Reaching for my sword, I turn and level my gaze on the dragon. “You,” I hiss.
It arches its neck and hisses right back at me.
But then it does something unexpected: It drags its wounded body in front of mine, turning to face my pursuers.
Almost like it’s…protecting me.
The Mouren officer reaches us a moment later, panting slightly. After catching his breath, he straightens, his eyes darting between me and the dragon. “I knew it.”
“Knewwhat?” The words come out in a strangled whisper. The sense of dread inside me is growing, clawing its way from the pit of my stomach up into my lungs.
The officer’s eyes remain locked on me, but his next words are spoken to the group of soldiers who’ve just caught up to us and are looking to him, awaiting orders.
“Seize her,” he growls. “She returns to the capital with us.”
The capital.
I’d rather he kill me here and now.
“You can’t do this!” I cry.
“Actually, I can,” the officer calmly replies. “Because you are officially under arrest for the forging of a dragon bond.”
Chapter Seven
Once, on a hot summer day shortly after Emberfall, I returned from a job to find a gang of men defacing the memorial stones we'd started to set in place.
They'd laughed as they dug them up and flung them around, whooping and howling as they stole offerings left by mourners, as they challenged each other to break as many things as they could. Five of them, each probably double my size. Each one of them armed and filthy and reckless in the wild, despairing way that people with nothing to live for often are.
Even Briar had begged me not to pick a fight with them.
I still vividly remember the feel of my knife sinking into the first one. How surprisingly deep I'd been able to slam it into his stomach. The way he'd bellowed as I twisted my blade, Briar screaming as the other men grabbed me and threw me down, pinning my body to the ground and threatening to do horrific things to it.
Most of what followed is a blur. I'd eventually blackedout, and I'd been lucky after that; some of our allies from the Burn heard Briar's screaming and came to our rescue.
But as I'd sat there, coming back to my senses while blood dripped down my face, I hadn't felt lucky.
I'd feltfurious.
The angriest I ever remember feeling.
It doesn't compare to the rage that burns through me now, the stabbing hatred that rips through me whenever I look at the dragon. The dragon that is currently backing closer to me, cowering like a kicked dog against my legs.
What have you done, you stupid creature?I want to shout.
Because this whole ordeal is its fault.
It led these bastards straight to us.
“There is no bond between us,” I snap at the officer, at the dragon, at anyone within a mile radius—that's how loud I am. I want the whole damn empire to hear my fury.
“No dragon would protect a human unless there was something supernatural at work,” the officer counters. “And if you really aren't doing something to encourage that bond, then that makes things evenmoreinteresting, doesn't it?”
“Itdoesn't,” I say through gritted teeth.
“I suspect the king will disagree with you,” the officer says, bluntly, motioning his followers into action.
They take care of the dragon first.
