Dragon's Mercy
2.

"Toss me the keys and I'll hand over Maria." Ryker tries again.

"I knew you were going to betray me!"

"You're in no position to make a deal. I could just shoot you right now." The hunter threatens.

"If you shoot, we'll fall over the cliff. And I've got a feeling you need proof of our deaths to collect your fee."

The hunter glares at Ryker in contemplation. "Fuck the fee. I'd rather see you dead." They shoot a barrage of bullets at them.

Ryker grabs her around the waist and leaps off the cliff, sending them both down into the aggressive river below. Her breath catches as they hit the freezing water. "You asshole! You were going to sacrifice me!"

"I wasn't going to sacrifice you. I was trying to get the keys."

"Oh. And you actually thought that would work?"

"You're alive, aren't you?"

Kicking their legs, they swim as the hunters on the cliff above shoot arrows and bullets at them. But with their wrists chained together, it turns into Ryker swimming and dragging her along. "Haven't you ever heard of teamwork? I can't swim if you keep dragging me."

"I can't go slower since we're being shot at!" Her body tenses when she hears a loud sound. "Damn it! There's a waterfall coming up. We need to stay together. Hold onto me as tight as you can as we go down. As soon as hit the water, you need to kick and fight your way to the top, otherwise the current will drag us under for good." Ryker pulls her close, slamming her chest up against his and surrounds her with his hard body. Even though the water's freezing, she suddenly feels warm wrapped in Ryker's arms. She hugs herself tightly against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His large body cocoons her in strength. Feeling bolder, she lifts her legs and wraps them around Ryker's hips, linking her feet behind his lower back. "Hold me tighter. If the current is strong enough, it could break your arm if it pulls you in the opposite direction." Ryker moves one hand to her hip, holding her tightly against him. His other hand protectively covers the back of her head as he presses her cheek into his shoulder.

The hunter leader on the cliff above shouts down at them. "It doesn't matter where you run. I will replace you."

She squeezes Ryker with all of her might as they fall down the steep waterfall. He keeps his promise and doesn't let go as they hit the aggressive water beneath them. Then he pulls her up against the side of a large rock, blocking her from the hunters' view above. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alive, which is all that matters."

"If we stay hidden, the hunters will assume we're dead. But they'll send guards down to check." Ryker's eyes lower, narrowing on where her wet dress clings to her breasts. His jaw clenches as he looks back at her face. "Damn it, Maria. You're bleeding." He uses his wet sleeve to wipe the blood from a large cut above her eye. "Of course, you had to go and get yourself hurt."

"Don't be an ass. I don't have the patience right now." On Ryker's next inhale, his eyes widen as his hands tighten on her. Then he lets out a growl so low she almost misses it. "What?"

"Nothing." He starts to turn, but she grabs his wrist, forcing him to look back at her.

"It's not nothing. I'm not moving until you tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong. Your blood just smells.....unique."

"Unique, how? No one has ever said that before."

"Like I said, it's nothing. Now let's go." Ryker's eyes turn cold as he swims them both close to the edge of the rock and they sneak onto shore.

Once they get into the forest, she turns to go right, but Ryker pulls her to go left. "We need to stay at the edge of the forest and work our way around until we know where we are."

"No-" before she can say another word, Ryker loses his patience and picks her up, swinging her body over his shoulder. "Put me down, you brute!"

"It's too dangerous to stand around and argue with you."

She reaches down his back and claws her nails up and down. He lets out a moan and she can't tell if it's pain or pleasure. "Ryker, this is ridiculous! You can't just carry me where you want."

"Yes, I can."

Then she changes tactics and grabs his ear, pulling as hard as she can and he drops her immediately. "Fine, you can walk as long as you walk the way I want."

"No wonder you Demon Flight dragons have so many enemies. You are beyond obtuse."

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with other dragon flights killing innocent people."

"I didn't even know my family was going to kill your family."

"Liar. I know he depends on you for counsel."

"Yes, he asks my opinion, but that doesn't mean he takes my advice, or that he shares all of his plans with me. I would've never agreed to him killing your sister."

"That's easy to say now. And what about my father? I assume you were okay with his murder?"

Maria takes a deep breath and tamps down the angry tears that threaten to fall. "No. I don't condone killing at all. But your father started it by murdering my mother for no reason."

"Her being a Black Sun dragon was reason enough."

"If you think I knew about your father's murder, that means you knew your father planned to kill my mother that day."

