Page 22 of A First for the Playboy Dragon (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #7)

CHAPTER 21

***HARRISON***

H arrison was assembling the final piece of the boobytrap he’d been working on when the feeling that something wasn’t right slowly began to settle over him. Looking up from his work, he scanned the beach around him but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He went back to his task, with a little smile on his face as he imagined what would happen when the bomb was activated. After tightening down the last screw, he took a second to study his handiwork, pleased with the result, then reached for the parts for the next one.

He froze with his hands hovering over the table, the feeling of doom back again, but this time, Juliet popped into his head as a blast of warmth so powerful it made him begin to sweat rushed through him. The dragon inside him was instantly awake, releasing a burst of magic. His protective instincts roared to life, and he turned from the table, looking for his radio, sure that something was wrong with Juliet.

It crackled to life before he could get to it and Tom’s voice came over the speaker. “Mayday, mayday,” he said. “The subject is missing.”

Grabbing the radio, hands shaking, he tried to control the fear and panic shooting through him. “Where is she?” he barked. “What the hell happened?”

“Someone attacked me from behind,” Tom said. “He grabbed Juliet, but I came too soon enough to follow them. They’re headed for the shore, and I can see a boat waiting for them. I need backup right away.”

“I want everyone to report to Tom’s position,” he growled. “Tom, don’t let that boat out of your sight; I want thirty-second updates until I get there.”

Tom rattled off his location, but Harrison was already in motion, Max and Keith right behind him. “We’ll get to her in time,” Max said. “I know that cove; there’s a shortcut we can take.”

Without a word, he let Max take the lead, and they shot through the jungle, each letting their magic flow until the power could be felt growing all around them. Thanks to their extra speed and strength, they reached the shore just as Tom did, but the boat was already speeding away from the island. He could see Juliet seated with a group of women, and rage exploded inside him when he realized what was happening; the urge to kill almost overwhelmed him as he watched the boat head for open water.

He turned back to his friends, frantic to save Juliet. “We can’t let them get away, I’ll never see her again,” he said. “We have to do something.”

Max and Keith looked at each other, then back at him. “I’ll swim out in front of the boat. It should slow them down when I come up out of the water,” Keith said. “The rest is going to be up to the two of you.”

“We’ll get them all,” Max said, a fierce look on his face. “It’s time to show them who they’re dealing with.”

“Agreed,” he said, letting his magic closer to the surface, preparing himself for a full shift. “I’m going to kill Juliet’s brother. That’s a message they won’t be able to ignore.”

“Harrison…” Max started, but his words died away when he saw the look on Harrison’s face. “Do what you have to.”

Keith was already wading into the waves, the air around him shimmering, then he dove under, and Harrison felt the surge of magic when his dragon emerged. There was only a ripple on the water's surface as Keith shot toward the boat, his tail emerging occasionally, but only someone who knew to look would have noticed. Knowing their timing was critical, he and Max stood on the shore, keeping their magic under the surface, waiting for the perfect moment.

He counted down the seconds, desperate to get to Juliet, the dragon inside him fighting to get out and save the woman he loved, but held back using every ounce of his control. When they finally saw Keith’s head poke up above the water next to the boat, he let his dragon loose, and the transformation was over in less than a second; then, without hesitating, he spread his wings and took to the air. Max was right beside him, his tawny colored feathers glistening in the sun, a puff of smoke coming out of his nostrils, and together they soared toward the boat.

Completely unaware of what was coming their way, the two men in the boat were already celebrating their newfound wealth, but Juliet was paying attention. Her eyes widened when she saw them, but she quickly turned around, bracing herself on the seat, and love swelled inside Harrison for the smart and brave woman who’d turned his life upside down. The warmth of their connection filled him, causing a burst of power that made him feel stronger than he’d ever felt before, and the urge to save Juliet pulsed through his blood even stronger.

Keith came up out of the water only a few seconds later, his wings extended, water streaming from his sleek body, then hovered just in front of the boat, a howl of anger coming from deep in his chest. The man at the boat's helm screamed in terror and tried to steer the boat around the dragon, but only succeeded in knocking everyone to the floor, including Juliet’s brother and himself. The boat began to swing wildly through the waves with no one at the helm, but the driver managed to get back to his feet and get it under control.

He pulled a gun out of his pocket and began firing at Keith, who just rose a few feet in the air until the chamber had emptied itself and the gun clattered to the floor of the boat. Now screaming in terror, the man abandoned the helm, jumped over the boat's side, and was instantly lost in the waves as he was pulled out to sea.

***Juliet***

The screaming around her made it difficult for Juliet to think, but she started pushing bodies off her, trying to get to her feet. It was almost impossible with the boat careening through the water, but she finally managed to get a grip on the side of the boat and hauled herself up. All she could do for a second was stare; the air was full of dragons, two she didn’t recognize, but the third was Harrison, and a wave of love erupted inside her, filling her body with heat.

