Page 70 of Fated to the Grumpy Dragon
Calling out to the energy in the storm, I redirected a fraction of it at Reece.
The world disappeared in a haze of brilliant white. Electricity tingled as it raced through the water and over me, my scales open to it, absorbing it, using it.
My eyes were full of blazing energy when Reece finally recovered enough to see me once more.
“What were you doing down there?” I snarled, feeling the pins and needles effect in my mouth, knowing full well it meant lightning was dancing between my teeth.
“What was I doing? I was looking for the treasure you’re keeping for yourself!” he snapped, trying to hide a wince as histortured left side was forced to flex with the waves to keep him steady.
The dark black scarring where I’d blasted him with lightning looked painful indeed, but I didn’t care. Not at that moment. I’d discovered the culprits.
“That’s no treasure ship, and you damn well know it!” I spat. “You know full well whose ship that was. What were you doing down there? What were you trying to hide?”
Reece shook his head, flicking water everywhere, while fresh thunder boomed overhead in an unceasing symphony of sound, nearly drowning out our words. “I have no idea whose ship that was. I’m not the one with anything to hide, Rhyse. What were you doing down there?”
“You don’t … oh, for all gold in the world!” I looked skyward, summoning another bolt of lightning.
“Hey! Wait!” Reece shouted, panicked. “I swear I didn’t do a damn thing to it. I was sent out here to look for the treasure you found!”
I laughed. “You’ll never get it. I’m not sharing it with you assholes. Now, you’re coming with me. We’ll see what the sovereign has to say about me finding you lurking about Vicek’s sunken ship.”
A dragon couldn’t go pale. Blood didn’t flow into our scales. But we can react the same. When I said Vicek’s name, I expected to see Reece do just that. Instead, he started to smirk.
“What’s so funny?”
“Lots of things, you selfish asshole. Including your lack of intelligence.”
Lightning flashed in tune with my snarl. Reece looked skyward warily, but otherwise, he didn’t change his attitude.
“The treasure is mine,” I spat.
“Maybe,” Reece chuckled. “Maybe. The shipwreck itself might be safe. But what about the other pieces? You’re only one person. You can’t be everywhere at once.”
I flinched.
Reece laughed. “That’s right. I’m just out here all alone. But I’m not the only one alone, am I?”
Emma. He was talking about Emma.
“What have you done, asshole?” I snarled.
“Me? Nothing. I’m right here. You can see that for yourself.”
Fear gathered in my stomach, while fury poured fresh through my veins.
“Fuck you,” I spat, ducking beneath the surface.
The last thing I saw of Reece was the shocked expression on his face as the sky lit with my red-hot rage before it drilled down into his body.
Energy spread outward from the impact of the lightning bolt, and I took it in, using it to propel me forward at unbelievable speeds. Water poured over my flanks as I raced for home with every last muscle fiber I could summon.
Emma might not want me. She might look upon me with disgust, but I’d learned one important thing just then when Reece had threatened her.
Whatever she thought of me, I still cared about her.
And if anyone touched a hair on her body, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.
Chapter Thirty-One
