Dragon Breath

Chapter 4: Building Trust

"OW! Fuck!"

The outburst had me up in a second and on high alert. Reaching next to me for a crowbar, I slid off of Cherry Monster and crept to the door on silent feet.

"Kiesha! Let me in already before your stupid guns come and make me Swiss cheese!" A voice hissed.

"Alez?" I called and placed a hand on the doorknob.

"Gee! Who do ya think? Now can I come in?"

"Yeah yeah." I opened the door quickly. "Alez. Pause." I relayed to the defense unit. It took a second to register my voice, then turned off to let Alez in. "Come on." She did. As soon as my friend was inside and the door closed, the defense system kicked back on.

"What happened to the shop?!" Alez's face was drawn into a deep frown. Her wild, long blond hair with different strips of red looked crazed after she'd twirled around to look around the shop quickly.

Shrugging, I lied, "I'm not sure. All I know is that while I was out hunting something happened here. I think someone tried to break in."

"And the defense unit blasted two hole in your walls?" Alez raised one blond plucked brow.

"That's all I can think of." I shrugged.

"Tell me the truth, Kiesha." My best friend lisped towards me, and I swear her eyes glowed like an ember, a red setting deep within their core.

"That is the truth, Alez." I bit, glaring into those eyes.

"I don't believe you."

"Well, you should."

"Let's go hunting." The complete change of topic, from heated confrontation to hunting had me reeling for a second. The fire in her eyes died.

"I can't." I shook my head and dragged my feet back to Monster, "I'm tired as hell."

"Well a hunt can wake you up." She stuffed a helmet on my head roughly before walking off to the gallery room and getting the bike I made specifically for when she came over: Fire Fury.

I'm not sure what made me agree to this-Alez just had that sort of power over me, I guess.

We peeled out of the shop, red with red. It was always a race between us to see who could get to the kill and finish the job faster and with less marks. I leaned low over Cherry Monster, but Fire Fury was just a car's length ahead.

Alez found him first.

Alez dove for his full dragon form.

"Alez! No!" I barked and skidded to a halt.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Drake put a hand up. When Alez fell into it, he slammed her down and pinned her to the ground.

"I've had enough of this!" Drake roared and grabbed her roughly by the throat, "I'm sick of you damned hunters! What the fuck do you want from me?!"

Alez, dazed from the shifting of attacks, locked her wide eyes on him.

"Drake!" I barked, tossing aside my helmet and leaping off Cherry Monster.

"You know him?!" Alez rounded on me with heated fury. I ignored her.

"Drake, c'mon. Let Alez go."

I held my breath as he just stayed crouched, snarling down at her. Then, finally, he removed his hold on, melting into most of his human form save his eyes, hands, and teeth. "Make another move hunter, I dare you." Alez gulped but didn't move otherwise.

"I've never seen you so mad." I shook my head in wonder.

"Yeah, well I just found out that I'm no more than a Goddamned creation!" He snarled, head snapping to glare at me, "Nothing more than a weapon the phoenixes created!"