Page 32 of Fated to the Grumpy Dragon
“Vicek wasn’t out for a pleasure cruise that day as I may have led you to believe.”
“My sovereign,” I said with a smile. “I am not so naive as to think that. I hope you’re not offended I didn’t believe you.”
“Not at all.” She smiled then grew somber. “The truth is, he was outside the barrier of the isles not by accident but on purpose. He was there pretending to be a human ship.”
Thatgot my attention. Why would he want to do that?
“He was looking for proof that some of our people were disobeying laws set down by my father.”
I hissed. “They wouldn’t dare!”
The look the sovereign gave me was less than approving.
“But … your father set out those laws to protect us. With advancing human technology, they might eventually pierce the magic of this place with their electronics. That was why the myth of the Bermuda Triangle had to die in the first place!”
I was shouting, but I didn’t care. It was insane. To continue to prey on human ships that strayed near us? Eventually, one of them would get an SOS out that led them right to us. For centuries, ever since humans began to cross the Atlantic in numbers, we’d gone out to keep them away from our isles. But radios and satellites were getting better all the time. One mistake would bring it all down.
“Exactly,” the sovereign said coldly.
I forced myself to take several deep breaths. Outside, Emma was likely growing worried at my outburst.
“You think, then, that Vicekwasattacked by them.”
“I was,” Vicek said, chiming in. “I just didn’t see who. I didn’t hurt myself enough to fall unconscious and let the humans capture me by accident. Someone did that to me. And I intend to find out who. To do so, I need that ship. I need proof.”
I ground my teeth. I hated what I was hearing, but I was just as angry about what I’d allowed myself to be blindly dragged into.
“Is something wrong, Rhyse?”
Although I had no overtly fond feelings toward the sovereign, neither had I ever harbored any ill will. Until now. Which was why, for the first time, I was less than respectful toward the Ruler of all Dragonkind.
“Just a little bit!” I snapped, glaring at her as my temper boiled over. “You lied to me! Not only that, but you lied to me, and you put me in the middle of a dangerous situation without cluing me in whatsoever about what I was walking into. I moved out here to be away from politics and everything that goes with it. Then you come out here and drag me back in while keeping my eyes covered to the truth of it all!”
By the end, I was shouting. I didn’t care.
“Rhyse, I—”
For the second time in my life, I was less than respectful. I interrupted her.
“You. Lied.” I jabbed a finger at the sovereign. “You should have told me from the start. I would have told you to pound sand, find someone else. I’m not going to be a part of yourgames. This is a job for the palace guard or maybe even your Shadow.”
Both heads across from me twitched slightly at the mention of the sovereign’s personal fixer. Investigator, bodyguard, enforcer, and on occasion, assassin, he was all of the above rolled into one.
“This needed a local touch,” the sovereign said, seemingly nonplussed by my accusations and anger. “Someone who knew how to act and appear like he belonged. That was you.”
“Well, I’m done. I don’t want trouble,” I said.
Something in my voice must have sounded different to them than to me because the sovereign narrowed her eyes sharply. “Whatdoyou want, Rhyse? What can I help you with?”
“I want to be left alone,” I said.
“I will see to it you are,” she said imperiously.
“Getting involved in this will negate that no matter what you say,” I told her with a tired wave.
“Then what? There must be something I can do.”
“Take the woman back.” The words were out of my mouth as quickly as the idea popped into my head.
