by Katya Moore
Copyright © 2018 by Katya Moore
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
To my sister, for her love and support.
The world is better with you in it.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Newsletter and More
About the Author
Also by Katya Moore
Chapter One
Sia
I am the Shadow Queen.
I rule over all I survey. I am in command.
I am the balance between life and death.
I am a dragon.
I looked out over the conference table. I cleared my throat.
"So, umm, what exactly do we do to start one of these?" I asked meekly.
Elder Schulte closed her eyes and sighed. I swear I saw the lines on her weathered face grow a little deeper.
"You call the meeting to order and we begin, dear," Elder Meriwether said in a kind voice. She had too many years in politics to outright laugh at me, but I could see it in her eyes. Her blonde bob and serene smile were professional, politic… everything I was not.
"Oh." My face burned. "Right. I, um, call this meeting to order."
"Let's just start, shall we?" Schulte rumbled, then addressed the other Elders, conspicuously not looking at me. "We've got more missing dragons on our hands. Two scouts from the Proving Grounds, two of our finest. Ava Marsh and Lina Hearne." I swallowed hard at the name Hearne. Chase's little sister. "They've been officially missing for three days, but in the field for over a week. At first, we thought they'd just gotten on the trail of something and fallen silent, but they missed two check-ins and now we're concerned."
"What were they scouting for?" I asked, chewing my lip.
Schulte gave me an appraising look. Apparently, in the end, I was worth telling. "Standard patrol. They were checking the wards at the edges of the Proving Grounds perimeter, making sure nothing had been disturbed or stumbled across. We sent a second patrol to look for them and check the wards. Nothing was disturbed, but there were signs of a struggle not far from Mark Two-Twelve on the southern edge." She paused, her fists clenched. "This could indicate that they know the edges of our wards well enough not to disturb them, well enough to set an ambush and wait for them to be checked instead of attempting an assault on the wards themselves."
"What would happen if someone disturbed a ward?" I asked.
Elder Long spoke up. "Normal humans wouldn't even notice the wards. They'd just have an overwhelming, undeniable reason not to go in that direction. The Chosen of Apep can overcome that impulse, but tinkering with one of our wards would be lethal." She shrugged. "That said, suicide squads have been known to take out the occasional ward. But the results are explosive, both physically and magically. They would not go unnoticed."
I mulled that over. "So, sitting outside the edge and waiting to pounce is safer and less detectable."
"Precisely." Schulte raised a brow in reluctant approval. "But it also tells us that the grounds are less safe now. They may not know precisely where the Proving Grounds are. They may not even know what they are. But they have an idea that something big and draconic is in there, and they're working to find out what." She folded her hands in front of her. "I don’t need to tell you how catastrophic it would be if they found a way in. The teenaged children of all of dragonkind attend the Proving Grounds, and have for the past two hundred years. Their safety is paramount."
I took a deep breath. "You're worried the scouts will talk?" I had an uncomfortable flashback to the week prior, when Aric was tortured by the Chosen. He’d come back broken, battered, and near death. And he was a grown man. These girls… I hated to think of what they might be going through.
Schulte looked grim. "They're teenagers. They're some of our best recruits, but they're still teenagers. If they break, who knows what they'll give up."
"Sixteen and captured by the Chosen." Meriwether shook her head sadly. "I can't imagine what they're suffering right now."
I didn't want to imagine. I'd seen what they did to Aric, and they only had him for less than a day. My stomach lurched to contemplate what they could have done with more time.
"They might not even have to torture them," Long said absently, deep in thought. Her sepia-toned skin crinkled around her mouth as she pursed her lips. "Quinn Reinhart's report was disturbing. If they extract the essence from one of them, they might be able to recover enough memories to lead them straight through the wards. They'd also have the disguise they need to get past the guards."
Schulte nodded. "I'll give the order to detain either of the missing scouts if they are found walking around. We'll hold them in an offsite secure facility until we can determine whether it's truly them."
Elder Chang spoke up. "How will we determine if they're truly themselves? We haven't captured a dragon-shifted sorcerer alive yet. We don’t know how thorough that disguise is. How long it lasts. Whether there’s a way to determine the difference at all."
Long steepled her fingers in front of her mouth for a moment, deep in thought. "There are usually hints of residue on essence-shifted sorcerers. We can only hope there is something similar on the sorcerers using dragon essence. And essence shifts only last so long. A few hours at most. Holding them in a secure facility would be the best solution. If they don't shift back to humans within a day, chances are, they're the real dragons."
Schulte looked dissatisfied at that. "Dragon essence is already proving more potent. It imparts human form and half-dragon form. It imparts memories. How do we know that the effects won't last longer? Or be permanent?"
