Page 2 of Dragon Awakened

We stayed for a day or so, trying to help lead the search, but I knew they'd never find her. She was too smart to stay in the Fire Dragon Kingdom. Whatever she'd done--whatever hidden magic she had summoned... It had taken her far, far away.

Sure enough, there'd been zero trace of her. We'd tried to question her friends--some nomadic dragons from the unclaimed territories and some Stone Dragon priestess they'd joined up with along the way. But by the time we got to them, they'd already fled. Not with magic, but with a sweet little hotrod red Porsche, apparently.

Finally, we'd been sent on our way. Despite the fact that we'd barely shown up when Ember disappeared, the Shadow Dragons acted like it was our fault she and her two friends had managed to escape. There'd been no shiny black portal to take us home. Oh no.

Fury flexes his shoulders, pulling one arm across his chest and then the other. He winces at the stretch. Our dragons did all of the work, flying us halfway around the world in twenty-four hours, but there's a phantom pain in the center of my upper back, too.

"Assholes," Fury grumbles.

My heart rate ticks upward. He's talking about the Shadow Dragons.

And this is the first crack in the brick wall of his support for each and every fucking scheme our father's come up with. I've tried to talk to him a dozen times about what a shitty deal this is. About how the Shadow King is using us. About how this is wrong.

Will it do any good to try again?

Like a fucking masochist, I can't help myself.

My heart hammering against my chest, I keep my gaze straight forward as I head for the stairs. As casually as I can, I mutter, "Almost makes you wonder if any of this is worth it."

He grabs me by the arm. I whip around, pulling away. There's danger in his eyes.

But he's not a danger to me. Not right now.

Shit--he's scared.

"Keep your voice down," he hisses.

"What--"

"Keep. Your. Voice. Down." He flicks his gaze toward the door leading to the stairs. Sure enough, there's a security detail waiting for us.

A shudder travels up my spine, and I clench my hands into fists. The line between Air Dragon guards and Shadow Dragon soldiers has gotten blurry as hell of late. I'm never sure if they're there to protect us or to keep us in line.

Apparently, Fury isn't either.

Trying to ignore the guards, I turn back to my brother. I lift my brow and lower my voice. "You can't say you haven't had the same thoughts."

My heart hammers behind my ribs.

The Shadow Dragons are our enemies. For millennia, they've worked to undermine the four great dragon kingdoms, and now they've infiltrated this one from inside. Fury has to see that.

The barest flicker of uncertainty darkens his eyes.

But then he blinks and it's gone. He stands up taller and brushes me aside. "Our father knows what he's doing."

My stomach plummets. For a second, I gawk at him, stunned. But I don't have the luxury of standing there like an idiot for long. I shake it off, trying not to glance over at the guards who are still watching us. Beneath my breath, I mutter, "That's what I'm worried about."

I catch up with my brother halfway down the stairs, but I don't try to engage him again. Molten anger wells up inside of me, fueled by this sense of powerlessness that make my dragon want to rear up and breathe fire over everything--turn the entire mansion to glass.

Maybe I should do just that. This waiting game has gone on long enough. I've played along--tried to stay in my father's good graces and exert what influence I can. But it's a losing battle.

I curl my hands into fists so tight they hurt.

Not yet, I remind myself. I can still do some good here.

And when I can't anymore?

I'll know my opportunity when I see it.

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