Read Online Stranded with the Cajun (Captured by a Dragon-Shifter Book 3) by Michelle M. Pillow - Free Book Online
Authors: Michelle M. Pillow
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had been maintained with loving care, or at least care out of necessity. Two flame lanterns and one battery-powered light illuminated the porch and yard. The owner, by all appearances, never left her piece of the swamp.
“Dat boy saved my life. He saves a lot of lives. Now you just get before dey…” The rest of the sentence was lost in a rapid, undecipherable stream of half Cajun English, half Cajun French threats that mumbled together only to be punctuated by the tilt of Ursa’s gun.
“He saved me too. Were you trapped in the swamps?” Lori asked, trying to keep the conversation civil. At the moment, she couldn’t picture Ursa needing help with anything. Her mind raced, hoping it wouldn’t discharge. But it was hard to think of options when she couldn’t quit staring at the end of the gun as metal glinted in the soft light.
“No. I know you know about Drake. De…” Again the words were lost.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“I said no,” Ursa repeated, talking slowly as if Lori was simpleminded. “I know you know about Drake. De sheriff told me. De night he arrived, coming out of dem swamps like a dragon-man creature from de bayou, I had a gun in my mouth. He saved me. God, gods, doesn’t matter who sent him. He’s here. He’s my family. And in de backwaters, we have ways of protecting our family.” Ursa lifted her rifle and pointed it steadily at Lori.
“People know to come looking for me here.” Lori hoped the woman didn’t detect the lie.
“Let dem come. Dem gators have dey usefulness.”
Lori swallowed nervously and glanced over her shoulder to the distant water and then back to the gun. “Please. I just want to talk to him. If he tells me to leave him alone, I will.”
“Shush!”
Lori jumped as Ursa charged forward. She scrambled to get out of the way. To her surprise, instead of threatening her further, the old woman went to the edge of the water and looked in. Lori didn’t hear anything to warrant the apt attention. The croak of frogs punctuated the night, a singing backdrop over a fetid landscape.
With Ursa’s attention turned away, the prudent thing would have been to run for her car. Lori’s trembling limbs wouldn’t move that fast, and instead she crept as quietly as she could toward freedom.
“Stop moving. Sometin’s out dere.” Ursa lifted her gun and gestured it at the water, following a subtle ripple along the surface as it came closer.
Not knowing why she thought it, Lori whispered, “Drake.”
Lori instantly changed course as she was drawn to the water’s edge. She mindlessly placed her hand on the barrel to turn the weapon from the water. Ursa jerked the gun away from her.
“Don’t,” Lori said, watching the water. “Drake.”
“How…?” Ursa lowered her gun.
“Drake?” Lori yelled, very sure that he was near.
At the sound of her voice, something broke the surface of the water. Drake looked just as he had when he’d come up from the swamp to rescue her, how he’d looked in the deleted pictures. Lori stiffened to see him in his shifted from. Somehow, seeing him was different now. She knew he was real.
She’d been calling him a lizard man, but he was more dinosaur than lizard. The light behind her shone on his face, contrasting the thick brown skin protruding over his nose. His lips were parted as he gasped for breath, showing the tips of his fangs. A taloned hand pressed to his shoulder as he came from the water.
His yellow eyes met hers and he stumbled.
“Drake?” Lori charged into the shallow water without thought. She caught him by his arm and steadied his steps. The hard shell of his body felt strange against her hand. Blood trickled over his fingers from his shoulder. She tried to hurry him out of the water and onto land. “What happened? Were you bit?”
His eyes met hers, eyes that were far from human, and yet she felt him in that gaze. The man was there, beneath the hard armor plating and scary visage. He had
“Dat boy saved my life. He saves a lot of lives. Now you just get before dey…” The rest of the sentence was lost in a rapid, undecipherable stream of half Cajun English, half Cajun French threats that mumbled together only to be punctuated by the tilt of Ursa’s gun.
“He saved me too. Were you trapped in the swamps?” Lori asked, trying to keep the conversation civil. At the moment, she couldn’t picture Ursa needing help with anything. Her mind raced, hoping it wouldn’t discharge. But it was hard to think of options when she couldn’t quit staring at the end of the gun as metal glinted in the soft light.
“No. I know you know about Drake. De…” Again the words were lost.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“I said no,” Ursa repeated, talking slowly as if Lori was simpleminded. “I know you know about Drake. De sheriff told me. De night he arrived, coming out of dem swamps like a dragon-man creature from de bayou, I had a gun in my mouth. He saved me. God, gods, doesn’t matter who sent him. He’s here. He’s my family. And in de backwaters, we have ways of protecting our family.” Ursa lifted her rifle and pointed it steadily at Lori.
“People know to come looking for me here.” Lori hoped the woman didn’t detect the lie.
“Let dem come. Dem gators have dey usefulness.”
Lori swallowed nervously and glanced over her shoulder to the distant water and then back to the gun. “Please. I just want to talk to him. If he tells me to leave him alone, I will.”
“Shush!”
Lori jumped as Ursa charged forward. She scrambled to get out of the way. To her surprise, instead of threatening her further, the old woman went to the edge of the water and looked in. Lori didn’t hear anything to warrant the apt attention. The croak of frogs punctuated the night, a singing backdrop over a fetid landscape.
With Ursa’s attention turned away, the prudent thing would have been to run for her car. Lori’s trembling limbs wouldn’t move that fast, and instead she crept as quietly as she could toward freedom.
“Stop moving. Sometin’s out dere.” Ursa lifted her gun and gestured it at the water, following a subtle ripple along the surface as it came closer.
Not knowing why she thought it, Lori whispered, “Drake.”
Lori instantly changed course as she was drawn to the water’s edge. She mindlessly placed her hand on the barrel to turn the weapon from the water. Ursa jerked the gun away from her.
“Don’t,” Lori said, watching the water. “Drake.”
“How…?” Ursa lowered her gun.
“Drake?” Lori yelled, very sure that he was near.
At the sound of her voice, something broke the surface of the water. Drake looked just as he had when he’d come up from the swamp to rescue her, how he’d looked in the deleted pictures. Lori stiffened to see him in his shifted from. Somehow, seeing him was different now. She knew he was real.
She’d been calling him a lizard man, but he was more dinosaur than lizard. The light behind her shone on his face, contrasting the thick brown skin protruding over his nose. His lips were parted as he gasped for breath, showing the tips of his fangs. A taloned hand pressed to his shoulder as he came from the water.
His yellow eyes met hers and he stumbled.
“Drake?” Lori charged into the shallow water without thought. She caught him by his arm and steadied his steps. The hard shell of his body felt strange against her hand. Blood trickled over his fingers from his shoulder. She tried to hurry him out of the water and onto land. “What happened? Were you bit?”
His eyes met hers, eyes that were far from human, and yet she felt him in that gaze. The man was there, beneath the hard armor plating and scary visage. He had
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