Dragon Tempest: Season of the Dragon, #1

I crossed the empty road, approaching the point on the hand-drawn map I held marked with a black X, wishing I had technology like we used to before the beasts rose. Maybe then I would know what I was up against. I drew the short straw for this damn mission, and here I was, in front of the agreed-upon meeting place. I pocketed the sweat-stained map with hands that were as slick as an icy hill in January.

Today, I would either save mankind or damn them into extinction.

I rubbed my palms on the fabric of my pants, wishing I had formal military training under my belt. The pseudo-military unit I was part of was a mix of militia and left-over military relics. We were always the unit that had this task assigned to us. The more experienced units felt we were expendable.

I’m here, I whispered into my comms before I unclipped the microphone and pulled out the earpiece, dropping both on the sidewalk before crushing them under the heel of my boot.

This was not part of the protocol, and I’m sure my superior officer was going ballistic, but everyone sent before me had been stupid enough to wear them inside the monster’s den, even though they were explicitly told not to have any communications gear at all on the negotiators.

And every last one of them had been roasted alive and dropped in Times Square like a discarded bag of garbage.

I did not want to be another dead body.

You would think after surviving a global pandemic with a death toll of four billion people in a matter of months, I would be more prepared for this. But even the burning pyres of human flesh dotting the horizon was less unsettling than meeting with a monster.

You see, the end of times came crawling in disguised as Pestilence wiping out half of humanity before the creatures rose from the bowels of Earth to take over. They had been dormant for millennia and woke to the silence that befell the planet.

I remembered when the world was still digital. I remembered that first news report, when the serpent king slithered from the ocean with an army of leviathans on its scales. I remembered the horror at the sheer numbers and size of these creatures. And the terror as they issued their first demands.

Even then, they demanded unequivocal surrender.

But they were nothing compared to the dragons’ entrance into the world. They came from the bowels of the Earth, breaking through the ground in fiery blasts that looked more like volcanic explosions. When they joined the serpent king and his armies, mankind shuddered but stood firm.

Then the monsters exercised their might. Their complete annihilation of every military installation across the globe was akin to us purging the lawn of ant hills. Coordinated attacks wiped out our ability to defend ourselves on a global scale. Our ability to launch air or sea strikes was decimated by the fiery beasts and our nuclear arsenals were all destroyed.

Now, all we had were a limited number of firearms, and even those only served to irritate the beasts.

So, here I stood, ready to negotiate humankind’s submission, which irked me because I bowed to no one. I earned every medal pinned to my damn uniform—unlike our current commander, who plucked the ones off the dead body of our former chief just to make his uniform more impressive to the other platoon chiefs.

I would rather die in a fiery blast than kneel to these things, which was probably why that asshat insisted I go negotiate for our kind. He was hoping I’d be the next body dropped.

Although it was very tempting to tell the beasts to go to hell, I had to think beyond myself. I was not the only one left and had to act accordingly. Defending humanity was at the core of my soul, despite how much I hated these things for nearly destroying our planet.

I stared at the mammoth door constructed of wood and metal that replaced the human-sized doors that used to be the entry to Grand Central Station. The construction of the door twenty times the size of the original was a feat that I could not fathom. These creatures were smart, but I needed to outsmart them today, so the human race could survive.

I rapped my knuckles against the door. It creaked open a moment later, as though they had been waiting for my arrival with bated breath. Reptilian, citrine-colored eyes blinked at me from the darkness. A sniff followed by a low growl came from inside.

They sent a female. A gravelly voice filled the air.

His voice sent a rattling chill through me, but I stayed still, even though my flight instincts engaged. If I ran, I was as good as dead. So, I stared at those eyes and stanched the need to rub away the goose flesh that covered my skin underneath the stained dress uniform I wore. Instead, I straightened my back and jutted my chin out, announcing with my body language that I wasn’t someone to be fucked with.

The door opened more, and a reptilian arm waved me inside.

I obliged and stepped into the blackness with a list of reservations as large as the isle of Manhattan. The likelihood that I would end up a charred piece of meat they dropped in Times Square became much higher now that I was inside their fortress.

The door closed behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder as darkness fell on all sides of me. I gulped a nervous swallow and turned back toward the abyss, blinking rapidly to help my eyes adjust to my dim surroundings.

Go on, the creature said impatiently.

The dim light along with his tone mixed with my adrenaline and brought out my snark. I would but I’d rather not trip over anything you might have lying around.

I forgot you creatures cannot see in the dark. His distaste bled through his words, as if I were the one infringing upon him. A plume of fire lit hanging lamps all the way down the corridor, and I glanced up at the dragon escorting me through enemy territory.

He wasn’t as hideous as the leviathans and sea serpents. His scales glowed in the low light, giving him an almost iridescent look that spanned the color spectrum. I hadn’t seen any of these creatures close up and found fascination had replaced the disgust coursing through my blood.

Why are you staring? he snarled, revealing teeth as sharp as sword blades and almost as long as I was tall.

I stopped and faced him. I have never seen your kind close up. I am… curious. I picked my words carefully because he could smite me to ash with one breath.

Curious as in how one studies a bug? He narrowed his eyes and brought his head to the floor and huffed.

My hair flew back from his exhale, and I still had to crane my neck to meet his gaze head-on. I did not flinch at his inspection, either. Which I think he expected, especially with the way he recoiled when I stepped closer.

No. Curious in the way two strangers are when they meet after so much hype has been made about the enemy. I couldn’t look away from the beauty this monster emitted. It was like craning your neck to see a particularly nasty accident. He fascinated me, which could be detrimental to my life.

His head cocked. I could just roast you like I have all the other emissaries sent by your kind.

