Page 46 of The Dragon 2
Coincidence.
Stranger.
Another soul drawn to the wreckage of Hareef like flies to carrion.
Maybe. . .
Her gaze drifted back to the shadows behind him, searching for some logic, some anchor to fasten her racing heart.
Maybe the scent isn’t coming from him. Maybe it’s. . .
She sniffed again, slower this time, trying to isolate it.
The scent clung to the road, thick, sweet, and sinful.
But it wasn’t moving.
Not drifting in the wind.
Not approaching.
It was resting on something.
An item, maybe? A token? A shard of something Korin left behind?
Her stomach clenched.
Or maybe—gods above—this man has something that belongs to Korin.
Just like that, her fear twisted into something sharper.
Curiosity.
Her fingers curled at her sides, magic flaring just beneath her skin.
If that man held something of the dragon’s. . .then what was he doing here? And why was he watching her?
Her heartbeats picked up but she calmed herself.
No. I will not fear him or anyone else. I am not the woman I was yesterday.
She focused on her hands. More cold, whispered around her knuckles. Silver veins lit beneath her skin.
I can end this stranger if I must.
She backed away again, breath ragged. Her gaze stayed locked on his unmoving frame.
She took another step.
Then another.
Then she turned her body to go.
Get home. Don’t let him see you afraid.
She picked up her pace and didn’t hear anything.
No boots.
