“But they ain’t messed with us,” the young woman insisted. “We shouldn’t invite trouble.” It was clear her greatest worry was for her child.
“You think they’re gonna leave us alone? Once they run out of other compounds and villages, what do you think they’re gonna do?”
“But they don’t know we’re here,” an older man pointed out.
“That’s true,” Albie admitted. “But do you honestly think they won’t notice us once there’s no one else? Besides which, if we let them keep at it like this, what’ll be left for us? For our children?”
“We can’t fight the dragons and the Marines both. The Marines are our only chance against the drags.” Someone spoke up from the back.
Rain had finally had enough. “That’s not true. I killed my first dragon at seventeen and I’ve killed two more of the beasts since then. If I can do it, so can you.
“The only reason the Marines stand a chance against the drags is because they have Dragon Warriors. Now we have one of our own, and there are others out there on other bases. Dragon Warriors who will join us once they learn the truth. Once they remember who they are. “
“We can’t kill all the dragons even with the Warriors,” someone else insisted. “There are just too damn many of them. How can we get rid of them all without planes and boats and all those things we used to have?”
“We don’t have to kill all of the dragons in the world,” she explained. “We only have to kill the ones here. To make this place safe for us and our children.”
“And what’s to stop more drags from moving in?”
“Bodies,” Rain said with a smile.
Everyone stared at her like she’d grown a second head. She laughed.
“Drags won’t come near the remains of their own dead, remember? It’s been twenty-five years and still they won’t go near the valley of Caine’s Last Stand. The only thing left there is bones. So, we kill a few dragons and spread their bodies around. Burn them down to bone and then we’ve got the perfect dragon repellent.”
She stared hard at the crowd. “Our only chance against these monsters is to stop the Marines first. Stop them from taking our best fighters. Stop them from taking our supplies.” She frowned. “Stop them from taking our dead.”
Micah squeezed her shoulder. She took comfort in his touch. “Once the Marines are finished and the Dragon Warriors are on our side, we can finish off the drags. We can continue to hunt down and destroy drag eggs so there won’t be so many to deal with in the future, but our main focus for now should be stopping the Marines.”
“I agree.” An old man, bent with age, worked his way slowly to the front. “These abominations calling themselves “Marines” are a travesty. A blight on our world worse than those dragons. I was a Marine. A real Marine back in the days when that word meant something. These bastards make me sick. It’s time we finished them once and for all!” He thumped his cane against the wooden floor and gave the room a hard stare out of watery eyes. Rain had no doubt he’d have picked up rifle and gone after the Marines himself, given half a chance.
There was dead silence. Then Albie started to clap. Hank followed her lead and soon the rest of the bar was clapping and cheering.
“Well, Rain, looks like you got yourself a Resistance.” Micah’s breath was warm against the back of her neck, sending shivers along her spine.
She smiled and leaned against hard warmth of him. “No Warrior, what we’ve got is a Revolution.”
DEEP INSIDE THE MARINE base a pair of eyes snapped open in the dark. Eyes once chocolate brown now shone an eerie green.
A familiar scent teased his nose. Fragments of memory sifted through his mind like shards of glass.
Where was he?
Who was he?
The pain was nearly intolerable.
He tried to lift an arm, but he couldn’t move. He was strapped down to a hard, cold surface.
Pain, anger, frustration. He opened his mouth to scream, but what came out was not the scream of a man. It was the cry of a dragon.
The End...
Want more Dragon Wars? Book 2, Dragon Lord, is available now in ebook and paperback.
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About Shéa MacLeod
SHÉA MACLEOD IS THE author of the bestselling paranormal series, Sunwalker Saga, as well as the award nominated cozy mystery series Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries. She has dreamed of writing novels since before she could hold a crayon. She totally blames her mother.
She resides in the leafy green hills outside Portland, Oregon where she indulges in her fondness for strong coffee, Ancient Aliens reruns, lemon curd, and dragons. She can usually be found at her desk dreaming of ways to kill people (or vampires). Fictionally speaking, of course.
Other books by Shéa MacLeod
Dragon Wars
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Lord
Dragon Goddess
Green Witch
Dragon Corps
Dragon Mage
Dragon’s Angel
Dragon Wars- Three Complete Novels Boxed Set
Dragon Wars Two Boxed Set
Intergalactic Investigations (Coming May 2019)
Infinite Justice
A Rage of Angels
Sunwalker Saga
Kissed by Darkness
Kissed by Fire
Kissed by Smoke
Kissed by Moonlight
Kissed by Ice
Kissed by Blood
Kissed by Destiny
Sunwalker Saga: Soulshifter Trilogy
Fearless
Haunted
Soulshifter
Lady Rample Mysteries
Lady Rample Steps Out
Lady Rample Spies a Clue
Lady Rample and the Silver Screen
Lady Rample Sits In
Lady Rample and the Ghost of Christmas Past
Lady Rample and Cupid’s Kiss
Lady Rample and the Mysterious Mr. Singh (April 2019)
Lady Rample Box Set One
Lady Rample Box Set Two (April 2019)
Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries
The Corpse in the Cabana
The Stiff in the Study
The Poison in the Pudding
The Body in the Bathtub
The Venom in the Valentine
The Remains in the Rectory
The Death in the Drink
A Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery Collection 1-3
A Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery Collection 4-5
Witchblood Mysteries (Coming summer 2019)
Spells and Sigils
Mists and Magic
Dreams and Danger
Notting Hill Diaries
To Kiss A Prince
Kissing Frogs
Kiss Me, Chloe
Kiss Me, Stupid
Kissing Mr. Darcy
Cupcake Goddess Novelettes
Be Careful What You Wish For
Nothing Tastes As Good
Soulfully Sweet
A Stich in Time
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Also by Shéa MacLeod
Cupcake Goddess
Be Careful What You Wish For
Nothi
ng Tastes As Good
Soulfully Sweet
A Stitch In Time (A Cupcake Goddess Novelette)
Dragon Wars
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Lord
Dragon Goddess
Green Witch
Dragon Corps
Dragon Mage
Dragon's Angel
Dragon Wars Boxed Sets
Dragon Wars - Three Complete Novels Boxed Set
Dragon Wars 2: Three Complete Novels Boxed Set
Intergalactic Investigations
Infinite Justice
A Rage of Angels
Lady Rample Mysteries
Lady Rample Steps Out
Lady Rample Spies A Clue
Lady Rample and the Silver Screen
Lady Rample and the Ghost of Christmas Past
Lady Rample and Cupid's Kiss
Lady Rample and the Mysterious Mr. Singh
Lady Rample and the Haunted Manor
Lady Rample Box Set One
Notting Hill Diaries
To Kiss A Prince
Kissing Frogs
Kiss Me, Chloe
Kiss Me, Stupid
Kissing Mr. Darcy
Sunwalker Saga
Kissed by Blood
Kissed by Moonlight
Kissed by Ice
Kissed by Eternity
Kissed by Destiny
Sunwalker Saga: Soulshifter Trilogy
Haunted
Soulshifter
Fearless
Sunwalker Saga: Witchblood
Mistwalker
Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries
The Corpse in the Cabana
The Stiff in the Study
The Poison in the Pudding
The Body in the Bathtub
The Venom in the Valentine
The Remains in the Rectory
Write Novels Fast
Write Novels Fast: Writing Faster With Art Journaling
Write Novels Fast: Down and Dirty Draft
Standalone
Ride the Dragon: A Paranormal/Science Fiction Boxed Set
Angel's Fall
Watch for more at Shéa MacLeod’s site.