Long gave her a tired look. "The shifted sorcerer in Alpha Squad's headquarters reverted to his normal form after he was slain. It is not a permanent shift. And we are not going to hold innocent, traumatized, and injured dragons indefinitely to prove it to you."
"We're getting ahead of ourselves," Meriwether said with a dismissive wave. "We have to find them before any of this becomes relevant."
"And soon," I added.
Long gave me a kindly look. "I know you have a personal stake in this. We'll do our best to find Mr. Hearne's sister. Never you fear."
I gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you. I know that all of our resources are going toward finding them. I just..."
Schulte gave me a stern look. "You want to take a direct hand in it. Don't. You've been on the front lines far more than you should be of late. Stay with your..." She still couldn't bring herself to call them my mates. The disapproval was plain on her sour face. "Squad. Work with them and Alpha Squad. Get yourself in condition to rule." She frowned. "We need you. Like it or not."
I shot her a dour look. "Thanks. I'll get on that."
"Do." She looked at the others. "If we're done here, I need to get back to
the Proving Grounds. I want to oversee the search personally."
My expression softened. "Thank you."
Her eyebrow raised. "She may be your friend's sister, but she's my soldier. I don't leave my people in the lurch."
All eyes turned to me. I swallowed hard. Realization washed over me. Duty called.
"Umm, meeting adjourned."
"How'd it go?" Chase cornered me the second the last SUV pulled out of the driveway.
I rested a hand on his shoulder. Usually, he was the one comforting me after one of these meetings. "It went well. Elder Schulte is overseeing the search personally."
Chase frowned. "Which means she'll hunt them down and torture them to make sure they're not enemy agents." His steel blue eyes were almost black, dark like his mood.
I stroked his muscular shoulder. "No. No torture. They'll be held in a secure facility for a day to make sure they don't shift into sorcerers. And if there's any questioning to be done, I'll be there. Just like I did with Aric." I stepped in closer and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I'll make sure they treat her well. I promise."
"If they find her at all." Chase wrapped his strong arms around me and rested his forehead against the top of my head. His black hair mingled with my own. "I hate this. I hate being here, being so far away, being helpless." He growled softly. "I can't just stand around and do nothing."
I pressed my cheek against his chest. "If you need to go, I won't stop you. They've banned me from the area, but they can't stop you."
He harrumphed softly into my hair. "Yeah right. Just abandon you to Kane and the Alpha Squad for your training? Like I'd do that. Kane’s as likely to eat your face as train you, and you can’t be the queen without a face. I have a duty here, with you."
He had a point. Just last week, we'd shown the Elder Council that their golden boys, the Alpha Squad, weren't the paragons the Elders thought they were. The Alphas had stuck around to help train me, and to help around McKinnett's, but their pride still smarted. And I still didn't trust Kane or Dario. Selfish though it was, I didn't want Chase to leave. Not if it meant training with Kane.
"I can't hold you back from going to your sister. Seriously. It's important." I hoped I sounded more convincing than I felt.
Chase kissed the top of my head. "Schulte may not like me, but she likes Lina. She's top of her class right now at the Proving Grounds." He snorted softly, ruffling my hair. "She's everything I'm not, at least to my parents and the rest of dragon society. Fanatically devoted to the draconic traditions, a master of dragon combat, and above all, hangs on Elder Schulte's every word." His chest twitched in a humorless laugh. "My parents got it right the second time."
I poked him in the stomach. "Stop that. You're amazing and I won't hear anything else."
He kissed me, this time on the lips. "You're biased."
"With reason." I pulled away and clasped his hands in mine. His tanned skin made my hands look ghost white. "Think about it. I'll be okay if you need to go."
He nodded tersely, then released my hands. "We need to get to work. We've been slacking the past week with the move."
I looked around the foyer of our new home and sighed. The cleaning staff had done a masterful job of unboxing most of our stuff, but it still didn't feel like home. Not like McKinnett's or the Beauvais mansion had. Don't get me wrong, it was lovely. The walls were warm shades of ivory and gold. The woodwork was made of gleaming honey-colored gumwood. Polished brass accents shimmered in the light of an elaborate brass candelabra, lit with amber LEDs. It was warm. Welcoming. Everything the Beauvais mansion wasn't. But it was still unfamiliar, and would take getting used to.
"I'm not dressed for a workout," I hedged, running a hand over my dress slacks and long, unbound black hair. Having to dress up for the Elders was something else that was taking some getting used to. My entire life to this point, I’d lived in t-shirts, jeans, and a ponytail. Aric took it upon himself to drag me to some of the high-end shops on Copley Place in a Pretty Woman-esque attempt to refine my clothing choices. He also wanted an excuse to fool around in the changing rooms at Barney's. I now owned clothes with names I'd only heard of in pop songs and televison shows. Wearing them, I felt like I had to move extra carefully. The blouse I wore cost more than I earned at McKinnett's in a month.
