Page 11 of Dragon’s Rebel

Chapter 5

Thorne circled around the office building for what felt like the hundredth time, his huge wings effortlessly catching an updraft and soaring high above the ground. It was a brand-new tower in a suburb of Tacoma, surrounded by smaller buildings and a green gated campus that looked pretty and innocent, even in the dark of night.

But if Gen-X was involved, it was anything but innocent.

And his Destined Mate was in there alone, because he couldn’t shift and go with her.

His dragon hated that with all his being. Of course, if his dragon had his way they’d lock Rebel in their lair and not let her out until she agreed to be their mate.

There were days when Thorne was seriously tempted.

He circled again. Rebel? he called in his mind. She didn’t answer. He didn’t know if she couldn’t hear him, or she just didn’t want to.

She was probably ignoring him. She always thought she could do everything herself.

As he had so many times over the last few weeks, he wondered why the hell the ancient Draken Arkyld had entrusted the Seals to humans in the first place. They kept dying, for one thing, so they had to pass the Seals down from one generation to the next.

And of course they’d lost them. At least Blaze’s had been tattooed on, so she couldn’t lose it, although she hadn’t known what it was.

The other two had no clue about theirs. In the careless way humans had, their ancestors had mislaid the Seals and then just gone about their business.

his dragon said.

Stop being reasonable, Thorne growled. I’m busy blaming people. It makes me feel better.

He had to get his ability to shift back. Proud as he was of his Draken form, there were things it just couldn’t do.

What the hell do you know about storming castles? You’ve never even seen a castle.

his dragon said smugly.

Not if we destroy the building with her inside it, Thorne said. Also, we’re looking for a serum. As in, a delicate substance in a fragile glass vial—which don’t really do so well when tons of rubble comes crashing down on them. Besides, those were movies. Dragons probably never stormed castles in this world.

Thorne sighed mentally. His dragon was getting stronger, the longer he remained in this form. More unmanageable, with too many damned ideas.

the dragon went on,

He had a point there.

Sinuous tail? That was supposed to be a selling point?

Thorne said, You do get that human women don’t typically fall in love with people because they have snaky tails?

Doubtful. Nonetheless, Thorne twisted his head to look at his tail. It was almost twenty feet long, covered with midnight-blue scales that shaded to black on the underside. Supple and strong, with wicked barbs every few feet that could punch a hole in a steel-bodied 1957 Cadillac. Which had totally been an accident.

It had taken a couple of serious memory-blurring spells to make the humans who owned the car forget how that had happened.

You’re completely imagining the awe, Thorne said. And she is not in love with us. Or our tail.