Page 10 of Rejected By Dragons

King Zephyr himself scowled at me. Then he looked away. He gave his speech and shifted. His black, horned dragon rose into the air on a gust of wind called into being by his magic. He opened his mouth and breathed fire onto the line of tinder.

I sucked in a breath and blinked the smoke from my eyes. I walked forward.

The flames consumed me, and deep inside, there was a rustling of wings. I felt the hiss and the spark. I reached out for anything to hold on to. Around me, newly conjured dragons roared, until the air was rent with the beating of their wings, and still I remained, calling my own beast until I was hoarse, my fingers stiff and aching. The magical blaze couldn't hurt me, but it felt like it would sear me through. The stake I clung to turned red hot, my skin seared, and still I refused to move.

Finally, the Oracle herself took pity on me. She unleashed a torrent of wind that snuffed the fire out, leaving me there, covered in ash and destroyed in spirit.

What would my mother have thought of me? Would she have turned away like everyone else?

I dropped to my knees and sobbed.

"Ember..." Storm puts a hand on my shoulder.

I pull away. Flicking my gaze to his, I snap, "Don't."

We may share these precious moments together. He may fill a hole in my soul; deep inside I yearn for him and for the shred of completion I feel when I get to be with him.

But he can't be with me with me.

So he doesn't get to tell me what to do.

"I've felt her stirring," I tell him. Just the occasional hint. That warmth between my shoulder blades. That fire in my gut when the bullies dare to get too close.

His voice is low and soft. "That's what you said the last three times."

"Because it was true." The stirring is stronger now. I know it is. This is my chance.

"But what if it's not?"

He doesn't shout it. I almost wish he would. If he got mad, I could fight him. Instead, he just sounds...sad. And that makes this whole ordeal so much worse.

Sucking in a breath, I summon my resolve.

"I'm going to find her," I vow. My dragon is a part of me. I can't give up on her. I won't.

Because if I did...

I'd have to give up on myself.

Chapter Three

EMBER

"You're late."

I bite my tongue and put all my willpower into closing the front door of my aunt's house without slamming it. I toe off my shoes and grip the strap of my bag, hoping maybe I can hide the state of my clothes if I hold my hand over my chest just so. "Sorry," I call out.

I head up the half flight of stairs and into the kitchen, where my aunt Helena is waiting for me, her arms crossed.

Aunt Helena isn't an ugly woman, but she isn't an attractive one, either. If it weren't for the pictures of her with my mother, taken when they were children, I'd hardly know they were related. They have the same nose, I guess, and more or less the same pale coloring. My aunt's dark eyes have a hardness to them that mother's never did, though. She's bonier, too, her cheeks sunken in and her hands practically skeletal. Her once black hair has gone salt and pepper. Sometimes I wonder if that's how my mom's dark locks would look now, too.

Too bad I'll never know.

Aunt Helena takes one look at me, and a scowl twists her mouth. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" she asks, her voice harsh.

So much for keeping my altercation with Jasmine to myself.

"Nothing." I hate to lie, but she never listens to the truth.

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