Page 30 of The Soul of the Dragon

ChapterEleven

Kitra

Ifinished bathing and washing my clothes before slipping from behind the privacy screen. Only to find him nowhere to be seen. Since there wasn’t anywhere in the room for him to hide, I surmised that he had to have slipped out the door without saying a word.

The nervous butterflies in my stomach calmed. I'd had no idea what to expect when it came to our sleeping arrangements other than I doubted I would deny him if he'd changed his mind about taking my virginity. Obviously he hadn't.

Without my magic, I was of little use. Even he had to understand that. I paced the room in my damp undergarments. Since I'd had to escape with little planning, there had been no time to pack a bag or think about how I would obtain whatever I needed. Escape had been the only thing on my mind. For now, at least my dress hung clean and damp and by tomorrow it would be presentable again.

I stopped and stared at the door. The logical choice would be to leave. This dragon seemed volatile and unpredictable. He could choose to turn me back over to my stepfather at any time. To stay with him came at great risk.

But there was so much keeping me here instead. And a lot of it I didn't fully understand. Although the wordsmating heatkept running over and over through my mind. Reminding me that the unnatural craving for a stranger might be banked for now, but it was far from gone.

As evidenced from the twinge that occurred just from thinking of him. I half wanted to scream with frustration because of it.

But since he wasn't fae I didn't even understand how or if the mate bond thing between us was possible. I needed the advice of someone who understood.

My mother would have. She had been one of the most powerful fae in this realm and the next. It made sense that the King had coveted her and her abilities. And most of the time he'd even seemed to care for her. Although mother had been quick to point out that commitments with a King were rarely based on emotion.

She'd become his concubine with ease because of me. After my father's death, she’d tried to raise me alone, but her struggles were not easily overcome. Power was one thing, but it wasn’t enough to compensate for—

“Why are you still hanging around waiting for that animal man to return?”

I whirled at the sound of the imp’s voice, clutching at my chest. “How in hell did you get in here? Are you crazy? It’s not safe for you here.”

She sniffed at me. “Because of that brute who tried to barbecue me? He caught me off guard once. It won’t happen again.”

“Don’t be so sure about that. He’s more clever than he looks.”

She scoffed again. “He’s loud and obnoxious and can be heard from a mile away. I think I’ll be fine.”

I suspected she vastly underestimated him, but I shrugged my concern away. “It’s your funeral.” I had to remember to keep it light with this creature. While she seemed like she was on my side, she was still a imp. Talk about clever and cunning. I could almost guarantee if she was here, then it was because she wanted something.

“Why are you staying with him? He’s wandering in the village, which is your perfect opportunity to escape.”

My stomach jolted. “He and I have the same goals,” I lied. Well, sort of. We both wanted the amulet, but for very different reasons. And I well knew the danger he represented. But what choice did I have? If I ran from him now before I had my magic back, how far would I get?

“He’s using you,” she hissed.

“I know that.” And I’d use him right back. “However, that doesn’t necessarily make him my enemy. He could be useful.”

“Then you’re a fool and deserve whatever he does to you.” She turned away as if to leave again.

“Wait. Don’t go. I need your help.” Those were rash words to present to an imp. To give her any power over me could unleash more trouble than even a dragon could cause.

The smile on her face when she turned back sent a shudder of repulsion down my spine. But what choice did I have? This little creature knew what I needed and for now, represented the only path I could find to getting it.

“You need me?” she asked, touching her chest and sounding like she couldn’t quite believe what she’d heard. “But I thought you wanted me to go away.”

I swallowed my pride and my instinct that this imp would end up more trouble than she was worth and delved on. “The amulet you mentioned to me. Can it really help my situation?”

She stepped forward and placed her hand on my arm. It took every ounce of my will not to recoil from her touch. My mother had warned me on multiple occasions to always keep my distance from their kind.

“The chains inside you are wound impossibly tight. No fae other than the one who created them will be able to break them. And maybe not even then. Your only hope is the power within that amulet. But it’s very dangerous. You would not be the only one looking for that kind of power.” I didn’t have to ask what she meant. I could sense the danger inside Isaac and the lengths he would go to.

“But what other choice do I have?” I asked.

The imp dropped her hand. “None. But the probability you will succeed is quite low. Only one person can wield the amulet.”

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