"We can fix that. Go on. Get changed. I'll wait."
I harrumphed softly, then looked him over. He was tense, fidgety. He needs this more than me, I realized. "You bet. I'll meet you out back in five."
Chapter Two
"You feeling it yet?"
"No."
"How about now?" I pushed harder, straining my brain in the process.
Cass blew a lock of shaggy red hair out of his eye. "You’re feeling profoundly annoyed."
I gasped in excitement. "You felt it?"
Cass reached out and patted me on the hand. "I didn’t have to. You have a lousy poker face."
"Dammit!" I slumped on my bar stool. "This reverse empathy crap blows. What’s the point, anyway?"
Cass squeezed my hand and turned on Professor Mode. "You can project your emotions to alert your allies to threats. You can influence the minds of humans to aid you. You can strike terror into the hearts of your enemies. It’s a powerful tool." He smiled. "That’s why I’m working you so hard on it. I’m sorry you’re getting frustrated, but it’s important." He picked up my hand and kissed the palm of it. "If I could do it for you, I would, but only shadow dragons have this gift. You’re it, Sia."
"I know, I know." I growled under my breath. "I just feel like this stuff’s never going to come to me."
"Let’s take a break and work on something you’ve already got a handle on. A confidence booster." He slid off his stool and stood behind me, covering my eyes with his hands.
"Ooh. How the tables have turned. Usually, I’m blindfolding you." I grinned my most wicked grin. I could practically feel the blush on his face. I wanted to watch it light up his freckles.
"Later, my Queen," he whispered in my ear. A little thrill ran up my spine and down between my legs. "Now focus. Try to find Missi."
I reached out with my mind, wading through pools of random emotions in the crowd. Lust. Curiosity. Joy. Sorrow.
Deep, profound annoyance.
"There. She's coming out of the back with more glasses. She's annoyed at Dario because he didn't bring them up before he left." I opened my eyes. Missi had her death glare on, her short blonde curls a tangle, a rack of glasses propped on her slender hip. I hopped off my stool and ran over to take them from her.
Missi's glare turned into an eye roll when I latched onto the rack. "Come on, Queen of All Things Dragon. Don't even try it." She made a shooing motion with her fingertips. "I've got it." The rack slipped an inch. I caught it and gave a tug. She rolled her eyes again and released it, letting me carry it to the bar for her. "You're not a barback anymore, Sia. You don't have to haul our crap around."
I tucked the rack on the shelf behind the bar. "It makes me feel like I'm still part of things here. Let me help out now and then, okay?"
Her expression softened. She gave me a quick arm squeeze. "You'll always be a part of things here. You know that."
I shrugged, trying to swallow the lump that kept appearing in my throat every time I thought about the old days. Simpler times. "Doesn't mean I have to be a lazy part."
She chuckled. "Go molest that fine bunch of boys you hang out with and let me work, ya doofus. You can help me out by making Aric tip."
"Will do." I laughed and nudged her shoulder.
She paused. "Hey. About the others. Alpha Squad."
I frowned. I'd gotten Alpha Squad, the Elders' favored team of young, eligible dragons, demoted to backup tutors and part-time waitstaff for McKinnett's. Jared and Quinn had been good sports, and even seemed to enjoy their new jobs. Kane and Dario, on the other hand, had a look in their eyes that had me on edge.
"What have they done? Or not done?" I chewed my lip.
Missi looked shift
y for a moment.
"Missi..." I urged.
"You're... still not interested in any of them, right? Not adding them to the man-pile?" She studied her shoes intently.
My jaw dropped. "Whyyyy?" I asked, still urging her on.
"Cuz..." She blushed, a deeper shade than I'd ever seen on her.
"You're not serious."
She made a noncommittal noise.
"You're serious." My eyes widened. "Who? Which one?"
She fidgeted.
"More than one?"
"No!" She looked at me at last, an embarrassed smile on her face. "Maybe. I don’t know. And I'm not saying. You'll laugh at me."
"I'll laugh at you regardless. Alpha Squad? Really?" I rubbed my temples. "Just tell me it's not Dario."
She snorted. "Not a chance in hell."
"Thank god." I reached out and squeezed her arm. "Look, you've never given me shit for who I've dated..."
"You didn't date," she noted with a grin.
I ignored that very valid point. "And you have downright encouraged me to have my... current arrangement with the boys. I'm not going to get in your way."
She heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Sia. You're the best."
"And if they hurt you, I'll dragon out and devour them whole."
She laughed. "I believe it."
"Missi!" Kitty hollered from the other end of the bar. "Table two is giving me the eye. Get your ass in gear!"
"Yes'm!" She gave me a gentle punch on the arm and scampered off to her table.
I chuckled my way over to the boys.
"What's funny?" Cass asked as I sidled up to him and leaned on his arm.
