Rinelle Grey [Grey - Distracting the Dragon

2019 by Rinelle Grey

www.rinellegrey.com

All rights reserved.

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It was the best news story of her life - dragons hiding in the Australian outback. But she might have found something even better than a story.

When the leader of the enemy dragon clan offers small town newspaper reporter Rita a deal she cant pass uphell give her the location of one of the sleeping dragon princes if she keeps him away from his clanshe cant possibly say no. Trouble is, Prince Warrian is quite a handful.

Luckily, he isn't at all her type.

So why she can't stop thinking about him.

That wish, that craving flooding through her veins, that was going to get her into trouble.

Because the best story in the world isn't worth having one of those dragons angry at her.

Distracting the Dragon is Part 1 in the new Dragon Forged Serial.

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The road was pitch black past the reach of Ritas headlights, the darkness broken only by the blue and red flashing lights of the police cars ahead of her. She kept her distance, although it was a public road and no one could stop her following.

Her hands shook on the steering wheel. She couldnt tell if the reaction was caused by fear or excitement. Or some weird, twisted, exhilarating combination of both. She followed the police cars towards Mungaloo, struggling to wrap her head around the fact a dragon rode in one of those cars.

A dragon in his less scary human form, true, but still an honest to goodness dragon.

And not just any kind of dragonthis one was the leader of the enemy dragon clan.

She wasnt sure why she was calling him an enemy. He wasnt her enemy. She had no real ties with the other dragon clan, the Rian clan. Verrian and Lisa might have given her some information, but it had been because they wanted to use her connections, not because they wanted to help her in any way.

She couldnt afford to take sides. A journalist needed to search out the truth, not start with a preconceived notion. And it was time she learned more about the Trima clan.

Even if the Trima clan leader, the dragon sitting in that police car, did send a shiver up her spine.

She wasnt going to let a little trepidation impede a good story though. Shed been up close and personal with dragons in the middle of a fight, and she felt like a veteran at this point. One little dragon in human form wasnt going to stop her.

She reached for her phone and pressed the voice memo function.

Ultrima actually agreed to go with the police without any coercion that I could see, she said out loud in the darkness of the car. Theres no way he considers the police a real threat. Even though there were at least twenty officers, thats no problem for a dragon to take on single handed.

She stared at the flashing lights ahead, trying to make sense of it all, while beside her the phone dinged, indicating it had stopped recording when shed fallen silent. What on earth had motivated the dragon to let himself be taken in for questioning? She could think of no reason at all for him to agree to leave his mountain lair and the rest of his clan. Except

Then again, the police do have guns. Rita said musingly, trusting the phone to pick up her words. She barely heard the ding as she felt silent, staring ahead, lost in thought. Were dragons afraid of guns? Could a bullet hurt them? She had no idea how thick their scaly hide was.

Rita bit back a growl of frustration. There was so much she didnt know. All this was pure conjecture. But the one, single, undeniable factthat the police had arrested a real, live dragonwas still the best news story of her life. And that was on top of Verrian and Lisas information, which meant shed had some pretty good ones in the last week.

If only she could convince the police to let her have some details.

That wasnt likely. Rita knew that. But eventually theyd have to tell someone something. The fact that Ultrima had flown over the city and hundreds of people had taken pictures of it meant the news about dragons was already out there. The public would start demanding details soon. And if she was the one hanging around

That thought spurred her to toss the phone onto the passenger seat, press her foot down on the accelerator, and remain as close to the police cars as she dared. She was hot on their tail as they pulled into the tiny Mungaloo police station. She pulled up out front, knowing the car park only had enough spaces for the four police cars pulling in now. Besides, if she was too close, shed have no chance to take any photos.

She wound down the car window and pulled out her camera, glad all the police were far too busy milling around to pay any attention to her. She focused on one of the cars in the middle, the one she already knew contained the dragon, and held her finger on the shutter, waiting.

Three police officers surrounded the door as Ultrima stepped out, as though they could somehow stop him transforming into a dragon and attacking them all. Rita snapped several shots, even though she could see little more than Ultrimas blond head, and only that much because he was half a head taller than the officers swarming around him.

She winced at the clicking and whirring of the shutter, even though she knew the police were too distracted to bother with the noise.

As they moved and jostled towards the police station, the throng of officers parted for a second, and she had a clear shot. As she snapped the photo, Ultrimas head turned, and he stared straight down her lens.

A shiver ran through Rita, and she almost dropped the camera, even as her mind told her finger to click again, to take another picture, to capture that alien looking face staring straight at her with an unreadable expression.

The police didnt even notice, but the dragon had heard the whir of the shutter over all the other noises surrounding him.

For a moment, she was tempted to start the car and drive as far away as she could. Memories of this very dragon flying at her car and breathing lighting when shed been rescuing Verrian and Lisa came crashing in on her. The furious screech hed given as he flew echoed through her head.

She might not consider him an enemy, but it was quite likely he considered her one. The best story in the world wasnt worth having one of those dragons angry at her.

A car pulled in behind her, and Rita automatically glanced in her rear view mirror to see if it was another police car. When she recognised the black four wheel drive, it was all she could do not to grind her teeth.

Todd.

Why did he always follow her? Shouldnt his fancy university degree help him figure out the best way to find a story without trying to steal hers? She hadnt needed a degree to figure it out. Her street smarts had more than made up for her lack of a formal education. Shed done all the legwork. This story should be hers.