Page 54 of Ash

Ash swallowed. He’d foreseen this. Had hoped it wasn’t the timeline they were locked on to, but it seemed that hope was in vain.

Rindek filled another syringe with the red fluid and approached Ash. He couldn’t stop flinching away. The energy coming from that syringe—his entire body broke out in a cold sweat.

“What’s in that?” he asked, but he knew.

He knew.

Rindek offered up his shark grin, and replied. “Just a little present for you. A parasite with a liking for crystal dust, and anything the crystal fuses to. In your case, that is every cell in your body.” He lifted the syringe so Ash could see it better. “Normally a small inconvenience for your kind, but infused with Demeti’s power, and a little genetic tweaking of my own, they’ve become rather voracious.” He grimaced. “Still tweaking the energy balance, though. Too much, and they fry before completing their task. This is the fifth generation of this little beast; we are working on the sixth. With your help, we can perfect them. Then we’ll have a little surprise for your Dragon kin.”

He lowered the syringe, and no amount of squirming could stop the needle from penetrating. The only vulnerable places on a human-formed Dragon shifter—the areas that were scale free—were the extremities. Rindek preferred to use the neck.

The needle jabbed hard and emptied liquid fire into Ash’s jugular vein.

Moments later, he began to scream.

15

A passing shadow as a Dragon landed on the living room ledge—followed by the dull rumble of male voices—alerted Dani that Tyrez had returned home.

She lay on the bed and stared at the intricate carvings up the posts. Part of her wanted to rise, to go greet the big Dragon.

Too large a part. The conflict tore at her, and she squelched it angrily. This was because of the damned dreams. The Dragon only wanted whatever information she’d gleaned about Rindek. He had no other interest in her.

Once he had that, what would happen to her?

That old Dragon had made it quite clear he didn’t want her around. What did that mean? They also didn’t want to let her go, in case Rindek got his hands on her.

It added up to trouble. So she stayed where she was. She needed to be smart about this. To stall for time. Here, she was safe from the Archmage. For now.

After a moment, the voices abated, and a dark shadow raced across her wall. Razir, leaving from the other ledge. She lay stiff beneath the covers, half expecting Tyrez to hammer on her door.

But he didn’t. There was only silence from the other room.

Dani turned over and pulled the covers up high. For the first time in a long time, she was truly replete. Stuffed, even. Despite her resolve to think things through, her eyelids were heavy...

And she dreamed:

Someone screamed.

It echoed through her, but Dani couldn’t pinpoint the sound. She stood on firm ground in her human form, but in a fog so thick she couldn’t see her hand if she lifted it.

Another scream.

It wasn’t a feminine sound, but rather hoarse, as though torn unwillingly from a male throat. As if the agony was simply too much to bear.

She thought it came from her right. Every instinct told her to run left. That she wanted no part of whatever was causing him such anguish.

Instead, her feet took her right.

The fog swirled around her as she walked, neither hindering nor helping her progress. It dampened every sense except her hearing.

Another scream, trailing off to a deep, visceral groan. Her stomach twisted painfully, her legs twitching with the urge to turn away and bolt.

But something in the sound kept her moving forward. Something familiar...

A low groan, almost at her feet—and she saw him. Huddled in the fog, seated on the ground with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head buried in them. He was sheathed only in the long, golden hair that cascaded over his shoulders. Other than a scattering of scales over his legs and arms, he appeared to be naked.

Ash. Why was she dreaming of Ash? And what was wrong with him?

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