by Donna Grant
She half expected someone from the council to be waiting when she returned. Thankfully, there wasn’t anyone. It felt like every eye in the city was on her, however. It was hard to ignore the feeling as she returned the mare to the stables, then gathered more food to take to Varek. She would have to face the council in the morning. She needed to be able to tell them something other than the fact that she’d found missing pages in the archives.
When she reached Varek’s cell, he was nowhere in sight. She said nothing as she set the food bag down, along with two jugs of wine—one for him, and another for her. She sat with her back against the bars and took a long drink of the alcohol.
“Either you trust me no’ to harm you, or you found something you didna like,” Varek said softly from behind her.
Jeyra didn’t turn to look at him. She stared at the flames from the torches along the wall, bathing the small area in a red-orange glow before the shadows took hold. It shocked her to discover that she wanted to talk to Varek about what she’d found. Despite him being the enemy.
Or maybe because of it.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he leaned back against the same bars, their shoulders side by side.
She turned her head to meet his gaze. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you look lost. I pushed you to search for things you were fine no’ knowing.”
“Maybe.” She looked forward and shrugged. “I got angry because I knew I should’ve already looked into all of it. The more I questioned myself about not searching for the answers, the less I could answer why I hadn’t.”
Varek uncorked the wine and drank deeply, the sound drowned out by the jingling of the chains. “You didna go looking because you were happy to be alive, glad to have someone who would look after you, and grateful that you could go on with your life.”
“I searched for Rankin today. I knew he was the only one I trusted to give me answers.”
“What did he say?”
“I couldn’t find him.” She swung her gaze to Varek once more. “I guess he’s away on some mission. When I couldn’t find him, I went to the library.”
Varek’s brows rose. “Did you find anything there?”
“Everything that happens with the council is written down for anyone to read. I found the book from the day the dragon attacked. Pages were missing.”
A frown marred Varek’s brow. “Missing? As in someone took them?”
“No one is supposed to do that. It’s a law.” But the words no longer held the meaning they once had. It could be because she had broken the law to trap Varek. Whatever the reason, the words sounded silly even to her ears.
“Is there no one else you can ask?”
Jeyra shook her head. “Our city is run by a council of five, each from the different districts that make up the city. They’re elected officials who hold an obscene amount of power. Their words are law, and they’re the ones who make sure our laws are upheld at all costs. I’ve never been good at navigating politics. To me, a person is only as good as their word, and that has to be earned.”
Varek grinned. “I agree with that.”
She hated the kindness in his eyes and the partial blame she saw in the dark depths. “I could be making more of this than there really is.”
“You could be, but if all you’ve told me is true, why are there pages missing from the archive?”
“Specific to the day the dragon came,” she added, then shrugged. “My accounting, as well as Rankin’s, is gone. I was so young, and in shock, I can’t remember the entire ordeal, but I know we were there for a long time. There should be a lot more recorded in the book for that day.”
Chapter Ten
The uncertainty and turmoil on Jeyra’s face gave Varek pause. He’d intended to push her for the answers she couldn’t give him. Now, he wondered if he had gone too far. The fire he’d seen in her eyes—and in her very being—was dimmed. And he didn’t like it.
They sat in silence for almost an hour. Varek let her be while his thoughts rushed through his mind. Just a little while ago, he’d been anxious for her to leave so he could call Death and the Reapers to free him. Then, Varek decided to wait and find out what she discovered because he wanted to know the answers, too. Especially why bairns continued showing up in this realm.
It was possible the dragons knew. Varek could barely contain his excitement at the prospect of finding the other dragons. He had a feeling they might be the descendants of the very dragons they had sent over the dragon bridge from Earth. Which meant Con and Rhi’s twins led them—or so Erith had said. Varek wanted to find out for himself.
His gaze moved to Jeyra. But he also wanted to solve the issues here with her. No doubt Merrill would laugh his arse off if Varek ever told him that. Merrill would tell him that Jeyra would sooner skewer him than help, so why should Varek help her? It was a valid question, and one Varek could only answer with: Because I want to.
She had been his only contact since waking in this new realm. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was the man who had brought him the stool and bucket of water. The male had said nothing to Varek, which meant his only communication had been with Jeyra. What she lacked in interviewing skills, she more than made up for in her passion for justice for herself and her people.
His gaze lingered on her red hair. He wondered what it would look like in the sunlight. No doubt he’d see strands of burnished gold mixed with the various crimson hues. Just as he knew he’d see flecks of gold in her eyes if he got close enough.
