Page 13 of Dragon Me Through Space

I spun and ran forward, away from the Dragonkin. Two creatures each emerged from the mouths of the three alleyways, their twelve red eyes focused on me. They were simple dogs at one point, but Charles had broken, molded, and modified them into efficient killing machines. They still resembled dogs, but they were intelligent and deadly.

“Hello, Sisters,” I greeted with a smile. “Are you here to dance?”

They snarled, showing me metal, serrated teeth, clacking them together in irritation.

I slung the device around my back, raised my balled-up hands to my face, and said, “Let’s dance, girls.”

One minion from each alley ran at me, claws extended.

I rolled my eyes. They were so predictable. Even after being gone for this long, they hadn’t changed up their attack patterns.

All three leapt at me and I dropped onto my back. Instead of slamming into each other, they turned and pushed off each other’s feet, springing away.

Rolling to my knees, my smile grew. “Oh, you did learn a few new things while I was away. Wonderful. I’m glad this won’t be as boring as I’d anticipated.”

Two leapt at me, jaws opened wide. I ducked my shoulder and punched one in the throat while kicking the other in the stomach.

As much as I hated Charles for experimenting on me, the upgrades he’d done to my body did prove useful quite often.

I got to my feet and laughed.

The three in the alleyways yipped in anticipation.

“Oh, you three will get your turns,” I told them and pointed at each one in turn. “Just be patient.” So far, my plan to make them think of this as a training exercise like old times instead of revenge for killing Charles was working. If they got serious or angry, the fight would take a terrible turn.

“What is going on?” Gage asked. “I feel like we should help and yet I feel like we might get yelled at if we interfere with her fight.”

“Did she call those weird dogs her sisters?” Zeke asked.

The two came at me again. I swung my purchase around, a device that just looked like a cylinder metal pipe, and pressed the red button. It sent out a pulse that instantly deactivated the two minions’ chips, causing them to fall into lifeless piles on the ground.

The device made a weird sound and the lights on it went out. Great, it had to recharge. I rewrapped it and put it back in my bag. At least I knew it worked.

The third minion ran straight for me, murder in her eyes.

This one I recognized due to the jagged scar on her left ear. A scar I had created the day I fled.

With a quick sidestep, I avoided the snap of her jaws. I stomped my right heel and the blade hidden within the boot popped out. She turned towards me and I kicked her in the side of the head; the blade slid right into her temple and killed her instantly.

The ones still alive howled their fury at me for killing their leader and charged.

I dropped to my back, preparing to attack them once they were above me, but before I could do anything, a stream of fire sprayed over me, burning them all.

I rolled out of the way, so I wouldn’t catch fire, too, and Gage grabbed me from the ground and tossed me over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

“We’re saving your life,” Zeke grumbled, his body shifting back to human before my eyes.

“I was doing just fine,” I argued.

“You failed to notice the other attention you were gathering,” Gage said and pointed up to the right.

I looked in the direction of his finger and my mouth went dry. Four black cloaked figures stood on a rooftop, rifles in their hands.

The Hunters. A group of unknown members of an organization that were worse than mercenaries and more deadly than any bounty hunter I’d ever met. I had never been on their bad side and since they weren’t attacking, they must have simply been observing, which was good for us.

“Scout,” I grumbled, “why didn’t you warn me?”