Page 101 of A City of Flames

“Den?” I inquire with curiosity, placing my elbows on the table and folding my hands under my chin. “Is that another place where you keep more of your stolen treasures?”

Darius chuckles quietly, staring at me like he’s deciding whether to say what he’s thinking. “Well... would you like to see the supposed stolen treasures?”

“Is that a trick question?”

Rolling his eyes, he tips his head back. “You know, I think it’s time you stop wondering if I’m going to attack you halfway through a conversation—”

“Like we have ever had a normal conversation—”

The chair scrapes on the wood as he stands. “I don’t have all day, Goldie, and most likely, your little anti-shifter army is out looking for you. So will you be joining me, or would you like to go back and keep pretending you’re just like them?”

I inch back, sliding my arms off the table while blinking at his words. His brow cocks up, and I think about Freya, Link, Rydan. If he’d gotten back to the barracks and warned them all. Then... my mind goes to Lorcan. He must be terribly worried while I’m here with the one they deem their enemy.

Yet that small curious side of me itches to go with Darius.

Inhaling deeply, I swipe my sheath off the table and rise, pointing my finger at him. “This still doesn’t make us friends.”

He grins as I start walking for the entrance and says, “I would hate nothing more than the idea of being your friend, Goldie.”

* * *

Birds chirping whistles come from above the high trees, and my brows slowly narrow to the point my face hurts. I’m standing in the middle of the forest, a few miles from Darius’s cottage with verdant pines and a cool breeze that we never tend to get in Emberwell during the day. “This is—” I say, staring straight ahead as twigs crumble beneath my boots. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

Nothing, I am looking at nothing that is what.

Turning to the side, I watch as Darius cocks his head while Tibith rests on his shoulder. They smile without a word, sending a flutter of irritation my way. So, I say, “Is this where you plan to dump my body? Your ultimate plan to end my life? Saving me so I would believe you don’t mean harm to then trick me—”

I pause when Tibith and Darius both share a knowing look. Tibith slides down his arm as Darius steps towards me. My cautious glare doesn’t go unnoticed by him as he just smirks and leans into my ear with a tender whisper, “Close your eyes.”

My eyelids instantly droop heavy, affected by his voice, and then the strangest rush of sparks prickle my skin, a surge of power and a sensation I don’t hate. It’s... liberating.

A silhouette then appears, followed by soft purrs, causing me to gaze up at the sky. Shock pounds into me as a dragon flies ahead, and I turn with it to see a herd of them. Lavender aster coats the greenery where dragons rest and play with one another. Large rocks encase the area, and as my eyes shift to every corner, they land on an inn far ahead.

The earthen hues match the forest with vines sprawling at the sides, enchanting and a haven. That’s what I imagine this is, a safe haven for dragons.

“Many Merati’s joined their powers to glamor this entire side of the forest,” Darius says and I stare at everything, even as Tibith runs past, jumping in the air to catch a butterfly. “It wasn’t until I first came here two years ago that I decided to hide endangered dragons and creatures.”

This is what the venators have been in search of. “Why two years ago?”

“The one who leads most shifters approached me. He wanted me to join them.”

“But you said no.” I turn to him, thinking back to the attack in the city.

He lifts a shoulder, stroking a dragon near him by the snout. “I prefer working on my own, but it doesn’t mean I’ve not helped a little here and there with building their resistance to steel and bringing by fledglings. It’s the only place a shifter can feel... normal.”

Shame trips over my body at how we mortals have had it so much easier than shifters for the past 300 years.

“I—” My need to apologize cuts off as soft rumbling sounds come from the side. I turn to see a dragon whelp crawling across a rock. He lets out a small squeak as if yawning, and I angle my head, closing in on it. The scales glisten almost silver with blue hints in them. Its wings are barely developed, yet I bring my hand out as the dragon sniffs and golden slit eyes gaze at me.

“He likes you,” Darius comments, and I look over my shoulder as a soft smile takes over his lips.

“Yeah... I guess he does,” I say, focusing on the whelp again. It nestles its head into my palms. Before I can stop myself, my mouth parts, and I’m smiling freely. A smile and a soft laugh at once that hurts my cheeks and evokes such love.

I wish this feeling could last a lifetime, the thrill of it but too soon am I forced to think of the fledgling I killed. It’s as if I want to remind myself of it, to not let it go because all the guilt trapped in my heart won’t let me forget.

My hand hovers over the scales, and it trembles. My entire body does. I suck in the air, then out, and I’m back in the dungeons; the chains crash against my ears while the dagger falls perfectly into my palm.

I drop my hand and shake my head before I blink, swallowing the harshness in my throat. Staggering, I look to my left, where Darius holds my forearm, so I don’t fall. His other arm slides around my waist, steadying me.

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