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"Then we have to protect her. I will do whatever I can to lead them in the wrong direction. You just make sure that you stay close to her at all times."
There was silence for a minute as I wondered why that man had shown up at the house. If he was looking for Scarlett, why wouldn't he have asked for her?
"That doesn't make any sense. Why would a stranger show up here looking for Scarlett? And why ask for Ruby instead?"
"I've been wondering the same thing. Maybe I'm wrong. How would he even know we were here?"
"That is a good question. What exactly do you know about this man?"
"Not much. I don't trust him. I'm not sure why Scarlett thought it was a good idea to listen to such a strange person."
"Well, I would agree with you but she took the chance and trusted me, so I can't exactly question her judgment."
Grayson grew quiet, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. The stranger he was talking about was someone he clearly had doubts about, and I wondered whether the man had been Samuel or could be connected to Samuel. There couldn't be very many men who walked around in black suits all the time. It couldn't be a coincidence that the man showed up right after Blaise had given me my orders. Or maybe it was more about Scarlett, but neither would explain how the man would know to look for her here.
Something told me that there was something more to the story about this man, but I wasn't going to push the topic. The visit from Damon had put me on edge. I knew it was only a matter of time before they figured out that Scarlett was here. If I had any chance of getting Scarlett to trust me completely, I would have to gain Grayson's trust first and I was the last person he would be willing to trust.
Chapter Thirteen
Grayson
"Thank you," I said, almost choking on the words.
Drako nodded in response. I looked over at Scarlett who was sleeping peacefully next to me and gave her a small smile before turning my attention back to Drako.
"I'm surprised," he began, "that you would come here of all places."
"It wasn't my idea," I replied. "As much as I hate to admit it, this is the only place she felt safe coming to."
He smiled sadly. "You could have left her with me," he offered.
"And leave her with someone I don't know? We can't risk being found out. How do I know you wouldn't have turned on her the second I was gone?" I asked him.
His eyes narrowed in thought for a moment. Then they snapped open wide, and he shook his head.
"I wouldn't do that to her. I know you don't believe me, but I do care about her. I wouldn't do anything that could get her hurt."
"They will kill you if they find out you helped us," I continued, "Why take the risk? You don't know us."
His expression softened slightly. "I know that," he said. He paused for a moment looking down at the floor. "It just felt like what I was supposed to do. My horde wasn't always like this. Things have changed since Blaise took over. We don't exactly see things the same way."
"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.
He looked up at me. "We used to be able to trust each other. The horde was an actual family before he took over. We depended on one another and helped each other. Now we're afraid to tell anyone anything because of what might happen. People turn on each other to prove their allegiance to the horde," he explained.
"How many of you are there now?" I asked.
"A couple of dozen."
I was stunned by his response. Their numbers had dwindled even more than ours had. Shadow Crest was once one of the biggest hordes I had ever seen. It was hard to believe that they had lost so many people. Abandoning a horde was rare for a dragon to do. It made me wonder just how bad things had gotten for the Shadow Crest Dragons.
"We have had some pack up and leave without a word," he admitted, sensing my disbelief.
"What about you? Would you leave too?" I asked, unsure of why I had even asked the question.
His eyes traveled around the room. They never really stopped searching the place. "I don't know. It's not something I've ever considered." His voice trailed off into silence once again.
"Do you think this will work?" I asked finally.
