Talon the Black (Dragonwall Series # 1)

Chapter 1 - The Falling Dragon

Battle Ground, Indiana

Dragons are distinguished creatures. They come in a vast array of colors, with nostrils that breathe fire when you make them angry, and bodies closest in size to a Tyrannosaurus rex, so there was no mistaking the one catapulting towards Battle Ground, Indiana. Unlike its name suggested, nothing exciting ever happened in this tranquil little town, not until the beast crash landed into Claire Evans's cornfield. Everyone knows that dragons do not simply fall from the sky. As it turned out, this one had a very good reason for dropping into Claire's life, but she wouldn't discover why for some time.

Minutes before it happened, she was speeding up the gravel drive towards her parents' farmhouse. Plumes of dust fanned out behind her. It was nearly three in the morning—a popular time for getting into trouble—but that wasn't the reason for her crazy driving.

The stereo in her Honda Civic blasted Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album. It was the perfect ending to a shitty night. The album was an old favorite, and she knew all the words.

This occasion warranted one song in particular: "You Oughta Know." She played it on repeat after leaving Shannon's Bar. It was a way to help her get over the jerk who'd left her for someone else. His name was Jake, and as far as she was concerned, he was a complete and utter ballbag.

Seeing Jake was something she dreaded after moving back home, that and returning to work. Bartending in Battle Ground wasn't exactly where she saw herself at twenty-two. She never grew up saying, "Someday I want to serve booze to hicks and has-beens." To make matters worse, Jake's parents owned Shannon's, which he enjoyed lording over her. He especially loved showing up unexpectedly to put her on edge. Tonight, he'd appeared with his new girlfriend, Tiffany.

In high school, she and Jake were a thing. After she left for college, their relationship hit tough times. They broke up, got back together, broke up again. It was a vicious cycle of hurt feelings and shattered hearts. And just when she was ready to end it for good, Jake begged her to take him back. He promised to make things work. That was spring break. "He made it work all right," she muttered, gripping the steering wheel until the blood left her fingers, "right into Tiffany's pants." There was a special place in hell reserved for cheating boyfriends.

Now, her only solace was coming up with violent ways to make him suffer. She pictured him in a snake infested pit—he hated snakes. No, that wasn't nearly good enough. How about death by scarab beetles, like the ones from The Mummy. Yes, that earned a malicious smile. Better yet, maybe a zombie could eat his face off. He didn't deserve his good looks anyway.

It brought some satisfaction, at least. "You oughta knooow!" She started singing along again, bobbing her head to the beat of the music.

A flash of movement caught her attention and her mouth snapped shut. Her eyes narrowed. "What the...?" Every thought about Jake was swept from her mind. Her brain skidded to a halt. The world slowed. She blinked, trying to clear her gaze. Blinked again.

Bathed in moonlight and spewing flames, a dragon streaked across her line of sight like a meteor. "I'm completely crazy," she muttered, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "Absolutely effing crazy."

It took seconds for the impossible sight to disappear into the field beyond her. She didn't notice her car drifting away from the gravel drive. Whack-whack-whack! She jumped and yelped, jerking at the wheel. Her poor Civic was plowing corn like a turbocharged tractor.

Gravel crunched. She veered back onto the drive and spun around in a half-circle. Dust clouded up around her. The car slid across the lane and into the cornfield on the opposite side. She came to a halt in the dirt mere feet from a utility pole.