Page 31 of Dragon’s Rebel

Chapter 14

Later that evening, Thorne was in fact in his lair, lying on a pile of gold. He wasn’t brooding, though.

He was thinking. Coolly, calmly and rationally. About the pros and cons of taking the serum. About alternate plans and scenarios. Risk assessments and cost/benefit evaluations.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

He didn’t even bother to deny it. He was thinking about Rebel. About almost losing her; about watching her struggle with her fear for her sister and her need to always control everything.

About her wild, wavy hair and her rare, flashing smile, and the scent of her skin. About how much he wanted to be a man again, and hold her in his arms.

Every cell in his body longed to bond with her.

his dragon said.

Yeah, Thorne replied. Try telling her that.

Right. Like that would solve anything. He’d done nothing for the last few weeks but try to give her gifts. The ones that ended up in the middle of the poker table.

You may not have noticed this, he said, but she hasn’t been especially impressed with any of the gifts we’ve given her so far.

I wish.

He wished a lot of things were different. He wished he’d been strong enough to throw off Vyrkos’ command, like the others had. He wished the serum wasn’t the only way for him to turn human again.

He wished like hell he’d somehow managed to convince Rebel to bond with him and his dragon. If his dragon had something—someone—tethering him, maybe when Thorne did take the serum, he wouldn’t get… suppressed.

He didn’t even want to think the other words, but they echoed in the back of his mind anyway. Eliminated. Obliterated.

Words with a hollow, final ring to them.

Easy for him to say. He was a dragon—he didn’t understand everything they’d read in the scientific reports. He just had an overwhelming belief in himself that Thorne envied.

Good thing you aren’t, Thorne said. Because I don’t see any other way out of this except taking the serum.

And you still think we can find a gift in here that will make that happen? You’re more of an optimist than I’ll ever be.

Thorne would have laughed at that, if he hadn’t been stabbed in the heart with the realization of how much he would miss his dragon if things went wrong.

So what’ll it be, o wise and wonderful dragon? he asked instead, looking around his lair. Gold everywhere, stacks and stacks of it, and none felt good enough for his mate. Gold crown? A necklace like Blaze’s? Hopefully you’re not thinking about that inlaid dagger over there, because she’ll probably stab us with it the next time she gets pissed off.

She was. Passionate and sexy, with that furious fire in her eyes.