Page 114 of Creatures of Chaos

Because ofme? What’s he talking about?

“You see, Locklyn, I put a great deal of effort into making sure at the end of Chaos it was you standing here in front of me, ready to claim the prize.”

I shake my head, my mind frantically trying to make sense of what is happening. It’s like someone spilled a jigsaw puzzle in front of me and expects me to put it together without seeing the picture the pieces are supposed to create. “No, I don’t see anything. You couldn’t have even known I would enter Chaos, let alone win it.”

Kerrim tips his head, a sly smile curving his lips. “Who do you think tipped the dragon council off about the growing affection between you and your friend Becks?”

The breath catches in my lungs, and it’s a beat before I’m able to speak. “Why would you do that?” I ask, my voice hardly louder than a whisper.

“Because I knew without presenting creature magic they’d never allow the two of you to be together. They provided you the perfect motivation to enter Chaos.”

My eyes widen. That lines up with what Drake revealed. That they’d been told of how close Becks and I had become, which is what prompted them to push up the timeline on his arranged life-mating.

But something doesn’t quite make sense. “Shadow Striker’s powers were never publicly divulged, so you didn’t even know that I knew about Shadow Striker when Chaos started.”

“Didn’t I though?”

“What? How?”

“Your parents reached out to me saying that their daughter had been approached by someone looking for it. They gave me the whole story you were told. I had a plan to introduce it to you myself, but just like that—” He snaps his fingers. “I didn’t even need to. Someone had oh so helpfully already planted the idea in your head.”

He looks at Talon. “Oh yes, I knew exactly who you were the moment you stepped into town. Hiding the scope of your magical abilities during the trials was completely needless, but it was amusing watching you try.”

A muscle jumps in Talon’s jaw. “If you knew who I was, why didn’t you just kill me? Why let me enter Chaos at all?”

“I certainly considered it, but my plans shifted after the first trial when you came to her aid. Thank you for that, by the way. I was worried when that wolf shifter stole her coin. It was very convenient that you had an extra for her. I couldn’t have planned that better myself,” he says with a smug smile.

“And then in the second trial when you both refused to fight each other, it was obvious some sort of bond had formed,” Kerrim goes on as Talon glares daggers at him. “It was clear you didn’t want any real harm to come to her, which played into my ultimate goals quite nicely. So why would I kill you when you became my biggest ally throughout these trials? I should thank you for that. She may never have made it to this point without you.”

Talon remains silent, but I swear I can hear his teeth grinding against one another.

“You had him compelled to kill me during the third trial,” I say. “If he hadn’t been able to fight the compulsion, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Kerrim chuckles. “I was simply testing the limits of his affection for you. Did you know that he’s actually the one that stopped you from kissing him? If he hadn’t shocked you with his powers, I think you would have given in to that compulsion. That was, admittedly, a tactical error on my part. I assumed you’d fight that compulsion a little harder considering your affection for the dragon heir.” He shrugs. “But no matter, the important thing is that you were never in any real danger, and the whole point was to push the both of you even closer. Which workedbeautifully. The thought of you dying was what really made him aware of his growing connection to you.”

A low growl comes out of Talon, a very “shifter” sound I haven’t heard from him before.

Kerrim raises his eyebrows in amusement. “Do you deny that wasn’t what happened?”

“I tried to get her to drop out of the trials after you pulled that stunt,” he grinds out.

“Yet here she is,” Kerrim says with a chuckle. “Did you think I wouldn’t be clever enough to devise a plan to motivate her through the following trial as well? As soon as that dragon shifter used his fire magic, I used my wind powers to push the spores in your direction and keep them away from her. Again, your affection for each other won out because she made it through that trial by trying to getyouthrough it.”

Talon’s nostrils flare in annoyance when he realizes how we were played.

Kerrim’s gaze swings back to me. “Although, I’ll admit I was a bit concerned when I found out you’d ditched your dragon heir for greener pastures. I worried your motivation for winning the dagger had waned, so I had to monitor this last trial a bit more closely than the last few. And good thing I did, because it looks like he was able to convince you to abandon the prize.” Shaking his head in disappointment, Kerrim makes atskingsound with his tongue. “I didn’t expect you to be swayed by a handsome face. Your dragon shifter must have been crushed. But no matter, I took precautions.” He waves his hand to indicate Talon and the cage he’s trapped in.

“If you wanted me to activate Shadow Striker so badly, why did you discourage me from looking into it when I came to the Emporium?”

He cocks his head, giving me a look that says he expected me to put together those pieces myself and is disappointed that I haven’t.

“Because it only piqued my interest more,” I say, when I realize why he did that.

He gives me a condescending nod that makes me want to throw something at him. “The best way to get a teenager to do something is by telling them not to do it. Speaking of that visit, did you enjoy the book you borrowed?”

I snap my mouth shut. I’d returned to the Emporium last week to finally return theDragon Shifter Lawbook I’d taken. I checked for another but couldn’t find anything. Had he had the foresight to plant that book there, so I’d know how bound Becks really is? From what he’s already told me, I wouldn’t put it past him. But I’ve heard enough about all of that. It’s time for Kerrim to get to the point.

“Why do you needmeto activate Shadow Striker? Is it because you think I’ll be easy to kill? Because you can try, but I promise you I won’t be as easy to take down as you think. I’ve been underestimated my whole life.”

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