Ryker's eyes turn stormy as he looks away from her. "The plan was for your mother to be kidnapped, not killed."

Suddenly, she doesn't care that she's in the middle of human territory, or that she's chained to the man she's about to kill. Grief and fury, as she's never known, rise in her. She pushes Ryker to the ground, jumping on top of him. He rolls her over and pins her hands high above his head. She pulls on the chain, wishing she could strangle him with it. "I have just as much to be angry for as you." His eyes burn with hatred, but there's something else in there too. His hard body, the way his chest rises and falls, he looks like he wants to make her hurt the way he hurts. "Should I kill you to get back at your father like he did with my sister?"

"You aren't strong enough to kill me."

"You don't even believe that lie." Ryker leans heavier on her, proving his power over her.

She softens her body as if she's going to give up, then moans and nuzzles his neck. "Ryker, I can tell you're lusting after me."

"Don't flatter yourself. You may have a pretty face, but it's who you are on the inside that I despise."

With a smile, she grinds her chest and hips against his. His eyes quickly widen before he narrows them. "So you have no desire to be inside me?"

"I know your game. You're too smart to think I'd actually be interested in a Black Sun dragon."

"Then get off me and let me go."

Ryker makes a small adjustment as his grip on her wrists loosens. It's all the room she needs to headbutt him and push him off. "I knew you were lying."

She rolls over and straddles Ryker, pressing her knee into his stomach. "It's not lying when I'm being held against my will. Is that how my mother died?"

"I didn't kill your mother. I didn't even see her die." Ryker could push her off of him if he wants, but he holds her gaze, making sure she gets his point. Without responding, she steps off him and he stands, then they both continue through the forest in silence.

~W~

The sun rises as Maria and Ryker walk for miles.

Ryker picks up two long sticks and hands one to her. She replaces a rock that has an edge and scrapes it across the stick, creating a sharp point at the end. "I'm shocked you aren't arguing about me having a weapon."

Ryker's about to respond, but he goes still. "I feel like we're being watched."

She crouches low and gets her makeshift spear ready. "I don't see anything, but I smell a hunter." She looks around, her gaze searching the thick forest.

"Maria, get down!" Ryker yanks her arm and pulls her to the side, just as a lone dragon hunter hiding behind a tree shoots his gun. The bullet that was meant for her hits Ryker in the shoulder. "Ah, fuck!"

He grabs his shoulder as she turns to the lone hunter, who now points the gun at her. "You're dead!"

Without another thought, she throws her spear and kills the hunter. "Ryker, are you okay?" She pushes his hands away from his shoulder and examines the wound. A shock rolls through her when she inhales the sweet scent of his blood. Ignoring, she looks back at him. "The bullet is still in there and it's deep. I can get it out, but I need tools."

"Forget about the bullet, I'll be fine. Right now, we need to keep moving."

"We aren't going to get far if you bleed out!"

"Are you a doctor?"

"No, but my mother was. She taught me a few things." She tears off a piece of fabric from the bottom of her dress.

"I don't need your help."

"Yes, you do. So you might as well shut up and cooperate." Ryker eyes her as she presses the cloth to his shoulder. "Hold this there and add pressure." Thirty minutes later, they come upon an abandoned cabin. As son as they enter the cabin, she grabs some hot water, towels and whiskey that she replaces in the kitchen. "I need something to dig the bullet out." Ryker leans on the counter, weak from the loss of blood. She opens a drawer and grabs a paring knife. He pushes away from the counter and stumbles toward the couch. She grabs his hand, helping him sit on the couch. "Take off your shirt." His dark gaze holds hers as he slowly removes his shirt. She can't help but eye his massive chest and defined stomach. "I'll be gentle."

"I don't mind a little pain."

She dips the cloth in the water and cleans the blood and dirt from Ryker's wound. Even though he looks relaxed, he's watching her closely, waiting to see if she'll do something to hurt him. "It doesn't look infected, which is a good sign."

"It'll be better after you get the bullet out."

"You need to remove the bullet yourself, then I'll wrap the wound for you."

"I'm fine with that. I'm not sure I trust you with that knife near me anyway."

"We should clean it with whiskey first." She steps closer to him. He widens his legs, pulling her between them to give her better access. The close proximity makes her heart involuntarily beat faster. She takes a deep breath and pours the whiskey over Ryker's wound. "Okay, you can start. Slowly press the knife into your shoulder. When you feel the bullet, press the knife under it and try to pop it out." She's impressed when he doesn't even flinch as he presses the knife into his open wound. Then he slowly pushes the bullet out.

