Emma (Dark Fire) Read Free Page B

pain echoed in the distance, yanking Tyler’s rambling thoughts to a stop.
    A second scream echoed through the trees. High-pitched and filled with fear, the sound hit him, smashing him square in the chest. The girl’s terrified scream pounded into his brain. He knew it was the girl with the touch of fire and honeysuckle in her scent.
    Fury roared through him. He would allow no one to harm the girl. She was his.
    The possessive thought blew his world, making him pause. He shook his head, unable to figure out why he was more concerned with a single girl than hunting down the vampires.
    He shoved the thought aside and pulled harder on his inborn talent. Dorcha energy surged through his body. His dual nature responded, happy to shed his civil outer shell.
    An avalanche of animalistic fury flooded his soul, pushing at the chains of civilized behavior. For a split-instant, he struggled between polite prince and the raging menace that was dragon; the dangerous part of his essence, a part that Tyler had chained since birth.
    The dragon half of his soul fought for dominance, a cold-hearted creature that could destroy the entire forest in a fit of wrath. He eased the tight grip he held on the chains surrounding his dragon half and focused, pushing his willpower into the surging energy that flowed through his body. Retaining his human shape, his golden skin tingled, morphing into tiny black scales that rippled across his entire length. In the blink of an eye, he shifted into wér-dragon.
    Black scaled, his wér shape grew taller, adding pure muscle and mass. Fingernails lengthened and turned black, growing into deadly talons. Silky hair touched his shoulders. Pitch-black horns sprouted through cropped hair, curling above his head. His clothes, weaved with strands of energy laced faerie fiber, shrank into a thin, twisted bracelet wrapped snuggly around his wrist.
    He threw back his head and roared. Guttural and deep, the sound thundered through the trees, warning every living being within hearing to hide from him, warning them to escape if they could, to run if they thought they had any chance of escaping him.
    Rushing forward, the forest flashed past him. Another scent hit him. Fury enveloped him as the breeze brought him the smell of a specific vampire, a filthy leech familiar with hurting others. Distaste and unease colored his thoughts.
    His roar intensified, growing guttural, reflecting a fury born of pain and memories. “Lester,” he snarled through clenched teeth, eyes searching the undergrowth. The one filthy parasite he detested above all others. Lester’s involvement hadn’t been proven, but Tyler knew the boy was responsible for an attack years before, an underhanded attack that killed several, including Marcus, Tyler’s older brother.
    He roared a challenge into the silent forest.
    A flash of movement to his right was all the warning he got. A girl, with long, black hair darted behind several bushes. He paused, and nearly called out a warning. For an instant, he thought the girl was his sister, Lily.
    A breeze swirled around him. The sickly sweet aroma of rotting flesh hit him. The foul, evil scent of corruption and death burned his nose. The sickening smell was a putrid odor he never forgot, a disgusting smell that surrounded zombies, creatures created by Wormwood’s native witches and wizards.
    Birds stopped singing.
    Swinging his head to the left, he inhaled rot.
    He didn’t wait long. A zombie charged him, bursting through the thick growth of trees. The creature, a male dressed in homespun trousers and a twisted multi-colored sash, swung at him. Black hair, clumped with dirt and twigs, swung around wide shoulders.
    In a quick move, Tyler crouched, avoiding the crushing blow.
    Unable to keep its balance, the dead man stumbled. Hitting the ground, the re-animated elf curled its lips in a snarl. The zombie jerked to its knees. Throwing its arms wide the dead creature tried to clip Tyler with a backhanded