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her a place to hide, but bare of leaves, they offered
no coverage.
A noise sounded to her left. She jumped up and
hugged the nearest tree, the rough bark scrapping
against her palms.
Sarah, where are you? the sound of Jake s
voice surprised her.
She turned to see him step out from a grove of
pines. His loving green eyes caught hers. She smiled.
An instant later, a pop echoed through the trees,
and he stumbled backward a few steps then fell to
his knees. His eyes widened, and shock registered on
his face.
Stunned, Sarah stepped forward. Her mind
marked each tick as a red dot on his chest blossomed
into a flow of blood. He covered the stain with his
hand and sank to the ground, lying awkwardly
against a tree. Jake!
He stared at her, his concern for her apparent.
His heat gaze warned her of danger.
Her bare feet scrabbled in his direction. Dirty
and tired, bruised from stones and forest trash, they
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Anita Philmar
sped to him without conscious thought. She didn t
care anymore if she might be a target.
She kneeled next to his thigh. Pain marked his
face. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words
whispered passed his lips. His eyes fluttered closed.
Jake. She leaned closer and touched the hand
streaming with blood. Tears clouded her eyes.
Worried by the quantity of blood he d lost, she feared
he might already be dead.
Footsteps rustled the leaves on the ground.
Move away from him, a rough voice demanded.
Sarah. Jake opened his eyes and relief flooded
through her. He shifted, and cold metal bit into her
ribs. Her gaze lowered to the gun in his hand.
Move, the man behind her ordered. Or I ll
shoot you, too. He kicked the bottom of her heel, a
zing of pain raced up her leg.
Her right hand gripped Jake s gun. For once in
her life she thanked her brother for forcing her to
learn something. They d taught her how to fire a
gun.
But we need to call the medics for Jake, she
cried in a meek voice, trying to distract the man.
Right, like I care if he lives.
Oh, but Sarah rolled away from Jake. Her
fingers fast on the trigger, she sent a spray of bullets
through the air toward the assassin. Again she
experienced the shock of seeing a man thrown
backward by the force of a gunshot, but this time her
thirst for blood marveled at the deadly impact.
Now, you might want to rethink the idea of a
medic, she yelled at the dying man. Adrenaline
pumped through her as she rose to her feet. If he d
only move or fight, she d love to blast a few more
holes into him.
She kept her eyes on him as she collected his
gun. Blood spilled onto the floor of the forest, filling
the air with the stench of a fresh kill.
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Black Dragon s Heart
Sarah, Jake s feeble whisper jerked her back to
his side.
She cupped his face in her hands. How can I
help you?
Call the medics. His soft order catapulted her
into action.
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Anita Philmar
Chapter Nine
Sarah. Scott rushed across the large waiting
area of the Dragon Center hospital. William followed
a few steps behind him.
Sarah wrenched herself out of the blue funk
she d fallen into since she d arrival at the center.
Where did you find such an awful green
jumper? With Scott s words, she stood and posed for
her brothers to help curb some of the tension she
felt. Well, my dear brother, I m wearing the latest
attire for running through the forest. The vomit
green color is the rage of ages.
No, it s not, William shook his head. That s a
standard issue swim suit for Dragon Center agents.
Why would you be wearing it?
A sheepish grin touched her lips, but she
couldn t admit she d been reduced to stealing the
jumper from Jake. I chose this outfit because I
thought it set off my eyes. She batted her eyelashes
at him, a playful gesture, but a few tears fell onto
her cheeks.
And you didn t have any other clothes, did
you? Scott s arms circled her in a big hug.
Well, yes, my wardrobe was limited. She
slipped her arms around her brother. The haggard
flight with the meds to the Dragon Center, Jake s
torn flesh, the large mass of blood covering his suit
the day s events suddenly registered and her knees
wobbled. She tightened her arms around Scott to
keep from falling. Her whole body ached with worry
for Jake.
What if he didn t survive?
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Black Dragon s Heart
Moisture clouded her vision, and she buried her
face against Scott s chest. The familiar smell of home
and family drew her further into his arms. Her
brothers, strong and supportive, would help her
through this.
Scott soothed his hands over her back. Now,
now, don t worry. The Dragon Center has the best
doctors available attending to Jake. He ll be fine.
Hey. William laid his hand on her shoulder.
She turned and read his concern. I talked to the
meds. The splatter bullet missed Jake s heart. The
doctors decided to operate to remove all of the
shards, so they don t cause any more damage.
But he could die William. You didn t see all the
blood. It was horrible. He has this huge hole in his
right shoulder. She shuddered, remembering the
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