Page 24 of The Dragon's Captured Heart
“It’s because of you that I’m even here!” I screamed, sure I was red in the face.
Spinning, I stormed back to the door, ignoring the shocked look on his face.
The faint echo of his“What did I do?” barely reached me before the door slammed shut, cutting off any further protests.
“Asshole,” I muttered, marching down the stairs, uttering all the curse words I could think of to try to vent some of my anger.
It had been him all along. This entire time, Callum was the same dragon who had started it all with that look. The same look that had sucked me in again today.
“Stupid dragons and their stupid looks, what is it with this place and the—oomph!”
I recoiled from the collision with another person and looked up to see I’d stomped through an intersection of hallways.
“Ow,” I said, shaking my head as I looked for the other person. “I’m sorry. That was probably my fault, wasn’t it?”
The tall blonde woman looked at me, somehow managing not to appear as if she were looking down despite her height.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I was in my own world, too. I didn’t hear you coming.”
I smiled. She smiled back.
There was something different about her as she held her jaw where my head had connected with it. Something …
“You got hurt,” I said suddenly, blinking rapidly as my brain processed that information. “I hurt you.”
“Yes?”
“That means you’re human,” I said, staring.
The other woman nodded slowly as if this wasn’t a surprise.
“But you weren’t … I mean, the eight, you aren’t one of them. Who are you? Why are you here?”
The blonde cocked her head to the side as understanding dawned for her as well.
“It’s a long story,” she said with a half-smile.
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Callum wasn’t already there waiting. The hallway was empty, and I needed an excuse not to deal with him.
“Got time to tell it?”
Chapter Fourteen
Madison
The blonde pursed her lips in thought. I knew I was being pushy, and she had every right to deny me, but I just had to know why she was there.
Because if she had come there via a different method, perhaps there was a way to get back as well.
“Walk with me,” she said, “and I’ll give you the short version.”
I hurried to catch up with her, my shorter legs working harder to match her rangy strides.
“Did they kidnap you, too?” I asked before she got started, my curiosity driving me nuts with the need to know. “Before the rest of us? Are we not the first group to get dragged here?”
The woman shook her head. “No. I wasn’t kidnapped. It’s really not a good trend, though.”
“Trend? What do you mean, uh …” I fumbled, having no idea what her name was.
