Embrace the Light (Godstone Saga 5)

“True. What do we do now?”

Drayce lifted his arm and glanced at his watch. Only ten minutes had passed since Sheena ran out of the pub. They could stand to wait another twenty to see if she returned with a new story. “Let’s chill for a bit. Maybe she comes back, and maybe someone else will get a nibble today. Davi and Eno have been quiet so far.”

Adrian snorted. “Would you run up to two guys that looked like Eno and Davi?”

“Sure, if I was a little kid or a tiny girl with big eyes.”

“Play up the helpless angle, huh?”

“Hell, yeah. Would you say no to a kid asking for help?” Even as Drayce said it, he was grateful that it was Sheena who’d come to them and not a child. That would have been a nightmare.

Their server returned to their table, asking if they wanted anything else. They both shook their heads and Drayce asked for the bill. They could slowly pay and linger for a few minutes longer. The woman was just turning away from their table when two dark SUVs roared down the street and squealed to a sharp stop outside the pub.

“Fuck!” Adrian shouted, shoving to his feet.

Drayce was a step behind him, but they were already too late to escape as half a dozen men poured out of the vehicles and raced toward them. This was not an option Rayne had listed as a likely outcome for their actions.

As the men ran into the pub, they immediately opened fire, not caring about the innocent people also in there. Screams filled the air and bullets ripped through windows, walls, and tables before embedding in bodies and the thick wood of the bar.

Drayce dove behind a half wall that blocked off a prep station for the servers, while he barely caught sight of Adrian launching himself over the bar. Their server along with two others cowered among the silverware and glasses as bits of drywall and other debris rained on them.

The gunfire suddenly stopped, but Drayce’s ears continued to ring for another few seconds. He could make out the sound of broken glass crunching underfoot.

“Come out and no one else has to die,” one of their attackers barked.

“What do you think, Ollie?” Drayce called out as he slid one of the guns from the holster at the small of his back. He wasn’t carrying as many weapons as he normally did because it was too damn hard to keep everything concealed while the weather was so damn warm.

“I think I’m going to kick your damn ass, Duncan, for dragging me into this,” Adrian shouted.

Drayce fought a snicker and winked at the quietly crying servers. There was no way he was going to let them get hurt by these assholes. He did feel a little guilty about the excitement coursing through his body at that moment, though. It had been too damn long since they’d seen any action.

“Sorry, guys. Ollie says no.” Drayce swung out from his hiding place and squeezed off two rounds, placing the bullets in the chests of two different attackers before slipping into his hiding place again. “Two down!”

He wasn’t sure if Adrian heard him, because his voice was drowned out by more gunfire from their attackers. There was the muffled sound of movement as the attackers searched for cover or another way to get to him.

Drayce quickly glanced about, taking in his surroundings. This was not the best hiding place—temporary cover at best. He was in an aisle that led to the main floor of the pub and ended in a door that looked probably led to the kitchen.

“Is this the kitchen?” Drayce demanded. The server who’d come to his table gave a quick, tear-streaked nod. “Is there another way to get to the kitchen besides this door?”

She nodded again. “Through the back door.”

Shit. With him and Adrian pinned down, it wouldn’t be hard for them to send someone to the rear of the building and through the kitchen. He was a sitting duck, and Adrian wasn’t in a better position trapped behind the bar.

Drayce growled to himself in frustration as he wracked his brain for a solution. Seconds were ticking away, and he needed to act now. If they were going to get out of this alive, they needed to move now.

Fuck. He wished he could shift into his dragon form or at least use some of his dragon strength, but that was a big no-no. Besides, a bullet might not do much damage to a dragon, but it would kill him just fine in his human form. He needed to be careful.

A crackle of glass was his only warning. The muzzle of a gun poked around the corner. Drayce shoved a hand up, grabbing it and pushing it toward the ceiling as the shooter squeezed off the last several rounds. The bullets buried into the plaster and sent chunks of it falling on them. Drayce tried to bring his own gun up to fire, but the bastard knocked it away.

More gunfire filled the air along with shouts, but Drayce couldn’t pay any attention to them as he grappled with the larger man. The man in black outweighed him by at least a hundred pounds and had a good six inches on him. Muscles screamed and burned, everything trembling from head to toe to keep from being overpowered.

He was too weak as a human to beat this man, but if he tapped into his dragon strength, he might not be able to stop the shift once it started. Another sighting of a black dragon outside of the Isle of Stone would be so fucking bad. His new clan leader would not be able to save his ass from a second infraction.

Before he could figure out how to break free, the man jerked and Drayce was splattered with hot blood along one arm. He looked up as the man slumped to the floor, finding he’d picked up some new bullet holes.

“Thanks, Ollie!” Drayce shouted.

“Fuck you, Duncan!” Adrian snarled.