Iron (Rent-a-Dragon #2)
Terry Bolryder
Author’s Note
Hi,
This series is a follow-up to my Awakened Dragons series. You don’t have to read that series first, but there are characters appearing in those books that will appear here and play major roles.
I have a boxed set of those stories on sale for those who want to catch up here: Awakened Dragons Boxed Set
Also, this is the second book in the series, so please make sure you’ve read the first book, Steel Dragon, for the best experience.
I hope you enjoy these new dragons and thanks for always giving me a chance.
Sincerely,
Terry
1
Magnus stared out the window at the abandoned road around him as he sped down the highway late at night.
These rides were becoming a habit, a way to fend off the nightmares that had been recurring ever since he and his crew had been found at the bottom of the ocean and awakened.
If they hadn’t been found, they’d be dead.
He could still remember the storm, the icy water lashing his cheek as he held on to the ropes, pulling the sail, wondering how on earth any storm could sink a ship he’d built to be unsinkable, seeing the knowing terror in his shipmate’s eyes, and knowing if they all died, it would be his fault.
Building things, making them work, had always been his talent. If he couldn’t even keep his crew’s ship from sinking, what was he good for?
It hadn’t taken him long to figure out cars were the new ships of this world, and he’d been interested (some would say obsessed) from the first time he’d seen one.
Even odder was no one built their cars from scratch, unlike boats back in the day. People could just buy these magnificent machines and drive them wherever they wanted.
So he’d enjoyed playing with vehicles and escaping in them late at night, but there was always a doubt in the back of his mind, a feeling he might not be enough or he wouldn’t spot a fatal flaw.
He knew his crew mates wouldn’t understand, though, so he kept it close to the chest.
Magnus, we’re going down. Should we swim for it?
We’re too far from shore. We won’t make it.
What do we do?
He closed his eyes momentarily against the sight of a huge wave rising behind Titus and Liam, one that would certainly bury them, knowing he was the only one who would see it happen.
But the sight was still there in his mind.
His jerked his eyes wide open, just in time to see lights flashing on the side of the road up ahead. Someone was pulled over.
Magnus had a funny feeling he should stop, and he liked to follow his instincts, so he slowly pulled off onto the shoulder of the highway and parked a little ways behind the car.
There was a figure outside of it, crouching down with a flashlight and looking at the rear right wheel.
Magnus got out of the car and jogged toward them.
The figure stood, startled, and adopted a defensive stance as Magnus’s eyes adjusted to the darkness.
It was a woman.
Her short, curvy form was visible even in work overalls, and her blond hair was in a ponytail that stuck out from under a worn baseball cap.
She glared at him as she shut off the flashlight. “Who are you and why did you stop?”
“Maybe I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress,” he quipped.
Her nose wrinkled. Wrong answer. “I’m fine,” she said sharply.
He walked forward and crouched by the tire, looking it over. “Just a flat?”
She nodded. “I can handle it.”
He stood and looked around them. No one seemed to be driving out here this late at night. “You sure?”
She sighed in frustration. “I promise.”
“Okay,” he said. “Go ahead.”
“What?”
“Fix it,” he said. “I’ll wait here to make sure.”
“That’s really not necessary,” she said, walking around him to her trunk, which she popped. She rummaged inside and then swore.
“What is it?”
“I don’t have my jack,” she said.
“That could be a problem,” he said. “You have a block?”
She nodded. “You know cars?”
“I know how to change a tire,” he said. And what was needed to put a car up so he could play around underneath it. He cocked his head, wondering how to get around the fact that he could easily take the place of a jack with his dragon strength, but she was unlikely not to notice it.
“I do, too,” she said. “That isn’t the problem.”
“Sure,” he said. “That’s why you left home without a jack.”
She snorted. “Whatever. I don’t need you to scold me. I’ll call someone. It’s fine. You can leave.”
“Nonsense,” he said. “I could never leave a lady in distress.”
“You talk weird, you know that?” she asked, her mouth pressed into a frown. “Anyway, what do you suggest we do, then?”
He crouched. It didn’t really matter what he showed this woman. He wasn’t going to see her again anyway. Might as well help her and get on his way since she didn’t seem to want him around.
He grabbed the bottom of the car with both hands and lifted it easily, then let out a grunt as he remembered he was supposed to make this look difficult. “Here you go. Get the block under.”
She looked shocked, but didn’t question him, doing as he asked. She placed the block, and when he was sure it was in the right place, he set the car down. Then he stepped back, making sure it looked safe.
“Thanks,” she said. “How did you—”
But before she could say more, he was digging in her trunk, looking through tools and pulling out what he needed.
“Wait,” she said. “I can do that—”
“Pshh,” Magnus said, sitting down to change the tire. This would be over in a moment, and for some reason, he wasn’t eager to run off.
He hadn’t really made a connection with any human women, and maybe he was just enjoying being useful, but he kind of liked being here with her.
And it was better than driving and fighting off memories or being at home, fighting off nightmares.
“I can’t thank you enough for stopping,” she said. “But I really can change my own tire.”
He ignored her and continued to work. It was nice to have something to do. Nice to be useful. And nice to smell her scent, like flowers in sunshine, faint mixed with the smell of engine grease and other things but still clearly there.
“Men,” she muttered, stalking off to stand on the other side of the car.
“What about men?” he asked, startled by the irritation in her tone.
“Just always taking over.”
He looked over, and despite the semi-darkness that his eyes had adjusted to, he couldn’t tell if she was blushing or not. But based on her hunched shoulders, he knew she was definitely embarrassed. “I thought you needed help.”
“I’ve told you I didn’t.”
“Eh.” He finished putting on the spare and set the other tire in her trunk, quickly closing it. She walked over to him, hands stuffed in her pockets, eyes avoiding his.