Page 64 of Dragon Unleashed

Long after Naga Cotle leaves my room, his slimy presence lingers on my skin. Sighing, I pick up my phone again, my finger hovering over the call button. I owe Lorelei. I owe her to bargain with my father. So long as I don’t make things worse, again.

He lets it ring and ring. A power play. See how long I’m willing to wait. Finally, he picks up.

“I spoke to Naga,” I blurt before Father can speak. “But I want one last chance. I am not asking, Father. I’m demanding.”

He sighs.

“Now that she isn’t close to Chano, I want time to make her mine.”

“I wondered how long it would take you to bargain.” He sounds amused.

He was expecting this. And I very nearly rolled over like a well-trained puppy dog. I swallow down my growl.

“Here’s how it will be. If you persuade her to marry you, then we reconsider. Otherwise, she will drop out of the academy as planned, andIwill decide her fate. You understand, son? Whether I kill her or keep her will be none of your concern. She will be mine.”

Chapter Thirty-one: Lorelei

Meeting Raff in the woods seemed a good idea in the bright light of day. Now, in the damp drizzly darkness, I’m not so sure. He’s Chano’s third, so I get that he doesn’t want to be seen talking to me when I’m persona non grata…but stalking around in the trees, chasing shadows is overkill.

A figure moves up ahead and I freeze, squinting through the branches. Is that him? I pick up my pace, treading lightly through the undergrowth. It’s so driech I’m only a few feet away before I’m sure.

“Raff,” I say quietly.

Raff makes an undignified squawk and spins toward me. A blush creeps up his neck, and he fakes a cough. I choke down my laugh.

“This isn’t a good idea,” he mutters, his gaze darting around. As if any other nutter is going to be crawling around the bushes in winter.

“But you’re here.” I touch his arm. “Thanks for coming. I—I can’t give up on Chano.”

Raff scuffs the ground with his toe, kicking up dead leaves. “I won’t talk to him for you. More than my life’s worth.”

I picture how that might go down and purse my lips. Raff’s scrawny frame wouldn’t last two minutes in a fight with Chano. “I’m not asking you to.”

He cocks his head to the side.

“Look, I have to prove myself. I’m working on something important to his family. To hismami.”

He leans in, his interest piqued.

Once I have Raff convinced, the rest is easier.

I might be misleading the rebellion…but the soldiers I trained with are the only contacts I have with even remotely promising leads. If they think that by accepting their help, I’m throwing my hat in the ring to lead the rebellion, then let them think that. I’m notactuallysaying it, just implying it.

I need Chano in my life.

I really don’t care how I manage it.

I check the coordinates on my tablet one final time. This is the place. Gloomy, close-packed pines dominate the sides of the clearing, and in the middle… Hellfire, there’s nothing here. Chano’s mom is arriving any second and it’s the wrong damn spot. It’ssupposedto be an amethyst mine. But there’s only vines and rubble. I kick angrily at the dirt. Damn rebellion. They promised they’d found it.

My toe catches in a briar and I sprawl forward, face-first. Crashing through the undergrowth, I keep falling, tumbling down a muddy banking before coming to a sudden stop several feet below ground level.

Fucking fuckity fuck. That hurt way more than it had any right to.

I freeze. My fingertips rest on solid metal girders. Scrambling to my hands and knees, I scrape back the dirt that fell with me.

There it is. The metal railway they must have used to get into the mine. I’ve found the entrance. Fallen down it. I’m lucky I didn’t fall farther when the ground caved in like that. Wincing, I roll my shoulders and peer up at the circle of daylight above me.

“I thought you’d perfected the art of moving swiftly, in silence.” Silas’ voice snakes down to me.

---