Abducting Abby: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 1

Chapter 20

                   

Abby screamed again as she fought against the bonds holding her. Her skin tingled and itched as she struggled to break the straps around her wrists and ankles. She would not let him touch her! She would rather die than let another male take her. Abby felt a sudden wave of dizzying heat rush through her.

She barely noticed Ben'qumain's sudden stillness as his eyes widened in surprise in the process of unzipping his trousers. Her breath came out in pants, and she noticed the dark room started to look clearer. She could make out the high, rough-cut ceiling of a cave and the beginning formations of stalactites.

Suddenly the straps holding her ankles snapped, and she was able to twist over onto her stomach. As she pulled on the straps holding her wrists, she watched as pale blue, gold, and white scales appeared on her arms. Her hands began to curl, and she watched with a mixture of horror and awe as claws began forming where her fingers had been. Abby closed her eyes and welcomed the next wave of fire that raced through her, inviting the wave as she felt her body shift and change.

Smooth scales formed over her body. Abby arched her back as she felt the tingling spread. She could feel a tearing sensation as her wings formed, pushing out in long, leathery perfection with small claws forming at the joints. Abby swung her head toward Ben'qumain and let out a low growl as the straps holding her wrists snapped like a rubber band stretched too far.

Ben'qumain let out a yell as he stumbled backward, falling over a rock and landing on his back. He scrambled backward, unprepared to face an enraged Valdier dragon. "What? This is impossible!" he breathed out. "You are not a true Valdier!"

Abby's face had changed as well. Her brow had broadened to accept the changes to her eyes, which were protected by long, black lashes. Her nose lengthened and her mouth contained rows of small sharp teeth. Her throat burned. She narrowed her gaze on Ben'qumain's prone figure, images of Zoran laying defenseless on the ground floated through her mind, and with a loud roar she opened her mouth and let out a stream of dragon fire before swinging around and moving swiftly toward the opening of the cave.

Ben'qumain let out a scream as he rolled trying to get away from the dragon fire. A long strip of his skin along his back smoked and blistered as the fire passed over him before he could get completely covered.

He screamed as his skin burned. "Kill her! Kill her!"

Abby moved awkwardly toward the entrance, letting out another stream of dragon's fire to push back the wave of men racing to the entrance. As they fell back, Abby could feel the muscles in her back legs tighten as if she were going to jump. With a downward push of her wings, Abby pushed off the entrance, lifting as she went.

She felt a sting in her left leg and another near her shoulder as the men on the ground opened fire. Letting go, she let the dragon inside her take over, hoping it would know what to do. Abby retreated deep inside wanting to escape into a place she could understand and where she felt safe. Without Zoran, she no longer cared what happened.

*.*.*

Creon motioned to Mandra, Ha'ven, and Zoran to move forward with their men. They received the location of Ben'qumain from Creon's informant. The last transmission had been two hours before. They spent the last two hours fighting the thick undergrowth of the forest leading to the beginnings of the Hidden Mountains west of the Valdier City.

The transports were able to drop them off along the river almost ten miles south of the site. Because of the thick growth, they were not been able to shift to their dragon forms and because of the view from the caves, they could not fly in directly without being seen. In addition, they couldn't risk using the energy transfer from the warship for fear Ben'qumain would read the energy signals.