Page 45 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

I want to throttle them both. I want to tear apart whoever dared touch her. "We have to find her."

"Yes," Malik says, slipping out of Rafe's grasp with what seems like ease. His tattoos shimmer, and his irises gleam. "We do."

Chapter

Ten

EMBER

Icome to slowly, a dull ache throbbing through my skull--and maybe the rest of my bones, too. I try to blink my eyes open, but the world is fuzzy and dark.

Dark.

It all comes back to me in a flash. Li stepping out of the shadows, attacking with dark magic. My protection bubble failing me, and Li laughing as I flailed out wildly.

The crushing wave of blackness that closed over my head.

A groan rattles my chest. There's cold rock beneath me, hard and unforgiving and just...lifeless. Not like the living stone I discovered with Jianyu.

Jianyu. Rafe. Malik.

I instinctively try to reach out to my mates, but where there should be the warm, vibrant essence of our connection, there's only emptiness. The feeling of being utterly alone hollows me out, and I let out another sound--more of a whimper this time.

"Is she awake?" a low, male voice asks.

The ground vibrates with heavy footfalls. Careless hands jostle me, and I groan again.

Another voice growls, "Wake up, you useless--"

"That's enough," the first voice rebukes.

I blink again, and my vision finally comes into focus. Li is standing over me, and I want so badly to squeeze my eyes shut tight. The jig is up, though.

Li backs away, and the other man steps forward. Li bows to him, acting deferential, but there's a resentful, annoyed glint to his eyes. Interesting.

With effort, I get my arms under myself and manage to at least half sit up. I glance around, taking in a small cell with black iron bars and black, stone floors. Black walls carved from yet more lifeless rock separate my cell from any that might be to either side of it. Across the way, I can see into another one, though, where a young woman is pretending not to watch, while a very old one stares at me with unconcealed interest. They're both dirty and dressed in rags. They've been here for a while.

That's not exactly reassuring, but I refuse to descend into panic. At least not while my captors are watching.

I glance up at the man I can only presume is Li's boss. He's a slightly older gentleman, with fair skin and lines around his eyes. His dark hair has hints of gray, while his beard is half silver. He's trim, though, and tall, with a posture that speaks to nobility, and elegantly tailored clothes to match. With his charcoal suit, black shirt, shiny purple, green and black tie, and an honest-to-the-gods pocket watch on a chain, he looks more ready for a night at the opera than a quick visit to a dungeon.

And his dragon... His dragon is hidden well beneath the surface of his perfectly polished exterior, but the beast makes his presence entirely known. Dark and old and powerful.

I squint. I'm absolutely sure I've never seen him before, but there's something familiar about this man.

Catching my gaze, the man asks, "Can you walk?"

It's a good question. The vaguely shattered feeling I woke up with has faded a little, but I'm still unsteady. I don't want to give away my vulnerability, so I lash out with a few questions of my own.

"Who are you?" I demand. "Where am I? Why was I attacked?"

"Lord Rook told you to stand," Li sneers, and seriously, his face is getting more punchable every time I look at him.

The man--Lord Rook, apparently--gives Li just as despairing of a glare as he deserves. Then he comes closer and offers me his hand.

I really don't want to take it. I don't instantly distrust this guy or anything, but I don't exactly trust him, either, what with his being my captor and all.

Testing my balance, I stand up on my own, willing myself to stay upright. I'm okay. Weak and disoriented and probably bruised, after whatever the hell Li did to me to knock me out and transport me to this prison, but okay.

---