Dragon Hunted (The Dragon of 23rd Street) by Haley Ryan

Author:Haley Ryan [Ryan, Haley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Page Nine Press
Published: 2020-04-27T16:00:00+00:00

Ten

“So, that’s it?” I demanded, once I’d recovered from my shock and found my voice again. “I get to play punching bag for this guy, and then I get kicked out?”

“No.” Draven wasn’t hanging back in the corner any longer. He strode towards me, a grim light in his eye and a set to his jaw that I knew all too well. “You fight.”

I couldn’t help laughing, but it was more crazed laugher than actual amusement. “Draven, you’ve seen me. You’ve all see me. How could I possibly fight a real dragon?”

“You are as real a dragon as any of these others,” Draven said, and I could have hugged him for it, except, well, brothers. Then he dropped to one knee in front of me so he could look me in the eye. “And you have advantages I don’t think you’ve stopped to consider.”

“You’re right,” I mumbled, trying to ignore how my heart pounded at his nearness. “I haven’t.”

Declan sat next to me. “Not to be rude, but what does a fae know of dragon advantages?”

“Nothing,” Ryker said dismissively, from his position near the fireplace. “I didn’t invite you here to give martial advice, Lord Elduvar. I asked you because we need to understand what the fae might want, and how far we can expect them to go to get their hands on her.”

“Why focus on your strategy for after she loses? Do you have so little faith in her? You’re giving up before you’ve even started, when the reality is, she doesn’t have to lose.”

“And I suppose you say this out of your vast and varied knowledge of dragon warfare?” Ryker sneered.

Draven stood, a silver light beginning to peek out around the corners of his eyes as he turned and confronted my brother. “Tell me,” he said, in a deceptively calm voice that made me think pretty hard about hiding behind the couch in case of violence. “How many times have you fought for your life?”

Ryker didn’t so much as blink. “Never,” he acknowledged. “But I’ve been fighting other dragons as a part of my job since I was fourteen.”

“And I’ve been defending my right to live since I was eight,” Draven stated flatly, and for a moment, I forgot my own troubles while my heart ached for that eight-year-old boy. No one should have to fight for their lives at that age. “You don’t fight the same way when you know your opponent isn’t out to kill you. You hold back. You embrace a strategy that values looks over effectiveness. And the moment you face a real opponent, you’ll fail, because they won’t be going for the win, they’ll be going for the kill.”

“This fight won’t be to the death,” Declan pointed out.

“No, but Kira may very well be fighting for her life,” Draven snapped, his eyes fully silver now. “If you teach her to fight like you—for points or takedowns—she doesn’t stand a chance. Her opponent knows those tricks. He’s spent his whole life learning them. What he doesn’t know is how to fight when his life is on the line.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.