Her chest heaved. Her whole body shook both from cold and fatigue.
After a couple of minutes, she dragged herself further out. To where the ground was dry. If she hoped to stand any chance of survival she needed to get dry and fast.
After about five minutes, Julie turned herself over. She shook and shivered but at least she was alive. Banged up, but alive. Her knee throbbed and her arm was sc.r.a.ped open but she didn"t think she"d broken any bones.
She allowed herself a further ten minutes to regain her strength before pulling herself into a sitting position. Julie wanted to call out to Candy but she didn"t want to risk giving away her position. Candy could be anywhere. She only hoped that the other woman was alive. Her eyes welled with tears as she thought of Pauline. Poor, sweet Pauline. She grit her teeth, feeling anger well. There was nothing she could do. Right now, she needed to think about herself. She needed to get the h.e.l.l out of there.
Quite frankly, she"d rather die of starvation. She"d rather be killed any day than be captured by one of those ogres. Those dark eyes were all she could see in her mind"s eye. They scared the h.e.l.l out of her. So intense. So evil.
Julie spotted some tall reeds growing on a nearby bank. She pulled herself to her feet and slowly walked to them. Let that b.a.s.t.a.r.d with the dark eyes find her. She knew instinctively that he was coming. That he was the one to fear. Let him come, she thought to herself. Let the a.s.shole come, she would be waiting. Lord help him if he tried to touch her.
Chapter 7.
Blast and d.a.m.n!
The crazy females had thrown themselves into the river. Coal did not want a simpering, wilting flower as a mother for his children but neither did he want a crazy person for the position either. Anyone who threw themselves into a river like that had to have mental problems. It was not normal.
He recalled looking into that female"s eyes. They were initially filled with fear. Though her gaze had quickly morphed into determination and what he could only describe as hatred. He knew that the move had been calculated. She"d a.s.sessed the odds and had decided that she stood a better chance within the raging rapids than against him. The female with light colored hair had followed suit. She only jumped into the river because the dark haired one had gone first.
She might be slightly crazy but she was also the only human female that held any interest to him. Still small and weak. Still far beneath him, but maybe she would do. It was a big maybe. There was only one way to find out.
He couldn"t understand how Flame had managed to secure the other human female so easily. The male had felled one of the warriors and the water prince. As a royal, Torrent was much stronger and should have been the victor. The only thing that he could think of was that Torrent had set his sights on one of the other two remaining females just as he had. With two males closely on his tail, he set out after her. There would be many others following closely behind their little group. They didn"t have much more than a two or three-minute lead. He was only a half a minute ahead of the water king, if that. The stakes were rising by the minute. Coal felt power flow through him. The human could run and she could hide, but she would not escape him.
For the first time in days, Coal smiled.
There was no escape. He would go to the ends of the earth if he had to.
Coal ran for about an hour, until he heard the sound of moaning up ahead. It was the female with the light colored hair. She clung to a log, her body was up on the trunk and her legs were still in the water. If it weren"t for the moaning, he might think that she was dead.
This was not the female he wanted. Not that he particularly wanted the other one either. Not really. Coal sighed. He couldn"t just leave her there, hanging on for dear life. Although the others weren"t far behind him, he leapt forward and onto the wide trunk. It was solid and secure. Safe to negotiate. Coal spread his arms to balance himself and moved forward. When close enough, he bent and lifted the female. She weighed nothing.
He was mildly surprised when the little thing began to wriggle in his arms. She actually tried to pull away and to escape his grasp.
"Stay still," he growled. He was all out surprised when she didn"t listen. "Stop that or I will throw you back." He meant it. She was costing him precious time. His lead was diminishing by the second.
That worked. On a loud sigh, she slumped against him. "Don"t hurt me," she whispered. Why would he hurt her? Why would any of the males hurt her? He wasn"t partial to humans himself but the others cherished and adored them. She was quite safe.
Coal deposited her on the bank. Heavy footfalls alerted him to Torrent. The male was fast approaching.
Blast!