Dragon Gate by Gary Jonas Page B

shoulder holster.
    “Because in my realm, you should kneel before me.”
    “Good thing this isn’t your realm.”
    “Do not stand between me and Rayna. I’m not here for you.”
    “Oh, but I’m here for you,” I said.
    “I will give you one last opportunity to step aside.”
    “Or what?”
    He shrugged. “Adam?”
    The archer loosed an arrow.
    The arrow plunged into my chest. It drove me back a step as the pain registered. I grunted with the impact, glad it missed my heart. As I reached for my gun, Brand sprang into action.
    He rushed forward, plowing into the swordsman. The archer shot two arrows into Brand’s neck.
    By then, I had my gun out. It hurt to raise my arm, but like a football player, I knew I had to play through the pain. I fired twice, center mass. Adam dropped the bow and fell backward off the stone wall. I heard the thump on the ground on the other side of the wall.
    Brand had Richard pinned to the wall.
    “You all right, Shade?” Brand asked.
    “I’ll live.”
    I approached Richard.
    “We’re going to kill you all,” Richard said.
    “Is that a fact?” Brand asked.
    “One you can depend on.”
    Brand laughed. “I like him,” he said. “He’s got spunk.”
    “There’s nothing you can do to stop us. We will keep coming until you are all dead.”
    “And here I thought you weren’t here for us,” Brand said, reaching for Richard’s sword.
    “Let him keep it,” I said.
    Brand looked at me as if I were crazy. “You serious?”
    I nodded. “I’ve got this.”
    “You’ve got an arrow in your chest,” Brand said.
    “You have two in your neck. What’s your point?”
    “I don’t feel pain.”
    “Let go of him, Brand. Really. I’ve got this.”
    He sighed. “If you say so.”
    Brand let go of Richard and stepped to the side, getting a bit of distance. I stood a few paces away from Richard, gun in hand. Adrenaline pumped through me, and I barely noticed the arrow or the pain. “Reach for that sword, and I’ll shoot you dead.”
    Esther popped into sight to my left. “We heard the shots. Is everyth— You’ve been shot!”
    “Go back inside, Esther.”
    Richard looked around then shook his head, confused. “Esther?”
    “Go back to Rayna, Esther. Go now.”
    She hesitated then popped away.
    I looked into Richard’s eyes. “You assholes need to back off. Crawl back into whatever hole you crawled out of and leave Rayna and Graham alone.”
    “We will never leave them alone.”
    “Do you want to live, Richard?”
    He swallowed. “It is my honor and privilege to slay Rayna today. You should not have involved yourself.”
    “Bit late for that.” I reached up and yanked the arrow out of my chest. It hurt like a motherfucker, but I made sure not to wince or show any reaction to the pain. I held the arrow up, examined the bloody tip, then turned my gaze back to Richard. “I’m going to give you one opportunity to get out of here alive.”
    “My mission is not yet fulfilled.”
    “Nor will it be fulfilled. If you agree to leave now and give your father a message, I’ll allow you to leave here in one piece.” I kept the arrow up, so he’d stare at the blood dripping down the shaft.
    “No!”
    “Hear me out, Richard.” My chest burned with pain, but I focused to dial it out of my mind. “From what I understand, your real beef is with Lucas. You tell your father that if he wants to go after Lucas, he has my blessing. But he will steer clear of everyone else. There will be no retribution on Graham, Rayna, Lucas’s wife or children. Do you understand?”
    Richard laughed. “Your weakness will be your downfall. There’s nothing you can do to stop us. We have you outnumbered, and we have weapons you can’t even dream of.”
    “Those weapons sure helped Adam, didn’t they?”
    “And Jacob,” Brand said. “Don’t forget Jacob.”
    “Good point. You’ve come at us twice now, and you’ve lost two brothers. I think your father will see reason, so you pass along