Page 73 of Lost in Fire

Shit! What now?

“Is this necessary?” I allow arrogance to color my tone. “Surely my cooperation—”

“Is appreciated. But thoroughness serves us all. Unless you have objections?”

The trap is elegant. Refusal confirms suspicions. Acceptance might break my defenses.

The technician draws the fluid into a syringe, the needle glinting in the harsh light. Vex’s expression is growing increasingly calculating.

Fuck. What if I can’t resist this?

I extend my arm. “Proceed.”

The needle pierces the fine skin of my arm. I twitch as new magic floods my system but resist the urge to grit my teeth.

“Now then.” Vex’s voice seems to come from inside and outside my head. “Let’s discuss your recent activities more thoroughly.”

Questions become precise, targeting specific dates and decisions. I answer mechanically, fighting to maintain defenses while magic seeks weaknesses. The room’s temperature drops as my dragon nature stirs, responding to threat.

Dragons are creatures of memory and fire. Both work against me now—vivid memories harder to suppress, fire threatening to break free under stress.

Control. Maintain control.

“Interesting,” Vex says suddenly, studying a display only he can see. “Unusual activity in your bond centers.”

My heart stutters. The magic found the thread connecting me to Hargen—the bond maintained through decades of separation.

“Handlers often form rudimentary connections during intensive interrogation. Temporary resonance patterns that fade with time.”

“Perhaps.” Vex turns to the technicians. “Deepen the scan. Focus on recent bond activity.”

The magic plunges deeper, no longer probing but forcing past my first defenses. Memories flicker—not just images but sensations, emotions, things harder to conceal.

Hargen’s mouth on mine after twenty-one years.

Ember’s weight in my arms as I said goodbye.

The ache of watching them leave.

I fight to contain these memories, but verification magic is designed for exactly this—to find what’s hidden, expose what’s protected.

“Your resistance is impressive. Most subjects show significant deterioration by this point.”

I say nothing, focusing every ounce of concentration on maintaining defenses. The dragon within stirs urgently, responding with ancient instincts.

Keep it together.

I can’t let my animal side show now; it’ll only give him something to focus on.

The magic pushes harder. I feel something crack—a fissure in my defenses, small but growing.

Vex sees it too. His expression shifts into something smug and ugly. “There. The scanners detect a familial bond. Active and recently accessed. Yet your records show no immediate family. How curious.”

Ember.

I push the thought away desperately, but it’s too late.

An image flickers in the display—a young woman with platinum hair and dark eyes, features blurred but recognizable.

---