Page 48 of The Arrival of the Dragons

“Caden, it wasn’t that bad!”

“You have a cushion! I want the cushion next time,” Caden protested as he straightened. “I can’t feel my spine!”

“You big baby. C’mon, Landry is waiting for us,” Wally said as he got out of the car.

Caden got out far slower as he had to unscrunch his spine and somehow get feeling back into his ass and legs. He hobbled after Wally as the little man impatiently waved to him to get a move on.

Wally didn’t take them to the main entrance of the prison, but rather an employee entrance, which further had Caden thinking that Chione was behind this somehow. They still had to go through a metal detector and a pat down, but it was brief, almost perfunctory, though Caden was still a bit in awe of the Werewolves whose hands were bigger than his head.

Soon, he and Wally were being escorted down a hallway that looked to be carved out of living rock, much like the Steps were, but there was nothing beautiful about this space. There was almost a brutalism to the way the stone was cut. Caden felt the prison’s very being pressing down on him, almost choking him with the lack of sky and space. It wasn’t airy either. Their Werewolf companion’s head was just a few inches shy of the ceiling. And when they reached an actual visitor’s room, that was barely large enough to hold the table and four chairs. Caden and Wally took the chairs on one side of the table and waited.

In a few moments, Landry was brought in. She wore a bright orange jumpsuit. Her dark hair was lank and hid her face entirely. The few flashes of her face he did get showed that her skin was oily and broken out. It held a pasty cast as well. Her wrists and ankles were shackled and she had to shuffle to move.

“Landry!” Caden jumped up to embrace her, but Wally caught his arm.

“No touching, kid. Those are the rules. Sit down,” Wally instructed.

Caden reluctantly seated himself again. The large female Werewolf brought Landry around to the other side of the table. The top of the table was metal and there was a section that was raised up with a loop cut out through the center. The Werewolf slid the third handcuff on Landry's chained wrists around the loop and clicked it shut.

“What do you think she’s going to do? Lunge at us?” Caden asked the Werewolf, anger tinting his words.

The Werewolf merely stared back at him impassively. In a low voice she said, “These are the rules.”

Wally patted Caden’s hands. “It’s all right, Caden. She has to follow the rules. All of us are going to follow the rules.”

Wally said the last especially to the guard as if to assure her that they were not rule breakers and could be trusted. The Werewolf narrowed her dark blue eyes at Wally as if his words had the exact opposite effect.

“You have 30 minutes. No more. If you wish to leave the room before then, knock on the door and I’ll open it,” she said finally.

And then she moved off in that rangy stride that Werewolves had and left the room. There was a heavy clunk, thump as the lock was engaged. Caden suddenly felt like he had evenlessair to breathe than before. He glanced up for vents. The room smelled of rock and mildew. But then realizing that this was foolish to concentrate on when he only had to be there 30 minutes while Landry couldn’t leave, and maybe wouldneverleave, Caden focused.

“Landry, are you okay? I mean, I know you’re not okay. But is there anything--anything we can do?” Caden asked.

Landry had been sitting there silently, head down, hands pressed close to her chest. She wasn’t eventryingto touch them even though the guard was outside and wouldn’t be able to see. There was a camera, but would the guards spring into action for just a brush of fingers? Maybe they would. So Caden kept his hands in his lap even though he saw no red light on that would indicate the camera was recording.

His right leg started bouncing. Iolaire was waking up and did not like this space where it could not see the sky or feel the breeze.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Landry finally said softly.

Caden blinked. That wasnotwhat he had expected to hear. He had thought Landry would be glad to see familiar, friendly faces. But instead, it seemed as if she wished they hadn’t come at all.

Wally, however, did not seem surprised. “Worried about what people on the block will say if they know you’ve seen us?”

There was a sharp intake of breath that caused some of Landry’s lank hair to pull against her lips. She fumbled it away.

“No one will know, Landry,” Wally assured her.

“The guards talk,” she mumbled.

“This one won’t,” Wally said.

She bit her lower lip. The skin blanched. “Humans First know who you are, Wally. They know who--who Caden is--is, too. Because ofme.”

“Don’t worry about that, Landry!” Caden assured her. “They already knew. I’m sure the surveillance videos already made the rounds far before Jasper talked to you.”

If Caden was truly honest with himself, the revelation of who he was might already be known to the Dragon Shifters, and all this subterfuge with Valerius might not be necessary. But still, the general public didn’t know and they were the ones whose knowledge could really change his life.

“He confused me. He made me think… I had no choice. Or… I did have a choice, but I made the one where I gave you up, Caden,” she whispered. “That’s why you shouldn’t be here.”

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