Page 63 of Spike

Draven snarled. His fangs elongated, glinting in the dim light of the cell, and his eyes took on a reptilian glint that seemed to pierce through me.

I recoiled instinctively, my heart pounding in my chest as I backed away from him, desperate to put some distance between us.

Every nerve in my body screamed with terror as I watched him, unsure of what he might do next.

The air around us crackled with tension, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

But just as quickly as the transformation had occurred, it was over. Draven blinked, and his features softened, returning to their previous state.

"I apologize; lately, my temper gets the best of me," Draven said.

He grunted, touching his chest, and I could see the faint glow of the rune under his shirt.

Draven seemed to be in a tremendous amount of pain. Eventually, he stopped touching his chest, panting and looking a little winded.

"Draven, you don't have to do what Jack tells you to," I said.

"You don't know me, but you told me to fight them," Draven said, his gaze narrowing. “That tells me you’re kind, but you don't know what it feels like, having this tainted mark on you. I easily forget myself. All that matters is Jack's will.”

"You're right, I don't know anything about your pain," I acknowledged. "But still, you held off from killing my mate and his friend when you saw Colin. That’s something.”

Draven looked thoughtful, then shook his head.

"That was a fluke. Colin's appearance surprised me, and I had control of my body for a few minutes, but that might not happen again,” Draven said.

"Draven... it's only a matter of time before Spike tracks me down. He probably intends to kill Jack, and if he succeeds, we'll both be freed.”

I paused, wondering if it was crazy, trying to bargain with Draven.

I had just met the guy, and yet, I sensed plenty of good in him. It didn’t hurt to try, I thought, even if no good came from this.

"What exactly do you want from me?" Draven finally asked.

"Just to stay away while Spike handles Jack. Once Jack is gone, the rest of the pack will no longer follow him, and Olaf could--"

"Olaf is gone,” Draven said in a hollow voice. "Jack ordered me to burn him alive in front of the pack last night.”

"Oh," I whispered, recalling the blank looks of the werewolves we passed as Clive took me to the cells.

That explained the widespread fear. Jack really was evil, I thought numbly. Draven gasped, touching his chest again and I knew our time was up.

"Jack wants me," he said, turning to leave.

I swallowed, wondering if my last gambit had failed.

Maybe I could have put more thought into this conversation. Then again, I didn’t really know what exactly I was doing. I could only hope my words got through to Draven.

"I will think on what you have said,” Draven said.

"If we both manage to get out of this alive, I can introduce you to Colin," I said and for a moment, Draven looked hopeful.

All the guy wanted was to get to know more dragon shifters like him. I knew Colin had living relatives, but right now, I decided not to divulge that information yet.

For all I knew, Jack ordered Draven to come talk to me, to see if he could extract anything from me. But my inner wolf told me Draven came to me out of his own accord.

Long after Draven was gone, my stomach finally rumbled. I drank some water but didn't touch the food in case it was poisoned. In all likelihood, it wasn’t. Jack wanted me alive.

Leaning my head against the wall, I thought of Spike. I realized I missed him terribly.