His words were meant to be a warning, but the discomfort in his voice was enough to make me smile. I took another step closer, testing the boundaries even though my sense of self-preservation balked. I doubt you would give me any warning if that was your intention.

A low growl emitted from between his teeth.

Truthfully, I was the first female officer our unit sent into the den to negotiate on our behalf. In all the briefings we had before we sent our men to do the negotiations, not one of them suggested they bow to the monsters. They were just ordered to take whatever deal was on the table. But my orders were to be submissive and to sign the damn peace treaty.

Submissive wasn’t something I could do, but so far, I’d lasted longer than anyone else, so perhaps coy was the winning strategy. Although I did not want to get cocky and push this dragon into a raging inferno.

The dragon sniffed again and grumbled as he rose to his full height. What game is this? he growled as smoke drifted from his nostrils.

I moved forward, drawn to the rainbows reflecting in the light. It isn’t a game. Your scales are beautiful. Even I heard the incredulousness in my voice. I didn’t believe these beasts could capture beauty. It was almost hypnotic.

Move along, he said. But the hostility present in his voice before seemed to have faded, as if a compliment wasn’t something he was at all comfortable receiving and he did not know how to properly react.

I could not help it. I reached out and touched his leg. The growl that emitted from above me nearly had me pulling my hand back. Instead, I pressed my palm to the cool skin of the dragon. He was smoother than a snake and just as soft to the touch, which was not what I anticipated. I expected hard and unyielding scales, but as I ran my hand down, each scale seemed to quiver under my touch.

He stepped away from me with another divisive snarl.

I looked up. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I tried to muster up sincerity, but it just wouldn’t come. I wasn’t at all remorseful for my actions. Quite the contrary. If I lived to see my platoon, I could now brag that I touched a dragon.

Humans and their damned curiosity, he muttered.

I raised an eyebrow. Others have done that? I could not see any of the hard-core officers sent before me doing the same.

He lowered himself into a crouch with a low rumble that sent my heart into a fearful patter. How would you like it if I touched you? he hissed.

It depends on what you look like when you shift. I crossed my arms and pursed my lips. I didn’t even know whether these things could shift, but some intel suggested that perhaps they could. Some of our secrets had found their way to the monsters, which would have only been obtained by someone hiding among us in human form. The alternative wasn’t anything I could consider. If they weren’t able to shift, these creatures had crazy super hearing powers and we, as a species, were utterly doomed.

He pointed a deadly claw at my chest and drew down. Fabric ripped and I gasped, trying to gather my dress coat together before he had a chance to tear my blouse. The bastard seemed to be smiling. You like it about as much as I do, so stop with the games, he growled, still in reptilian form.

I shot my hand out and before my brain was able to stop the actions of my body, my palm slapped the side of his snout. That’s for ripping my jacket, I snapped. Apparently, I had little ownership over any of my actions today.

The glare in his eyes knocked sense into me, but I did not blubber an apology. Something deep inside me told me not to. If I did, I would feel the dragon’s wrath.

In one moment, he was a reptilian beast; in the next, he had a human hand around my throat, with me slammed against the nearest wall. The shit thing was, I recognized this bastard. I had seen him at least once a day patrolling the area outside the monsters’ domain, as if he were human. I struggled under his immovable grip, staring into his golden eyes as they took me in with such malice I nearly lost my bladder.

Paint me surprised when they actually followed through with sending one of their weaker species to negotiate with us.

Anger filled me at his duplicity, and I kicked his shin with everything I had. He winced and his eyes darkened. In human form, he radiated heat the way a furnace would, and it burned the areas of my skin that were exposed.

He squeezed harder, cutting off my ability to draw a breath. Just because you have a pair of tits doesn’t make you immune from our wrath. Understand?

Despite the fury filling every pore, I nodded.

He released my throat, stepping away. You will not leave here alive if you continue playing games. Your entire race must submit, or we will annihilate you. He pointed a finger at me as the words bled from between his clenched teeth.

I stared him down as my commander’s orders surfaced in my mind. A bitter taste filled my mouth. We are willing to concede. I hated myself for uttering those words.

The twitch of a smile appeared, and I loathed this spying beast with all my heart. He extended his large hand and opened it, palm up. Metal gleamed in his palm. Show me.

I stared at the iron collar in his hand and then looked up at him.

You are the last emissary we will entertain. Prove to me that you are willing to submit to our rule, and we will spare humans from extinction.

Oh, how I wanted to tell him to fuck off, but that evil glint in his golden eyes made me reach out for the damn collar. I plucked it from his hand.

What the hell am I supposed to do with this? I shook it at him.

That is your new collar, designed specifically for the dogs that you are. He crossed his arms and the T-shirt he had on nearly burst under the strain of his muscles.

I blinked at him and then stared at the iron. But I could not bring myself to clasp it around my throat.

If you are unwilling to submit, I cannot see the rest of the humans abiding either. He transformed back into the giant dragon. His chest glowed red as he stared down at me.

God damn it, I whispered. Then, against everything that I believed, I clasped the metal around my throat. When the locking mechanism clicked, the dragon chuckled, and smoke rolled out his nostrils.

You owe me ten extra-crispy meals, Mik. Another dragon stepped out of the shadows.

The dragon next to me hooked a chain onto the back of the collar, grumbling as he glared at the other dragon. They both shimmered in the light of the lamps. And then Mik dragged me forward with a vicious yank that nearly had me sprawling on the marble floor.

Mik? I asked as I caught my balance and stumbled after him.

You have an issue with my name, slave? He glared over his shoulder.

I just didn’t think you had human-like names. I bristled at being called a slave. "Especially after being relegated to underground caves for so