Dakota Jones is a Demon Hunter. Under the orders of her cold and distant father, she fights evil day and night with her team, who are also her friends. However, his next investigation will turn his world upside down. His meeting with Eldrekki, a man as beautiful as he is mysterious, will modify both his past and his future. Dakota knew she was different, unique, she will finally discover why and the answers may not please her.

      The Colors Of The Dragon

      Dakota Jones - Tome 1

      Virginie T.

      Translated by Feriel Benhamiche

      © 2020. T. Virginie

      Prologue

      Who has never imagined monsters in his closet or under his bed, or hidden behind a door or a dark corner, lurking in the shadows, looking out for our arrival in the darkness to jump on us and mutilate us in an abominable way until that death follows in excruciating pain ? Well forget all about it because you are far from the mark. The reality is far worse than your mind can imagine. Some people would say that i have a talent, i think it is rather a malediction. I see evil, the one who hides, like the one who crawls in broad daylight among his future victims who suspect nothing , that on Earth and beyond. Remember the most terrifying horror movie you've seen, with improbably shaped demons combining claws, fangs, venoms and awesome power, and you’ll get an overview of things that i’m facing regularly. Beside these monsters, fighting werewolves and vampires is like a health walk on Sunday. I haven't walked in a park to get some fresh air for years, since my dear dad realized my potential and forever transformed my life into perpetual war.

      Chapter 1

      Dakota

       I was born in Fort Benning, a military area near Colombus, Georgia, which gathers over 120,000 soldiers and their families. It’s a self-sufficient US Army base, like a city inside the city. Suffice to say that many years passed before I passed the portal to get out. And even, i was under good escort, because I am forbidden to leave alone. I even thought that there was nothing outside the enclosure, like in the disaster movies that appear on TV, and that was why I never passed through the portal. Daughter of the base general and a civilian who died while giving birth to me, my young years were not easy in the midst of this strict universe governed by rigid rules. But if I had guessed what was going to happen in the future, I wouldn’t have wanted to grow up as much to see things change.

      Here I am once again in a gloomy place, the kind of dark and silent place that makes you shiver up the spine and where no one would want to be there alone. Fortunately for me, I am not alone. Well, almost not. I have an earpiece, my best friend for far too long, whispering in my ear. It allows me to communicate with other team members who are stationed outside the building. I think that this building is really dilapidated. All the windows are broken, the doors creak quite sinister, and the floor is littered with trash. I am not a maniac, very far from the fairy house itself, but do not exaggerate! This place looks like a garbage dump. The ideal place to find what I am looking for. And the fact of not meeting any homeless person is an additional clue. No human would want to be in the presence of a demon. Even without seeing its demonic side, people feel discomfort in their presence.

      — Still nothing in sight Dakota?

      Ah, they remember me. It’s true that it’s been two minutes since I said anything.

      — Nope, not yet.

      — Be careful, you're starting to be far from us.

      — OKAY.

      Effectively, I am already on the fourth floor, on the west side of the building, while the commando, my backup in case of troubles, is waiting for me in the van located at the east side of the building. They might be over trained, if problems arise, they will need five minutes to join me. This may seem little, but if we are not mistaken on the target, it can do a lot of damage on my dream plastic in this lapse of time.

      I know, i’m bragging a lot, but being single, and not ready to get married because of my lack of social contact, I accept all compliments, even mine. After all, what sane man would want a woman who hangs out at night with other men in such a place?

       I continue to move forward and perceive movement on my right, in the adjacent room. So I whisper so as not to be spotted.

      — Possible threat on the fifth, south side.

      — Understood. Go slowly and keep your glasses well. We are waiting for visual confirmation to move.

      Oh yes, the camera glasses that I have to wear and that allows them to follow the least of my movements, because otherwise I have a perfect view. However, if you want. All is relative. I can see very well, 10 of 10 in each eye, but my eyesight is not really ordinary. But let’s stay focused, I didn’t come here to get eaten , even though I doubt to be to his liking. Not enough hair. The creature I'm tracking is more like eating animals, domestic in this precise case. By the way, this is what led us to him. There have been an increasing number of dogs and cats abducted in the area, and the appearance of minutely cleaned carcasses near this building has caught our attention. The public imagines that a psychopath has fun plunging them in acid. It’s plausible, but the world is full of more dangerous monsters than just a fool. The official authorities opened an investigation, and like any strange phenomenon, the file landed on my father's desk. Unlike the police, we used to deal with these events out of the ordinary . I tiptoed until the opening of the rickety door which does not close since a long time and look discreetly in the doorway.

      — So Dakota, is this the guy we're looking for?

      My team can only see a neat and banal man through my glasses despite his disturbing air and his unusual presence here. It’s true, he doesn’t look like a tramp who hangs around a squat. He is wearing jeans and a shirt with hiking shoes, but the whole looks relatively clean considering the place. His hair is cut short, brushed, and he is closely shaved. But my teammates can perceive only the surface. Me, I am different and what I’m seeing is much less fun. A snake head with long and poisonous fangs, with no arms, but six tentacles as suction cups, mouths full of small pointed teeth and legs covered with scales. Bingo, we found it. A serpieusson, as we supposed. It is not the first time that I meet it and I know that this species can be aggressive if it feels cornered. We will have to be subtle. I move backwards, melting into the shadows as I have learned to do over the years and from my experiences in the field.

      — The target is there.

      — OK, stay back, we are coming.

      I would like to follow his request, but the person in red who appears in front of my eyes doesn't seem of the same opinion at all.

      — What are you doing here girl?

      He doesn't seem threatening, but I know we shouldn't trust appearances. I know his true nature and under his innocent and courteous air a monster from hell is hidden capable to dismember me and make my skeleton gleaming.

      — I am lost. I'm just passing through.

      It is hard to make believe when two swords as long as my arms cross on my back. As a weapon, we are more discreet, unfortunately, demons, of all species, are insensitive to bullets. To kill them, we should use titanium blades. And no need to think of having them with a simple knife, you would be dead before you even make a mini cut anywhere. A long and tapered blade keeps the enemy away and maximizes the chances of getting out of the fight unscathed, or almost at least

      — You should not be there, this is my home.

      His voice becomes wheezing. It is not a good sign. His snake side comes out with his anger and I hate reptiles. I find it sneaky and viscous. So I am trying a strategic retreat.

      —