Page 36 of Pierce

13

Jasmine

Two days passedbefore I dared show my face outside my room.

I couldn’t imagine what they must think of me. Not that it mattered, or so I told myself. I wasn’t trying to make friends with anybody, even Pierce.

Especially Pierce. My jailer.

Passing out in the kitchen made me look like a fool. I shuddered every time I thought about it. I came off as a spoiled brat who stomped her feet when she didn’t get her way, when nothing could be further from the truth—at least, that wasn’t how I saw myself. Not normally.

My situation brought it out in me.

Pierce brought it out in me.

He couldn’t be bothered to see my side of things. He would rather order, demand, drop bombshells in my lap about never being able to go home again as casually as he would tell me it was sunny outside. Like it was a fact. Something I had no say in.

Alina was no help.

I couldn’t even count on her to stand up for me.

She was too busy seeing things from Smoke’s perspective, which only left me feeling lonely. Betrayed. And that pissed me off.

On the second day, I walked the length of the room again and again, back and forth, chewing what little was left of my nails. A habit I thought I’d broken years earlier.

Then again, I thought I would spend the rest of my life in the real world. Where there was sunlight and moonlight and fresh, non-recycled air. I would’ve given just about anything to smell car exhaust. I was that desperate for something real.

There had to be a way to get out of there. I could hike down the mountain if I had to—it wouldn’t be my first hike, not even close. The boots I was wearing during the crash were in the closet, so I’d be in decent shape. There was plenty of bottled water in the kitchen, I had seen it just before losing consciousness like an idiot. I could take a bottle or two and start off whenever the mood struck.

But if you couldn’t handle making yourself something to eat, what makes you think you can handle a miles-long hike?

I couldn’t ignore that voice in my head. It made a good point, too, but two days had made a huge difference in my energy and strength. I could go half the day without even thinking about taking something for the pain and even then, I barely needed a few drops of one of Alina’s potions to manage it.

That wasn’t the same as a hike, though. It felt like miles as I paced back and forth for hours on end, but even that was nothing like what I might encounter in unknown territory.

I wish I knew where I was. What to expect when I left the cave. I didn’t even know how to leave the damn thing.

That realization was what planted an idea in my head. Only the tiniest seed, something which would have to develop, but I could give it time as long as there was an end in sight. Something to work toward.

If I could get him to trust me, maybe flirt with him a little…

It was enough to get my boots on and me out of my room.

Nothing had changed, either. I found the rest of the dragons in that game room of theirs. This time, the scruffy one was playing pinball while another one watched. Smoke sat in the corner with a book, his feet up on an ottoman. Another pair watched what could only be an action movie on the big-screen TV. I cringed when a building exploded, and several bodies flew through the air.

They were all too busy to notice me. That was fine. I walked past the open door and further down the hall, wondering where Pierce was. Not to mention Alina. Were they somewhere together? I frowned at the idea, then wondered why I was frowning. She had the right to spend time with them if she wanted to, and I couldn’t have cared less what he did. It’s because he’s holding us captive, I told myself. Once again, loneliness set in. If she could spend time with him, it meant she was all right with how they were treating us. I was on my own.

The kitchen was empty. Where could they be together? I took a bottle of water from the several cases stacked in one corner of the room before filching a banana from the counter. I could still hear the roar of the TV from the game room and the laughter of whoever was watching. I couldn’t hear my sister.

It was time for a little exploring. I polished off the banana in a few bites before continuing down the tunnel. It seemed to stretch on infinitely with no light at the end.

How did they get in and out? There were more closed doors on that end, plus a few open ones. What was behind them? What the hell did a half-dozen dragons do all day? How did they support themselves?

Alina and I lived off of what our parents gave us, which was more than enough. Did they have wealthy parents, too? Or was it like in the old legends Mama used to tell us while she tucked us into bed? Stories of dragons who guarded treasure with their lives. Did they use their treasure to supply themselves with every creature comfort imaginable?

I chuckled at the way my imagination was running away with me. I hadn’t thought about those old stories for as long as I could remember.

What would Mama think if she knew I was wandering around an underground compound, if she knew dragons wanted to keep me hostage for the rest of my life? Maybe it was better that she was gone. Papa, too.

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