Page 47 of Dragon Unhinged

The only thing I’ve kept any track of at all is the number of shifters I’ve had to kill, to keep my life. A number that will haunt me for the rest of my days.

“I’ll come back tonight.” She rises onto her toes, to steal another kiss. “Do you think you could try to draw out some of the runes on your cuffs for me to take to Ellie? I want to see if we can make progress on getting you out of them.”

I nod, taking the notepad and pencil. “I’ll do what I can.”

I can’t bear to tell her that the minute she walks out of that door, I’m going to have a hard time doing anything at all. She’s the only part of my life giving me something to live for. When she’s gone the dark magic bearing down on me gets worse.

Watching her leave, knowing that she’s going to go out into the world, to study, to be with friends, to be around mortal boys, sends my dragon into a spiral, until he’s in a deep pit of despair, the likes of which only her kind smile, her heart, can shake us free from.

I think it gets worse every time she comes and leaves.

It might take every breath of control that I can muster, but I really will do what I can.

The tear I see escape from her eye as she turns to leave me just makes that despair so much darker.

I know I have no right to ask this…I pause, trying to keep the emotion out of it as much as I can.Think of me whenever you can today. Share your day with me. Let me pretend I could accompany you to your classes, if only for the day.

I lay back down on my concrete bed, unsure if she heard my thoughts, or if she’ll respond at all. The magics keeping me prisoner seem to have bizarre effects, ones I can’t completely predict.

But then, I hear in my head,As much as I can, I’ll share. I miss you already, but knowing you’ll be thinking of me helps.

As if I could think of anything else.

Chapter

Twenty

BRIANNA

“Brianna! You’re going to be late to school.” My brother pounds on my bedroom door as he shouts at me, and I am sorely tempted to pretend to be sick.

I don’t want to spend hours concentrating on my professors lecturing, and then studying, all while wondering who’s watching me, who’s on my father’s payroll. I don’t even have any classes with Ellie today, meaning I’m completely on my own.

Just like Declan.

It would be so much better, so much more fun to go back to his cell, strip him naked, and pick up where we left off this morning.

I’m not even sure how I’m going to hide all the marks he left on me, between the beard-burn, the hickies, and the bruises from where he got deliciously rough.

At least the weather’s setting me up success with a cloudy, rain-soaked day that gives me an excuse to wear layers and a scarf.

Taking a deep breath, I wrap my fingers around the doorknob and ready myself for the day. I pull the door open. “Why do you care if I’m late to school?” I brush past my brother,hoping to make it downstairs before he has a chance to look me over at all.

“When Father’s not around, I watch out for you.” He rolls his eyes at me.

“You mean, you watch me,” I say not hiding my disdain.

“I’m driving you in today, so you don’t have to deal with one of the chauffeurs.” He smiles at me like this is supposed to be some great blessing.

It’s not. Zimo offering to drive me in seems entirely too suspicious, especially the morning after I’ve just spent all weekend with Ellie. And after all the time I’ve been spending with Declan.

Does he know something? Does he know something I don’t? He’s never selfless.

How could he know anything about me and Declan or even Ellie? I only use my father’s code, so there’s no way Zimo could’ve seen me going down into the basement. We don’t have cameras in the house. Being an ambassador, any leaked footage would mean terrible things for all our positions in this country and while my father has trusted staff, he doesn’t truly trust anyone.

I paste a smile on, like I’m so good at doing when I really want to growl and snarl. “Great. We should get going. I need a coffee before classes today.” If the worst thing he thinks is that I have a bit of a caffeine addiction, then he won’t have anything to report to our father that dozens of witnesses would’ve also been able to tell. “You know, I could get Ellie to bring me home this afternoon. I really don’t need round the clock care. I’m not a child or an invalid.”

“You know as well as I do Father wouldn’t agree to that.”

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