Page 43 of Destiny of the Dragons

Smoke went still. Jace grit his teeth. Just because Smoke’s clan was horrible didn’t mean his clan was the same. “Between my last molting, and those paintings, that’s the leverage I needed to prove my worth.”

Mia frowned. “Prove your worth?”

“Dragons are thrown out of their clans to prove their worth.” Smoke’s voice was flat. “If they do something amazing enough, they are welcomed back. If not, they stay clanless.”

Mia touched Smoke’s arm. He flinched. “So that’s what happened? Your clan never took you back?”

Jace grimaced. He was an idiot and should have realized Smoke’s past would come up.

Well, Mia needed to know.

“No.” Smoke’s voice was still monotone. “I proved myself and was accepted back with open arms. A year later, a deal went bad, and I was taken as a hostage.”

Mia touched his arm. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Smoke shook his head. “There’s not much more. My family decided I wasn’t worth the ransom and the loss of face.”

Smoke had skipped over the months of torture and breaking free, but Jace wasn’t going to bring it up if Smoke wasn’t ready to talk about that part.

Mia bit her lip, and squeezed Smoke’s hand. She looked at Jace. “You went back to your clan? After all those hoops they made you jump through?”

Jace shrugged. “It’s how it’s done. It doesn’t matter, because I’ve finally won.”

He really wanted them jumping for joy, or at least looking less worried and upset. Couldn’t they see this was a huge win for them?

“Mia, my clan can protect you. Leave your family.” Jace paused. “I see how close you are to your sister. Bring her with us. We’ll make sure she’s safe.”

Mia still looked doubtful. Her big blue eyes bore a hole into him, making him feel like he’d done something wrong.

Jace pushed his annoyance away. Mia rejected him in the shop because he did it wrong.

“Jace, my family…” Mia shook her head. “It’s complicated. It’s not just about power.”

“If it’s money, I can give your parents more money than they could ever hope to make off you.”

Mia swallowed. A sign she was upset.

“I’m doing this wrong.” Jace frowned. “I want you to know that you’ll be safe. They won’t be able to come after you, not with the threat of my clan to keep them away.” Jace looked at Smoke. “If you don’t want anything to do with my clan, you don’t have to be part of the politics.”

“But you will be.” Smoke’s tone was flat.

“Of course.” Jace shrugged. “But I’ve been on the streets for years with you. And now Mia. We’re smart. We can outmaneuver anything.”

“And if your mother doesn’t approve of a witch and a clanless dragon for a Treasure?” Smoke asked.

“She doesn’t get to choose,” Jace growled. “You two don’t get it. We won. We’re safe now.”

Mia sighed. “Jace, I don’t know. I’ll have to think about all the various—“

“What’s there to think about?” Jace stood up. “Don’t you two want to be with me?”

“Of course,” Mia said. “But it’s not as cut and dry as you’re acting. You’re telling me to trade one master for another.”

Jace sighed. “You won’t have to do anything in the clan. Either of you. You could stay home and do nothing for all I care. Or do side businesses.”

“You keep acting like there won’t be a single bit of conflict of interest,” Mia glared at him. “What happens when your mother wants a powerful spell I don’t want to perform?”

“Then you don’t perform it.”

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