Page 50 of Tempting Her Dragons

“I remember the anger and distress on Bishop’s face as he ran toward me before my eyes closed.” I tear my eyes away and look down at my knees. “I woke up in a cage. Did you hear about the Games?”

“Yes,” Mav answers.

“I was a participant in the first Games. River, the wolf shifter you met, was there. His uncle was the man who started and developed the operation. River was the first they tried their sick games on. He started them again months ago and kidnapped Ava, River’s mate, to try to get to him.”

“Shit, that was talked about throughout our world,” Mav says. “We didn’t know about the previous Games.”

“Not many people do,” I say, resting my cheek on my knee. “I met River the next day. He was in a cage three cages down. I woke up with a collar on my neck.”

“What did it do?” Kings asks.

“It would shock the shit out of you if you tried to escape or fight back. I tried to stay calm because when I looked beside me, Bishop’s expression was distraught. I don’t know what happened while I was passed out, but they got him, too.”

“He’s never told you?” Mav asks, and I raise my head.

“No. In my gut, I know he could have gotten away. He could have run, but he would never leave me. I think he let himself get captured for me. So, I tried to be brave and calm. On the inside, I was terrified,” I whisper.

“Of course you were,” King growls. “Anyone would be.”

“Maybe,” I mutter. “The Hunters would chase us through the woods for sport. It was less organized than the second time, which was good in some aspects. They would let us out together most of the time, so we had an opportunity to work together. Yet, they were more unpredictable. They weren’t very scared of River’s uncle. He was experimenting with it and didn’t have the power or screening process for the men who paid to attend.”

“What would they do if they caught you?” Mav asks.

“Whatever they wanted,” I exhale harshly.

Chapter Thirteen

Saphira

Arumble echoes through the forest after my statement. Kingston balls his hands, presses them to the ground, and the earth seems to vibrate. Mav’s fire shoots from his mouth, and my eyebrows shoot up, watching him control the stream as he sucks it back.

“Maybe I should stop,” I offer.

“No,” King says. “We need to know. We’ll control ourselves.” He cups Mav’s shoulder and they visibly calm.

“There was a perimeter around the area. If we somehow breached it, our collars would go off. If we tried to fight, it would go off. It was easier to run and hide. I spent months hiding in the trees, unable to shift. They were not supposed to kill us. If they did, they would have to add more shifters, and his business would die without enough of us captive.” I cross my arms, cold. “I saw a man die. He was a lion shifter. I remember him being there when I arrived. I was hiding in a tree with Bishop and River when he stopped to face the Hunter. He tried to fight. Hewas killed with a knife viciously. I watched him bleed below us, and we didn’t do anything. We couldn’t do anything. At least, that’s what I tell myself.”

“Firefly, it’s not your fault,” King says.

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “We could have fought him together. I have so many regrets.”

“You can’t blame yourself,” Mav rumbles.

“Logically, I know I shouldn’t, but emotionally, it’s hard to justify staying in the tree.” I see the man’s face in my mind as he stares up at us sightlessly. “I had nightmares for months. My time there is a blur. I think we were all in shock, not knowing what to do without our animals to guide us. My dragon was silent. I had her calming presence my whole life, being without her made me feel human. I hated it. We weren’t given shelter, food, or anything to make us feel like people. We were treated like animals.”

“They didn’t feed you?” Mav whispers.

“What would you give a dog?” I ask harshly. “They laughed as they poured dog food into the dish.” I don’t want to look at them, afraid to see their disgust. “I ate it. I was starving.”

“Jesus,” King whispers. “Of course you did.” My head snaps up. “Anyone would. You wanted to survive. Do you know how much strength that takes?”

“Strength?” I didn’t feel strong.

“Saphira, you could have given up. Eating it proves your desire to survive.” Kingston brushes his hands through his hair roughly. “I have seen many women fighting to live. I’m so fucking proud of you.” I blink, and my eyes tear up.

“Thank you.” His words sear into my heart. “They made the mistake of allowing us to work together. We formed a friendship with River. He and Bishop would protect me as much as they could. We started to talk about how to escape or overpower them. We planned to meet in a spot we had many times before.We got there before River only to be confronted with three Hunters. Two of them pinned Bishop to a tree.” I stop, my heart racing. I haven’t spoken the words aloud. I haven’t told anyone what happened. Bishop told Laken, and they informed Micah.

“It’s alright, Firefly. Take your time.” King moves closer, slowly cupping the top of my foot.

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