dragons breath 02 - dancing with flames Read Online Free Page B

coming here a few months ago.
    We entered the living room. It was cozy with wood floors, brown leather couches, black end tables, and a huge flat screen anchored above the fireplace. Every time I saw the television I remembered how much I missed watching TV shows and movies. These days we only had generators for electricity, and what little power we could get from those (when we had the spare fuel to run them) had to go to more important things like our vehicles. Modern entertainment was a luxury we couldn’t afford. Maybe one day we’d push the pure dragons back enough to rebuild and start over again.
    That was part of the reason Aidan and I had agreed to work together. His clan wanted peace and safety as much as the humans did. The shape-shifters’ first step was to claim enough territory that they’d have all the resources they needed to survive and a buffer zone between them and the pure dragons. I was secretly helping Aidan with that. His clan didn’t have a problem with humans and even let some of them live in their fortress, but a slayer like me was a different matter. We were supposed to be enemies, not allies. Aidan might have been able to think farther ahead and see the advantages of working together but not the rest of his people.
    In exchange for my help, he had promised to take me to my family’s ranch in Texas once we secured his clan’s territory. I had tried getting there on my own right after D-day (when the dragons first invaded), but a giant chasm had opened up across the southern end of Oklahoma. To reach home now, I would have to drive hundreds of miles out of my way to get around it. That wouldn’t be easy, considering I’d have to forage for fuel along the way, avoid dragons, and try not to get attacked by human gangs. It was just too dangerous to take the risk right now, and building up my slaying skills would only help that much more once I did return to Texas.
    I only hated that I had to wait so long before I could leave. It could take up to a year for me to complete my end of the bargain with Aidan, and anything could happen to my family during that time. Though I managed to talk to my mother and stepfather regularly through a satellite phone, I worried about them. Dragon attacks were just as bad where they lived, southwest of Dallas, and they couldn’t fight the beasts the way I could.
    Then there was the fact that I had two older step-brothers and one younger half-brother who were at that age where their courage was greater than their ability to calculate risks. Every time I checked in with my family, I braced for the news that one of them had gotten hurt or killed. So far they hadn’t, but I figured it was only a matter of time. My stepfather couldn’t keep an eye on them every minute of the day.
    Donar shut the curtains while I settled on the couch. Aidan grabbed an oil lamp and blew a thin flame at the wick, lighting it. Most of the time their fire went out after they stopped blowing, but I had learned they could keep a small blaze going if they concentrated hard enough.
    “You need to stay here from now on,” Aidan said, setting the lamp on the fireplace mantle. It cast a soft glow across the room and highlighted the left side of his face. He had sharp cheekbones that gave him a rough, but beautiful edge to his appearance.
    My brows drew together. “Why? You covered my scent so they shouldn’t be able to identify me.”
    “Not well enough.” He shook his head. “If I’d had more time, perhaps, but I only covered it enough so they couldn’t easily track us. Matrika will remember your scent, and the others will be able to pick it up at the park.”
    I ground my teeth. I’d never imagined attacking one particular dragon could cause this much trouble. “You can’t expect me to abandon my friends. Who is going to protect them if I’m not living in the neighborhood anymore?”
    “Has it occurred to you that their lives are in more danger with you there?” Aidan’s gaze