Page 5 of A Dragon's Curse

He pushed me forward, but kept a tight hold on my arm. As soon as my outreached hand touched the opening, the rest of my body was jerked forward.

My eyes were forced closed from the unexpected jolt, and it felt as if thousands of needles were being stabbed into every inch of my body.

Heat covered my skin, and I forced my eyes open again. They blinked several times until the world around me came into focus.

My heart broke again for Cillian. It was so much worse than he’d described.

There were plumes of smoke everywhere over the town that was just several miles ahead of us. The sky was dark, though it should have been the middle of the day—at least if time was similar here to back home—and the air was sweltering. It was a sharp contrast to where we’d just come from.

My skin was already sticky from the increased temperatures, and my hair plastered to my neck and back.

One of the taller buildings that appeared to be on fire began crumbling to the ground, and I briefly covered my mouth with my hand at the travesty, hoping like hell nobody had been inside it.

What was once probably an enchanting realm was dying right before my eyes, and it didn’t seem as if there was a damn thing anyone could do about it.

No wonder Cillian had been so focused on finding that spell to stop this destruction. I suddenly felt the same way.

“This way,” Knox grumbled, grabbing me again.

I quickened my pace, so he wouldn’t feel the need to pull on me. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer, but that wasn’t going to work for me. If I was going to survive being here for any length of time without Cillian, then I needed to get something out of this whole situation.

“I’ve done everything you’ve asked with little resistance,” I said. “The least you could do is answer my questions.”

His responding laugh was dark yet short. “The least I could do was let your friend live.”

I’d already pointed out that his leverage with that only went so far, but I also wasn’t stupid enough to believe that his promise to let River live had any true weight to it. I wouldn’t push the dragon shifter as much as I wanted, but that didn’t mean I was giving up my quest for information.

“Fair enough,” I said. “I guess you’re okay with your mate despising you, then.”

His lips curved into a smirk. “The line is rather blurred between love and hate. The more you hate me, the more you’re bound to love me. I’ve waited this long to get what I want. I can wait for you.”

“And what is it that you want?” I asked as we walked east, heading toward a shadowy forest.

“Wouldn’t you love to know,” he chided.

I shrugged. “I don’t usually waste my time asking things I don’t care about. I’m trying not to see you as the enemy right now. Yes, you took away something precious for me, and I fucking hate you for that, but am I stubborn enough to not see I have very few options here? I can either resist the shit sandwich you’ve shoved down my throat, or I can lather it in chocolate and hope it won’t be as bad as it sounds.”

He frowned, a deep crease forming between his brows. “You’re an odd creature.”

“Thank you,” I replied with my own grin.

If I could confuse the hell out of him, that just might work in my favor.

“We’re going to our temporary home,” he finally answered. “It’s located in this forest and where I’ve lived the past thirty-five years.”

“By yourself?”

His silence was answer enough. He hadn’t been alone, but who had been with him and why didn’t Cillian know he had a brother?

Maybe he knew Knox existed, just not the relation. I didn’t know, but I was going to figure out as much as possible. I couldn’t take being around this piece of shit much longer.

We got to the tree line, and as soon as we stepped into the darkness, the previously scorching heat was cut down. Not as freezing as the mountains had been, but my skin pebbled with gooseflesh and I shook my shoulders out as my body adjusted to the changing climate.

The air was thinner here, as if we’d risen in elevation. The treetops were so thick that the further into the forest we walked, the less light there was.

The leaves were a dark blue instead of the normal green I was used to, and the branches were a dark charcoal color. I heard no animals skittering about, but there were some sort of lightning bugs that glowed inside the trees. At least, that’s what I was telling myself those lights were.

---