"I've got it. That was simpler than I thought."

As gently as she can, she tears off a piece of the towel and wraps the wound. "That's a creative way of thanking me for helping you."

"So I get a thank you for taking that bullet for you?"

Her body tenses at the thought of thanking Ryker for anything. "Thank you, Ryker."

"See, that wasn't so painful."

"Oh, yes, it was."

"Come on. We should check the bedroom and see if there are clothes." He follows her into the bedroom. Heat sears from the top of her spine down the back of her legs as she feels his gaze from behind her. Ryker sifts through some clothes in a trunk in the corner. "Our best option is to dress like dragon hunters and blend in until we're off human land. I have no idea where we are, so I don't know how long that will be." He tosses her a few sexy outfits that look like what a hunter would wear, then he unbuttons his pants.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm changing. Nothing to be shy about." He winks. "In case you forgot, we're chained together. And we need to get out of here, so hurry up." She looks down at the clothes and contemplates her options, but she has none. And Ryker knows it. "If you're worried about your virtue, I'd never touch a Black Sun dragon."

"I'd never let you touch me, even if you wanted to."

Ryker smirks and eyes her like a predator tracking its prey. His stormy narrow on her lips before moving to the rise and fall of her chest. "If I decide I want you, I'll have you. So let's hope that day never comes."

"Oh, you already want me."

Ryker grabs the chain and pulls her hard against him. "No one in their right mind wants a Black Sun dragon. It's why you had an arranged marriage." He leans in, his lips inches from hers. "Just wait. You're going to beg me to take you."

"I'll die before I beg you for anything."

"That works for me too." Dismissing her, he takes down his pants, standing naked before her like a dragon God. Before she can look away, her eyes focus on his very large cock. "Hurry up, Maria. The longer we stay in one place, the more danger we're in."

Taking Ryker's challenge, she grasps the hem of her torn wedding dress and slowly inches it over her head. She doesn't miss his harsh exhale when her dress hits the floor. Then she faces him, inwardly smiling as his hot gaze peruses his body. "Are you going to stare at me all day, or get dressed?"

Ryker's smirk turns dangerous as he openly checks her out. "I'm going to do whatever I want. And if I feel like staring, I'll stare."

With her lips curved into a smirk, her eyes roam down his chiseled abs to his smooth, thick cock. Not wanting him to see her nerves, she slowly looks back at his face. He raises a brow at her. "I've seen better."

"No, you haven't. If you're trying to tease me, it's not going to work."

"All I'm doing is getting dressed. It's not my fault you're distracted."

Ryker pulls on a pair of pants and a shirt. "That's exactly what you are, one big, annoying distraction. Now get dressed before I dress you myself." She quickly gets dressed. Ryker's eyes are assessing her as they roam over her. "You look good. No one will think you're a dragon." He wraps the chain around his wrist and she does the same, hiding it in their sleeves, then he grabs her hand. "Right now, our sleeves hide our chains. Whatever you do, keep holding my hand." He searches the drawers and replaces two small knives. He hands one to her and she hides it in her boot. Then they run until they get to the edge of a small town. "Damn, that's the hunters' main town. The only way to dragon territory is sneaking through it undetected."

"Sneak through? No dragon has ever made it out of hunter land alive."

"Hey! Who are you?"

Dread fills her stomach as three hunters walk out from behind the trees. Ryker leans in and whispers to her. "Don't speak to them, or look directly at them. Hunters treat their woman like slaves, so you need to act subservient."

"I'll be subservient as long as you don't tell me what to do."

"Marie, if they don't think I own you, they're going to take one look at your face and challenge me for you."

The hunters stomp toward them. Ryker tightens his hold on her hand, careful to keep their chains hidden.

"I asked you a question. Who the hell are you?"

Maria lowers her eyes to the ground, deciding to let Ryker do the talking. "We're dragon hunters like you. We had some dragons trying to capture us awhile back."

"And who's wench is this?"

The man's obvious appraisal of her body raises her hackles. She glowers at him, ready to claw his eyes out when she's shoved down to her knees. "Excuse my wife. She's a spirited little thing." Ryker's fingers dig into her hair, hauling her head back to meet her gaze. "But you'll obey me now, won't you?"