I pointed to a small boulder near the fire for her to sit on while I took a seat near our items. I’d debated, during our walk here, whether I would tell her the truth or not. At this stage, I’d already crossed the line. There was nothing more I could lose. Now was the time. “I’m not Nodoorian, Lila.”
She raised a brow but didn’t look surprised.
I decided to continue before pressing her on how she had guessed. “I’m Prinathian. I came here undercover.”
This time knowledge did betray her eyes as they shifted to relief.
“I was sent here to uncover secrets from our enemies. I used the cave to communicate with my people through telepathy. My captain is an alpha, and he claimed me so that we could stay in communication. Only it began fading a while back until I couldn’t reach him at all and vice versa.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You willingly let an alpha claim you?”
I nodded, unbothered. I trusted my captain. “I’ve known him for years. When we first met, I was enslaved myself. Dragons, as we discussed, are coveted. He helped release me and kill those who held me. From then on, I joined his city and devoted my allegiance to the Prinaths. I had no other home. A few of us in his squad are misfits, I suppose.”
She pressed her lips together, shaking her head in disbelief. Even more curious.
I brought my brows down in annoyance. “Do you not believe me, Lila?”
“By any chance, do you know a Yosef and Xander?”
I stiffened, a surge of odd hope swelling within me. While my squad was the most well-known, I couldn’t take it as coincidence that she specifically named the two closest people to me. “Yes, they are my fellow soldiers and friends. You know them?”
She lowered her head, letting out a breath. “I was staying with them. I was actually with Zelda when I was kidnapped.”
I instantly thought of Zelda. Her friendly face, comforting words, and excellent cooking. If she was with Lila during the attack, was she still alive? “How is she?”
“She was knocked unconscious, but I moved her to safety, and she’s okay.”
How could anyone harm Zelda? I wanted to find the fae that did it and rip his heart out.
Lila tilted her head, considering me with questioning eyes. “You look pissed off. You cared about her. This is unbelievable. What are the odds that Yosef and Xander would talk to me about their friend Luca who has gone M.I.A., and then I get kidnapped and basically led right to him? That’s crazy, right?”
It was odd, but I was one to believe in meaning in the world. “The fates have brought you into my world for a reason. Perhaps to link you to your dragon kind.”
Lila scoffed. “By way of dropping me off in Prinath? I was sent to this world by a dark wizard. I’m quite sure he meant to grab me here, but I’ve been effectively evading his capture. I know now that wizard sent me to the fae realm because he had allies, and he knew I’d be stuck.”
“But what would be the connection for you and me? The dragon connection?”
Lila looked away, staring into the water with tired eyes. “Maybe because we’re both claimed by Yosef.”
She moved her shirt away from the bend of her neck. “I have a bite here, but it’s covered by magic. If I drop it, I don’t think I can cover it again until my magic returns. Unless you can.”
I stood up and crouched down in front of her. I hadn’t cared before when she mentioned it because I thought it was from some ass I didn’t know, but now I needed to see it. I touched the area and concentrated. A red light shimmered under my fingers, and when I removed them from her skin, I saw the tell-tale bite scar.
I had a similar scar on my left shoulder, which I had glamoured. I dropped the magic and displayed it to her. I was surprised she had allowed Yosef to claim her. It seemed against her temperament. Were they lovers?
Probably sensing the questioning look in my eyes, she continued talking. “It wasn’t what I wanted. But like I said before, he got carried away.”
That seemed very unlike Yosef. He was the most in control out of the three of us. Lila was mesmerizing, but could her beauty and aura have entranced Yosef in such a way?
“I can see you don’t believe me,” she stated with a shrug. “We had a love-hate relationship. Before I was kidnapped, it was still all hate on my part. Still, Xander and he have protected me all this time.”
She went on to tell me about who she really was, her time in Prinath, and that she was glamoured to look more fae. She chuckled to herself. “You might not like what the real me even looks like.”
I doubted that. Xander and Yosef found her intriguing, and I was already invested in her. If she looked even half as beautiful as she did now, I’d be happy with that. “You went through a lot. Have you told Yosef you’re with me?”
She nodded. “Telepathically. But we weren’t certain you were one and the same.”
“Your bond is fresh; there’s a good chance they could find us even cloaked. Well, the location, anyway. I’m assuming they are both frantically looking for you?”
