Page 7 of Draco

Why?

She hesitated, questioning herself as I asked. “Because I won’t be someone’s captive ever again. Not my father’s, not some rich bastard’s, not some criminal’s body to sell. From now on, I make my own choices, even if they get me killed.”

She knew she was in danger, then. But she still didn’t feel afraid. I probed deeper, finding excitement. Being out here, making mistakes and choosing what she did next made her happy.

“Get out of my head!”

I could feel her pushing back. I continued digging around. I didn’t like invading, but I needed to know the reason why she needed to do this. Was her father abusive? Cruel? Why did she need to get away from him so desperately? What drove her to escape her old life and run away?

I’d assumed it was because of the men hell-bent on taking her life, but I knew now that I was wrong in that assumption.

I searched, digging deeper into her thoughts even as she cried out. “Stop!”

Her scream ripped through the woods and hit my brain like a bullet. My body jerked, and I lost control of my flight. The world tipped end over end as I fell out of the sky before crashing into the forest floor.

Carefully stretching my front legs, I searched for pain. I searched for a sign that anything was broken. That my fall had injured me. Nothing.

I got to my feet and took off at a run, following her scent through the woods. I wouldn’t risk trying to touch her thought again. But it was surprising. No human had ever blasted me like that. No human had ever forced me out of their mind and shut down like that.

Out of curiosity, I tried to reach out, tried to find her. I could feel her, faint, alive, but couldn’t get in. She’d locked me out.

But how? It didn’t make sense.

Only dragons could hold me out. Humans lacked the tenacity of spirit, the will, and strength to keep themselves guarded. Maybe because they’d gone so long feeling comfortable that no one knew their thoughts.

I rushed through the woods, tracking her down and searching for her as her mind became more and more faint.

Not because she was getting away, but because her consciousness was fading.

5

Luna

I’d almost made it. Almost.

My feet ached. The world blurred. Something was wrong.

And I was so cold. So cold.

Ahead of me, I saw the shape of a man. A man with iridescent blue eyes. I had to be imagining it. Whatever was wrong with my head must be making me hallucinate too. I walked right up to him, ready to walk right through the apparition my mind had created, but he put an arm out and stopped me.

My knees tried to buckle, but I stayed on my feet through sheer force of will. I wouldn’t let him take me back. I wouldn’t be his toy, his possession, his centerpiece to show off to all his rich friends.

How did he get in front of me? It didn’t make sense. How did he find me? He didn’t have a dog or anything. Did I have some kind of tracker on me? And how the hell was I supposed to get away from someone that seemed to be a step ahead all the time?

“Let me go.” I tried to push forward, but he wound his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his body.

“You’re freezing cold and wet.”

I tried to stop my chattering teeth. “Oh, look, a genius. What gave it away?” Fighting back the full body shivers, I crossed my arms and glared out into the wood since I couldn’t glare at him as he was behind me.

“Let me start a fire and warm you up, or you’re not going to make it much further.”

My arms dropped to my sides. “Wait, you’re going to let me go?”

Silence.

I crossed my arms again. Of course, he wouldn’t let me go. Then he wouldn’t get paid. Money talks. It didn’t matter that I didn’t want to go back. He wanted to get paid. My life for his paycheck. What a shitty tradeoff.

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