AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grabbed my discarded clothes, put them on along with my shoes, and ran down the trail. I took the main one all the way to the caravan, but she wasn’t there. Circling back, I retraced my steps, stopping where the trail intersected with the one leading to the mine. Vortigern’s energy piqued, and I felt my skin begin to crawl.
“Show me where she’s at, you fucking bastard,” I yelled into the dark sky. The first drops of rain started to fall. I let the red dragon’s instinct take over, and I hurried along the dirt path until I came to the clearing and the mine shaft.
My heart stopped.
Another decimated bull lay off to the side.
The Dearg Due was here.
Vortigern reared up. He would be hard to control this close to his lair. “Show me where she is?”
My head turned to the opening of the shaft.
She was down there.
I grabbed the rope and turned backward, lowering myself down until I reached the bottom.
She was crouched off to the side, hiding behind a stack of gold bars. The light of the torch highlighted the area around her in a pale halo.
“Navy, it’s me. It’s okay, darling,” I called out, my voice echoing off the walls.
“Stay the fuck away from me.”
“Navy.”
“Don’t come any closer,” she shouted.
“I know you’re scared. I saw the bull, too, but I promise you’re safe now. Nothing is going to hurt you.”
“What did you do to her?” she screamed.
“Who?”
“Bryn Lloyd.”
“Navy, what are you talking about?” I slowly made my way closer to her.
“Don’t come any closer. Please don’t come any closer.”
“Okay. I’m not coming any closer. Tell me what’s happened.”
“Bryn Lloyd’s backpack is down here. It’s down in this fucking mine. Where is she?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, darling.”
She slowly stood up, shining the beam of light from the torch toward me.
Her hand covered her mouth as a bone-chilling scream filled the mine, and she fell to her knees, the torch clattering to the dirt floor.
“What are you? What the fuck are you?”
My hand went to my face, feeling the hard scales.
God dammit.
“Navy, I can explain. Listen to my voice. It’s me, Rhys, I won’t hurt you.”
She curled herself into a ball, wrapping her arms around her legs.
