“Oh, no, not again,” Lana moaned.
“We don’t know what happened, yet,” Nick said, as they hurried over to the bar.
Colleen stood against the wall, her face so ashen that she looked as though every bit of blood had been drained from her body. She was shaking so hard, it was a wonder that she didn’t shake the walls down.
“What happened,” Nick asked, eying Colleen with concern.
“Dizag was in here,” Brady said. “He walked up to Colleen and told her to give Lana a message for him.”
Nick heard Lana suck in a huge gulp of air.
“What was the message?” she asked, her voice hard.
Colleen’s voice was trembling as she said, “Lucy’s getting a little boring. Tell Lana I’ll be seeing her around.” She spoke in a whisper, so that it was hard to hear what she said.
Once Lana registered the message, her face flamed with anger.
“How dare he!” she exclaimed.
Both she and Nick began to look around the club, looking for any signs of the evil dragon shifter.
“Don’t bother looking for him. He’s been gone for a while. He left right after he gave Colleen the message,” Brady said.
“What did he look like?” Lana asked, through gritted teeth.
“He had long, stringy black hair. He reeked, as though he hadn’t bathed in months. His breath stank,” Colleen said. “He was disgusting.”
“And this is the monster who has my sister,” Lana growled.
9
Lana
Lana felt the anger rise in her. It started in her belly and boiled out like a pot of hot water. Dizag didn’t scare her. He made her angry. Angrier than she had ever felt before. Angrier than she had known that she could get. She felt so hot that she was afraid that she was going to explode.
Although Brady had said that Dizag had left, she still felt that he was close. She looked around the club, staring at each person’s face, trying to determine whether he matched the description that Colleen had given. There was no one.
“What kind of coward is he?” Lana asked. “He’s happy to come in and scare one of my friends with his so-called warning, but he doesn’t have the gumption to face me. What a pathetic piece of crap! Colleen, are you okay?”
Colleen gulped and nodded. “I’ll be fine. I’m always around someone, so I’m safe enough. He just startled me. And he was disgusting,” she answered.
Lana nodded. “I’m going to step out back,” she said. “I need some fresh air.”
She slid off the bench and headed toward the back before Nick could stop her. He started to go after her, but Brady stopped him.
“Give her a little bit of space. Dizag is gone for now,” Brady said.
Lana heard Brady’s words as she opened the back door and reveled when the cool night air caressed her face.
She leaned up against the wall and focused on the night sky. She missed her parents and she missed home, but she had to find Lucy.
Suddenly, an overwhelming stench flooded her nostrils, causing her to gag. Large hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her, then pushed her hard up against the wall of the club.
“Hi, Little Sister. I was hoping that I would see you tonight. My once lovely wife, Lucy, had told me so much about you,” Dizag said.
His breath smelled like rotting garbage or a sewer.
“You better not have hurt Lucy,” Lana growled through her clenched teeth.
“Oh, she’s still alive, if that’s what you’re asking,” Dizag said. “She’s just not as…pretty…as she once was.” Dizag sounded amused.
“You’re a coward. You couldn’t stand up to a real man. You have to go after defenseless and unsuspecting women. You are pathetic.” Lana practically spit those last words at him.
Dizag roared with laughter.
“You are so brave, aren’t you, Little Sister. There will come a time when I will add you to my collection. Then, you will see how pathetic your new master really is,” Dizag said, his face practically touching Lana’s.
“Don’t you ever bathe or brush? You are the most disgusting excuse for a man I’ve ever been around. You’re making me nauseous,” Lana said.
“You know, I love a woman with spunk. They are so much more fun to break. They take a lot longer and can endure more pain. But make no mistake,” Dizag said, lightly brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. “I will break you.”
Then, he lightly slapped her cheek.
Lana’s hand shifted to a paw and she swiped at him, creating five long scratches in his face.
Dizag laughed again. He caught her arm as she made another swipe.
“You know a lion is no match for a dragon. Vardok had the right idea. Everyone but dragons shouldn’t be shifting and women are to be used for our pleasure. Don’t worry, you’ll serve me soon enough and then I’ll destroy you like the others,” Dizag said, trying to make his voice sound smooth.
He licked her face and then disappeared just as she shifted into lion form.
She bounded back into the club, and shifted as Nick, Colleen, and Brady rushed toward her. A huge red spot had spread on her face and there were small blisters, as though she had suffered a burn.
“What happened?” all three asked at once.
“Dizag was outside. He told me that Lucy was still alive but that she ‘wasn’t as pretty as she used to be,’” Lana said breathlessly.
“What happened to your face?” Colleen asked, as the red, blistering spot continued to grow.
“He licked me. But don’t worry, I left my mark on him, too. I clawed his face. It looked pretty deep to me.”
Brady and Nick rushed out back to see if Dizag was still around. Nothing remained of him except some blood from the gashes that Lana had gifted him with.
“He’s long gone,” Brady said in disgust.
“He knew you’d be coming out,” Lana said. “He’s brave enough to attack and kill women and other, gentler shifters. He
