Page 60 of Rejected By Dragons

The best. I refuse to believe that what she's implying could be true.

She's undeterred. "Many Shadow Dragons were."

"There has to be some kind of mistake." I curl my fingers around the edge of the bracer, planning to tear it off. But when I try, bright bursts of pain shoot down my arm. I look up at Rhiannon with wide eyes.

"Magic like this doesn't make mistakes."

As right as it felt to put this bracer on, panic starts clawing at me now. It's one thing to feel drawn to a magical object--to feel like it's crafted for you and you alone. It's another thing entirely to not be able to take it off.

"How am I going to be able to take a shower?" I moan, because clearly that's the biggest worry I have to face right now. But all I can think about is that time I broke my leg when I was eight and had to wear a cast for a couple of weeks. It itched so much.

"You'll learn to control it over time." She says it like it's obvious, and I guess that for someone who deals in magical items, maybe it is. "Right now, though? With your heart racing? When you're trying to reject your destiny?"

"I don't have a destiny," I argue.

Deep down, though, I can't help but wonder if at least some small part of what she's saying might be true.

"You arrived in this town mere weeks before dignitaries from the Stone and Fire Kingdoms are set to descend. The Shadow Queen's bracer called to you."

"Coincidence?" I wince. Even I know that's a stretch.

"You have a destiny, Ember." She darts her gaze off somewhere in the distance. "Once the Fire and Stone princes arrive, perhaps we'll find out exactly what it is."

* * *

I sleep like absolute crap that night. The bracer on my forearm doesn't bother me, physically. It doesn't itch like a week-old cast or impede my movements. If anything, it shifts and molds to my skin, becoming softer and more comfortable.

I still can't get the damn thing off, of course.

My efforts to remove it are half-assed, though. Not being able to take it off makes me feel trapped and claustrophobic. But deep down, it's not as if I want to let it go. It still feels like mine--almost like a part of me. A part of me I didn't know that I was missing until it snapped itself onto my arm.

Kind of like my dragon. She hasn't asserted herself again, but she's definitely there, floating at the edge of my awareness.

At dawn, I give up on sleep. As I soak in the shower, trying not to be annoyed that I can't scrub about a third of my arm, I make a mental note to find out everything I can about Unity's upcoming Emergence ceremony. If I'm ever going to summon my dragon for real and finally shift, it's got to be now--right?

I finish up my shower, towel off and get dressed. My head is still in the clouds as I head downstairs.

Where I find Amy, standing by the counter, eating a bowl of cereal like it's a normal day.

She takes one look at me and does a double-take. "Holy shit."

I blink a couple of times myself, confused. Then I remember my awesome new accessory. "Yeah, uh."

Shit--how am I going to explain this? Oh, it's no big deal, just some super powerful mythical Shadow Dragon artifact that grabbed my arm. Oh, and by the way, now your mom thinks I'm going to bring peace to dragon kind.

I really, really need coffee before I can deal with this. Amy's standing between me and the pot, though. I wring my hands, which probably just draws more attention to the enormous black cuff on my arm.

Then Amy smiles. She sets down her bowl and claps her hands. "I love it."

"You do?"

"I've been waiting for you to show some kind of personal style. You know, other than 'recovering from being temporarily unhoused'."

"Oh. Um..."

"This is perfect for you."

I glance down at myself, still not getting it. I'm wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt. I tucked in the hem and put on a cool, studded belt, but other than that I just look normal.

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