Sucking in a deep breath, she turned away from the dragons following the boat just in time to see the man behind the helm jump into the water with a terrified scream. The dragon in front of the boat continued to follow them, but she wasn’t focused on it. She was watching her brother slowly extract himself from the pile of bodies, the gun still in his hand. He turned to look over at her; the hatred in his eyes hit her like a punch to the stomach, stealing her breath for a second, but she pushed away the image of the little boy he’d been to face the truth about the man he’d become.

Joe lifted the gun and pointed it at her, but that was the moment he saw the dragons around the boat. He faltered, and a look of terror appeared on his face. Without even thinking, Juliet rushed her brother, knocking the gun out of his hands. It landed with a quiet splash in the water. A crazy look in his eyes, Joe roared at her, then slapped her across the face, sending her reeling back into the woman now cowering on the floor.

She was only vaguely aware of the roar of anger that came from Harrison as she sat, head spinning, trying to recover from the blow Joe had just given her. But only a second later, her head cleared, and she saw Harrison diving for the boat, his giant talons extended, and she understood what he was going to do. Joe caught on at the last second and tried to get away, but there was nowhere to go, and Harrison snatched him up and then lifted him into the air as if he weighed nothing.

The women in the boat stopped screaming and whimpering when they saw what was happening. There was total silence as Harrison flew away from the boat and dropped her brother into the sea. She watched her brother flailing in the waves for a few seconds, then turned her back on him, no longer caring what happened to him, and rushed over to the helm.

She grabbed the wheel, making the boat lurch, then looked down at the controls, trying not to panic when she realized she had no idea what to do. Closing her eyes for a second, she took a deep breath, then looked around again, relieved when she saw the levers marked forward and reverse. Grabbing a hold of them she slowly began to ease them back, relieved when the boat began to slow down and she could control it better.

After bringing the boat to a complete halt, she plopped down into the captain’s chair and put her shaking hands into her lap, her breath coming in short gasps. She felt the whoosh of air as Harrison flew over to her. She looked up to find him hovering over the boat and then managed to give him a shaky smile. The sound of a vessel approaching made them both look toward the island, then Harrison looked over at her once more, the look in his eyes filling her entire body with warmth. She blew him a kiss then watched as the three dragons flew back toward the shore and disappeared into the trees.

The first boat was followed by three more, and they were soon surrounded. “Is everyone okay?” Montgomery yelled. “Do you need medical assistance?”

“I think we’re all just a little shaken up,” she called back after looking over her shoulder at the women. “But I’m not sure.”

“You just hang in there. We’re going to get you off there right away,” Montgomery said, then turned and started shouting orders at the other boats.

One by one, the women were taken off the boat and transferred to one of the boats from the resort. Then Montgomery helped her into his boat. “Harrison already radioed from the shore; he’s waiting for you at the marina,” he said, helping her into a seat. Just hold on; I’ll have you there in a few minutes.”

They drove away, leaving the empty boat floating in the waves, and she wondered for a second where her brother was. Then, she pushed him out of her mind, something she was sure she’d be doing for a while. She saw now that there had been no saving him; nothing she could have done would have changed the man he’d become, and she realized that she was grieving someone who’d ceased to exist a long time ago.

Harrison leapt off the dock and into the boat before it even came to a stop. He pulled her into his arms, shaking with relief, then kissed her like they’d been separated for years, not just a few hours. She was barely aware of Max shouting orders on the dock or the women as they were given blankets and ushered toward the village. Her only focus was the man holding her in his arms, showing her how much he cared.

When he finally pulled back and looked down at her, she could see the love shining in his eyes and knew that everything would be okay. “I just kept thinking about you,” she said, smiling up at him. “I knew that you’d come after me.”

“That was too close, Juliet,” he said, pressing his forehead against hers. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. The island messing with us was one thing, it wouldn’t have let you get hurt. But your brother…when I saw you in that boat with the other women…I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.”

“But you didn’t,” she said. “You let Mother Nature take care of him. Now you don’t have his blood on your hands.”

“It took everything in me not to do it, but I didn’t want that between us,” he said. “I just want you to know that I would have done it if I’d had to. I’ll always protect you, Juliet, no matter what.”

“My knight in shining armor, no wait, my hero in feathers, no wait…” she looked up at him, searching for the right words. “My brave dragon, you, sir have earned a reward for bravery. Anything you wish is my command.”

Harrison burst out laughing. “You know you were pretty brave yourself, princess,” he said, stroking her cheek and making her wince. “I nearly burst with pride when I saw you knock your brother’s gun out of his hands. Does your cheek hurt? He hit you pretty hard.”

“It’s tender and I’m sure I’ll have a nasty bruise,” she said. “But I’m alive, that’s all that matters.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Harrison said. “I think we should get you back to the cabin now. You’re probably exhausted; I know I am.”