Page 54 of Destiny of the Dragons

He wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject at hand. He wanted to ask about Zian, but didn’t know how to do that either.

Jace cracked his knuckles. His hair was still short and tousled in a playboy look Jace did well. Despite the blood on his white shirt and knuckles, Jace could have come fresh from a modeling gig.

“So what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Jace circled the man tied to the chair.

Smoke’s stomach twisted at the sight of the helpless man. Dragons preserve him, he was getting soft. First jealousy and now pity.

“We’re out of time to get our shit together,” Smoke said. “Mia’s engaged to Cross.”

Jace whirled around to face him. Emotions crossed his face—pain, surprise, anguish--before Jace shook his head.

“And? What does that have to do with me?” Jace landed a punch on his captive’s face. The man grunted.

Smoke wanted to grab Jace and shake some sense into him. Maybe hold him down and kiss him. Force him to pay for his mistakes.

“You know,” Smoke said. “Or you want to air your dirty laundry in front of this hapless man?”

Jace grunted. “He’s dead meat anyway.”

The man’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“You stole from Clarinda.” Jace eyed the man. “Tell me who was in on it, and you might live.”

Smoke watched as Jace punched the man a few more times.

He was tired of this entire business. Jace, reduced to a lapdog to prove to his mother that he belonged in the clan.

“Clearly being in a clan is everything you thought it would be,” Smoke said.

Jace whipped around and glared at him. “Not like you would know.”

Smoke cocked his head. “Mia’s being arranged to marry her mortal enemy and this is what you’re going to do?”

“She made her choice,” Jace said, grabbing a towel and wiping his knuckles off. They were split and cracked, at odds with his tanned skin. “If she’d accepted my offer, she wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

Smoke rolled his eyes. “That’s your excuse? You know she’s hiding something. She was suspicious from the start and we just confirmed all her worst fears.”

“Yeah, that someone would love her,” Jace snapped. “That she would have the undying devotion of two people who would do anything for her.”

Smoke cocked his head. “And then we left. You would do anything but leave your clan. I would do anything but get over my shit.”

Jace frowned. “You left too?”

Smoke studied him. He didn’t appear to be working an angle, but he’d thought Jace knew they’d split up.

“Yes.”

“But the bond…” Jace shook his head. “I assumed you two were still a pair.”

“No,” Smoke said, letting his disgust leak into his voice. Jace wasn’t this stupid. “I left the same night.”

Jace’s frown deepened, and in it Smoke saw the months of struggle he’d been through.

Then Jace’s face cleared. “It doesn’t matter. She said no. You said no. I did this for us, so we would be safe.”

“And how safe are you? How free? If you told your mother today you didn’t want to do her dirty work anymore, would you truly have a choice?”

“Life is nothing but choices.” Jace’s face darkened with anger. “Hopefully you can live with them. My mother is calling the shots now, but that’s how this game is played.”

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