Hammer

13

“Wow,” came from Charlie, and Hammer stopped. He turned to her with slight difficulty. Stabbing pains were shooting through his arm.

“These are so beautiful.” She had stopped and was bending down, inspecting bright shrubbery.

Hammer couldn’t help but stare at her. She had removed the large jacket, and her shirt had ridden up. Now, the smooth expanse of her lower back was revealed.

Strands of her chocolate brown hair had escaped a loose bun. Sweat trailed deliciously down her back. He turned stiffly away from her. Right then, dozens of images of Charlie flashed through his mind. Images of her beneath him and sweaty. Images of her perfect back arching.

He shook his head violently and cleared his throat. A rustling behind him told him she was following him.

They walked in silence for another few feet when more sharp pains stung Hammer’s arm.

He growled under his breath as he pulled off his shirt. His skin prickled as it was exposed to the heat of the day. The metallic, salty fragrance of fresh blood bubbled beneath the bandage.

A sharp intake of breath from Charlie told him that she had witnessed the same thing. His bandage was completely soaked, and blood dripped through it.

Above them came the cry of several vultures circling.

“f**k off!” Hammer shouted up at them. They took off, spooked.

“You need to get that seen!” The crack in Charlie’s voice betrayed her stress.

“By whom?” Hammer retorted. “I don’t see any doctors around, do you?”

“I told you I could help you ….”

“I’m a dragon shifter, not a human. You have no idea how to treat me. I’ll probably start healing soon.”

“There are literal vultures circling,” Charlie shot back, her voice hot with anger. “Don’t you think that’s some indication that they sense death?”

“It might not be my death, though.” He spoke more gently, a peace offering.

Then, ripping the sleeve off his shirt, he created a tourniquet.

“Tie this off,” he grunted at her, and she complied. Her expression was still stony, but her hands remained soft on his skin.

Could she feel the burn too? The same burn that he did?

“See? That should stop the bleeding.”

And with that, he turned from her and continued walking.

Dragon shifters … well, all shifters … had excellent immune systems. This was standard across their human and shifted forms.

Hammer had been hurt many times in his life, especially in prison. His flesh wounds never lingered any longer than twenty minutes.

Penetrative wounds healed within an hour. He had actually seen his muscle, fat, and skin knit themselves together while healing.

As a dragon shifter, Hammer had also trained himself to absorb heat and fire. This had allowed his human skin to become thicker. At this point, his dragon scales were almost impenetrable.

And Ajmal knew all that. The bastard had been his friend and ally for decades.

So when Ajmal learned he had rescued Charlie, he relied on something sneakier.

Hammer should have realized that Ajmal Basu would not have played fair. He knew that Hammer’s abilities and strength were nearly unlimited. There were few things that could damage dragons. One of those things was a special acid. Hammer was pretty sure the bullets that had hit him had been coated in that acid.

As they walked, his breathing became shallower. His breath hitched painfully in his chest every time he inhaled.

He had to push forward. Hammer could not let Charlie notice.

The thick foliage around them started diminishing. Up ahead, Hammer heard the rush and bubble of water.

At least his senses hadn’t been too damaged. He could smell the sharp, pungent fragrances of mint and pine.

He could also smell earthy soil as well as the bright scent of blackberries.

Charlie must have picked up the scents, too, because she sped up. She pushed gently past him.

“Oh, my God!” He heard her exclaim and felt his heart thud erratically in his chest. He hurried to catch up with her.

Was she hurt? Was she face-to-face with a predator?

“This is so beautiful!” She was almost swooning, and he bent over. Placing his hands on his knees, he took several deep breaths.

She was safe.

When he straightened, a wave of dizziness passed over him. He shook his head again, swallowing. His throat filled with bile, and his tongue felt thicker in his mouth. What the f**k had been on those bullets?

When he joined Charlie, he saw that they were in a clearing. His arm burned painfully as he surveyed the area. There was a thicket of trees where they could find shelter.

A heavy stream of water fed a small, natural rock pool off the side of the clearing.

There were numerous plants that grew around the edges of the clearing. He also noticed several different kinds of wild fruit trees.

As he walked over to inspect them, it wasn’t only his arm that hurt.

His heart ached slightly as he looked over each one of the trees. The wild fruits were the kind that he had eaten as a child. The fruits that his mother had bought from roadside vendors.

Charlie was exclaiming at each new discovery that she made. Hammer couldn’t quite fight the smile that crossed his face while listening to her.

As he turned away, he realized that he was in paradise. Some version of it, anyway. A paradise filled with the cleanest water they would probably ever find. A paradise filled with the fruits of his childhood.

A paradise with his mate.

The wave of dizziness took him by surprise, and Hammer let his bag and stick fall. He could not stop his legs from wobbling. He could not stop himself from staggering.

As his vision wavered, breathing became more difficult.

So when his body collapsed, all Hammer could do was fall with it.

The last thing he saw before his eyes fluttered closed was Charlie’s anxious face peering at him.

The last thing he heard was her voice saying his name.