Of course I knew the story of the dragon riders! Everybody did!
“You know that they killed humans, feeling that dragon riders and those with powers were supreme to those without?” He asked in surprise.
I shrugged. “That’s not exactly the story that I heard.”
I’ve, of course, heard that version. But, I knew it wasn’t true.
Just like I knew that the sky was blue and flowers were pretty.
“And what, might I ask, have you heard?” He continued.
I could say that he asked it snottily, but he didn’t.
He managed to convey snottiness, but also have an air of aloofness to it.
“That they protect their own kind from those that would like for them all to be gone from the Earth,” I said simply.
I’d heard more, but there was really no reason for me to get into it with him.
I didn’t want to talk to him in the first place.
And I knew he wanted to tell me his version.
If I told him all that I knew about the dragon riders, then he’d know that I was a lost cause and refuse to tell me anything more.
He didn’t disappoint me, though.
He went right on into his spiel.
“They’re killers. Baby murderers. Rapists. And they’re out to take over the world,” Joseph explained quickly, sounding like he’d repeated the same speech dozens and dozens of times before. “Years and years ago, before I was even born to this Earth, a war started between humans and dragon riders. Dragon riders wanted to be supreme, while we lowly people were to just jump at their every beck and call. Well, a group of people called the Purists were formed and have continued to fight the war with the dragon riders. Our main mission is to rid the world of the scum and make sure that no more humans, who can’t defend themselves, are lost to this war.”
My brows, I guessed, were likely in my hairline by now.
The more he spoke, the higher they went.
“You’re joking,” I said stiffly.
Joseph’s brows rose at the disbelief in my tone.
“You don’t believe me?” He asked incredulously.
I shook my head, trying my hardest not to laugh.
“No, I don’t believe you. I think you’re full of shit,” I laughed, turning on my heel and walking quickly away.
Except I didn’t get far.
Mere feet, to be honest.
I was just heading to the tree line when the sound of a gun cocking made me freeze.
“Don’t move,” he hissed.
Brooklyn, who’d frozen solid the moment I’d told Joseph I didn’t believe him, came unglued and started to freak out.
“Uncle Joseph, you said you just wanted to talk to her. Why do you have a gun?” She shrieked.
Keifer came out of the trees, as calm as could be.
But I knew he wasn’t calm.
I could tell by the way his tattoos pulsed.
The way they were bright red with his anger.
His body, though, looked like he could care less about what was going on.
“Joseph, Joseph, Joseph,” Keifer admonished. “I thought we’d talked about you trying to take my toys.”
Toys?
Toys?
Did he just call me a freakin’ toy?
Why that little shit!
I am most certainly not your toy! I yelled at him, despite the fact that I had a gun trained on my head.
Hush, Drakina. Get ready to move.
The gentle admonishment that washed over me cleared away every single ounce of nervousness from my body.
Now, instead of freaking out, I took in the area around us.
There were men in the trees.
Lots of them, in fact.
Joseph wasn’t taking any chances with this.
He was ready for anything.
I could tell some of the men had what looked like arrows in huge pipe things.
I assumed those were for the dragons seeing as they’d be overkill for a human.
“I knew you’d be here,” Joseph smiled nastily. “I just knew she’d make you come out.”
Keifer opened his arms wide, making the muscles underneath the shirt he was wearing ripple.
“Here I am. What’d you want?” He asked calmly.
“You took out eight of my best men,” Joseph snarled. “How would you feel if I did the same?”
Keifer’s smile slowly died on his face.
“You did do the same. Does Alaska, Anchorage specifically, ring any bells?” Keifer hissed with a deadly tone that could’ve stripped bark from the trees around us.
A cold chill started around me, and I knew it was coming from Keifer.
Although he had to be doing it without trying to.
He would never let his emotions get out of control like that if there was any way to prevent it.
Keifer’s control was legendary.
He’d proved that to me over and over in the past two months.
His brother was good, I’d give him credit.
As were the other members of The Dragon’s Warriors MC.
But they weren’t Keifer.
And if he was inadvertently using his abilities, that only showed how truly angry he was.
Get ready.
Declan’s voice bled through my worry, and I held my hand out at my sides, ready to jump or run if I needed to.