Excerpt from A Dragon's Seduction

CHAPTER ONE

“Wait, St. John! You can’t go in there alone! Ladder 21 will be here any minute and you know the chief wants everything done by the book.”

Brayden St. John shot his human partner, Jack, a quelling look. In all his years –and there had been many of them, centuries to be exact – he’d never done anything by the book and he sure as blazes didn’t plan to start now.

“No time!” Brayden grabbed his gear and leaped from the still-moving fire engine.

He barrel-rolled onto the pavement, then with quick agility righted himself and charged

past shell-shocked bystanders toward the burning building. Bright orange flames danced into the Louisiana night sky engulfing the two-story apartment building in a blanket of fire. Heat thickened the air, smothering all traces of oxygen. Exploding windows rained shattered glass onto the concrete below.

*Hurry!*

The urgent, seductive voice planted itself in Brayden’s mind and slid over him like black velvet.

Brayden blinked in surprise.

What the devil?

If he didn’t know better he would have sworn someone had just whispered in his ear. He flung a look over his shoulder.

Nothing.

*Hurry! Please hurry!*

Startled by the telepathic pleas, he almost missed the putrid odor filling the air around the flaming building. The scent, reeking of evil, finally penetrated his adrenalinepumped brain and realization slammed into him with the force of detonated dynamite.

Cyrus.

Brayden tightened his jaw. The rogue Chaos dragon had entered the Earth realm. Just what he needed. A malevolent dragon from Jarithia’s kingdom terrorizing the streets of New Orleans. How had Cyrus breached the portal?

Another equally evil odor arrowed out from the smoke-filled building. Brayden’s heart chilled. Cyrus wasn’t working alone. Something or someone had invoked the Chaos dragon. The roof of the apartment building crackled. Brayden jerked up his head. Burning shingles and boards burst through the air and landed near his feet in a heap of charred tar. The bitter odor reminded him of newly paved asphalt. His stomach clenched. He’d have to contend with the dragon later. Right now he had a job to do.

*Hurry! They’re running out of time.*

The urgency in the telepathic thought prickled the hairs on the back of Brayden’s neck. He sniffed the air once more.

Humans.

At least three still in the building.

He tensed. The chief would just have to take his bloody rules and shove ’em.

Again.

He didn’t have time to wait for backup. Jack would have to handle the outside and he would have to do the rest. Alone.

He lunged into the wooden door shoulder-first. Heat scorched his skin through the flame-retardant suit. He didn’t flinch. The wood heaved then snapped before finally giving in to his weight. Once it opened, thick, black smoke rushed toward him in deadly embrace.

Brayden sputtered and coughed.

Nope. The chief wouldn’t be pleased. As a matter of fact, he’d be downright pissed. Yep. Old Chief McIntire would be spittin’ ten penny nails over this one, all right. Not that Brayden cared. He lived by his own set of rules. None of which had a thing to do with any firefighter’s manual. They had more to do with survival.