Page 11 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

The far wall slides open, revealing a whole console of computer screens.

"Uh--" I start.

The witch presses another button, and the floor disappears beneath my feet.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I kick the force field surrounding our literal jail cell yet again, but it doesn't do any good.

I want to kick myself. We can escape any time we want to, I mumble quietly, angrily in my head. We're just playing along for Ember's sake. This old lady is clearly harmless.

Ha.

The witch has yet to reveal any actual dragon magic, but she's definitely not harmless. Her cozy little cottage being a front for the prison underneath it is some kind of trick. Jianyu and I fell through the trap door like a couple of freaking suckers, and now here we are, locked in a cell. My dragon's throwing itself against the inside of my ribs, angry and ready to burn the whole place down, but he's stuck. I can't bring him forth. Whether that's technology or magic is anyone's guess.

Once we were safely imprisoned, the witch, Pointy-Spear-Lady and a few other guards took an elevator down to join us. The witch squinted at us through the force field again, then waved goodbye and headed back up to her knitting or something. She took Pointy-Spear-Lady and one of the guards with her, but left two to stand around and glare at me and Jianyu. Which is great--it really lends some extra ambiance to the ten-by-ten-foot box they've trapped us in. At least the basement torture chamber is clean. Well-lit, even. No spiders or anything.

It could really use some chairs or maybe a recliner, though, but I guess that's a lot to ask. I pace the perimeter again as if I'll find a weakness.

"Would you sit down already?" Jianyu mutters, his annoyance finally boiling over, which great, that's fabulous. I could use somebody to be pissed at besides myself.

"Because you look so comfy," I snarl at him.

He's sitting cross-legged near the back wall, his spine straight and his posture perfect, because of course it is. He shrugs, closing his eyes and curling his middle fingers into his thumbs like a fucking yogi. "I see no reason to waste my energy."

Me neither, but I've got plenty of it to burn right now. Since Jianyu's not going to rise to the bait and give me a good fight, I turn back toward the guards. "You can't keep us in here forever, you know."

They don't react, and my dragon roars fire into my lungs.

I throw myself down on the ground beside Jianyu. We let ourselves get captured for Ember, but now it's driving me crazy that I couldn't get out and help her if I needed to.

"Where is she?" I rake my hands through my hair. "What are they doing to her?"

Jianyu opens one eye, arching a brow. It's subtle, but his composure cracks, just a little. "I think you know full well what he's doing to her."

Images of it assault me.

That asshole by the river--he called Ember his mate. She went all melty, and my heart tore in two. She recognized that Water Dragon piece of shit as her own.

My stomach sinks. Here I thought it was bad, sharing her with Jianyu. Somehow, through sheer force of will, we'd managed it. Hell, we'd actually started to build something surprisingly similar to a three-way relationship.

But to add another man to the mix?

I swallow, and my throat grates.

Another prince?

I swallow a hoarse huff of laughter, acid rising into the back of my mouth.

My father would have a field day with that. He'd have the entire kingdom up in arms, ready to go to war.

Well, even more ready than it usually is.

Me? I'm sitting here like a fucking idiot, with only my lifelong enemy for company.

And all I can think about is that asshole. Prince Malik. Kissing my mate's mouth, running his hands along her perfect skin. Stripping off her clothes and pressing her down into a bed before settling on top of her.

I punch the floor, but all it gets me is a bruised set of knuckles.

"Motherfucker." I bring my hand to my mouth.

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