But getting near her would tempt him to taste her lips, to bring her supple body against his. To bury himself deep inside her.
She was an exquisite warrior who stirred him like no one before. He could sense her anguish and confusion. The need to reach his hand through the bars and touch her arm was great. They already sat so closely their shoulders would brush if it weren’t for the metal bars separating them. Would she jerk away in disgust? Or would she seek more of his touch?
The need that rushed through him like molten fire startled Varek. He was well acquainted with lust. This was something deeper, something…more. If they had met in different circumstances, he would’ve pursued her. Varek would’ve used every ounce of charm to seduce and woo her because the attraction that drew him was voracious, the craving ravenous.
Varek pushed through the fog of his body’s hunger lest he do something foolish. As he stared at Jeyra, he began to wonder why the council, as she’d called them, had ordered her in particular to interrogate him. Was it because they wanted her to use her feminine wiles? No, he didn’t think that was the case. Jeyra was a warrior. And while she could use seduction, she didn’t seem the type to do that. So, why her?
Before he could ask, she got to her feet and walked away without a word. Varek followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight. Now was the time for him to try and call Death or any of the Reapers. And yet, he didn’t.
If Merrill were there, he would’ve punched Varek in the arm and asked him if he was daft. Maybe he was, but Varek wanted to stick around long enough to see if Jeyra found out anything.
“If she even tells me,” he murmured.
Then there was the fact that Erith might not be able to hear him. Did he really want to wait until the last moment to discover that? He had latched on to the idea of Reapers helping him, but if they couldn’t, then he would have to come up with another plan.
Varek released a long breath. “Erith,” he said.
He had never called to the goddess before. For all he knew, whatever was being done to hinder his magic or the ability to shift might also affect his call going out through the cosmos to reach Death.
“Bloody hell,” he said and bent his knees as he dropped his head back against the bars.
The hours dragged on. He dozed when he could, but for the most part, he remained awake, going through the pieces of the puzzle that lay before him, waiting to be put in order. If he could stand, he would’ve paced. Varek hated that he was confined
to such a prison that didn’t allow him much movement unless he was on his knees. That was done on purpose, of course, but it made him hate it all the more.
Boredom was the hardest thing to handle. He couldn’t go into dragon sleep to speed up time. All he could do was think, watch, and wait. If he had to fight his way out without any magic, he could do it. He knew how to battle without magic. And he would, without hesitation.
The minute he heard the door to the dungeon open, he listened for Jeyra’s footsteps. It wasn’t long before she appeared with more food in hand. She sat near the bars and placed the breakfast through them to his side. Varek made his way to her. They ate without speaking.
Only when they finished did she say, “The council is expecting me. I need to give them something about you.”
He was shocked that she would tell him such a thing. Was it a ruse? He wasn’t sure, and until he knew, he wouldn’t give her anything that could hurt him. There was, however, much he could tell her. “Dragons mate for life.”
“Really?” she asked, surprise in her gaze. “How do you know you’ve chosen the right one? Or that the right one chose you?”
“For a dragon, we know. Here,” he said and touched his chest. “From what my friends have told me, it’s as insistent as when the magic tells us we’re to be the next Dragon King.”
She didn’t ask for more. Jeyra gave him a nod and stood before walking out. He hated that she had to leave, but he knew she would return. Sure enough, a few hours later, she was back. But she didn’t ask about him. Instead, she talked aloud about her theories on how and why someone would take the pages from the archive, who might want whatever was said that day to go away, and where else she might look.
He listened and interjected when he had something to add. He posed questions of his own, turning her onto thought paths she hadn’t imagined yet. She sat, she paced, she leaned against the bars, but it seemed she was becoming accustomed to being near him. No longer did she hold herself so stiff. Now, more often than not, she was near the bars, which meant she was near him.
And he liked that. A lot.
Their day always ended with her sitting in silence, deep in thought. Then she would rise and leave, only for all of it to start over again the next day. It continued for eight days while she uncovered more pieces of the puzzle—and he put his together.
Varek was acutely aware that Erith had yet to respond to his call, but during that time, he learned more about Jeyra and Orgate. Namely that she had no one she could trust. Which made him wonder once more why she was the one questioning him. That was the most significant missing piece of his puzzle, but he was close to figuring it out.
On the ninth day, when the dungeon door opened, it wasn’t Jeyra’s footsteps he heard, but that of the man who had visited before. Varek didn’t move from his position as the man approached without looking in his direction.
The jingle of the dungeon’s keys in the male’s hand sounded. Varek briefly considered rushing him. Tackling the man so Varek could escape. But he knew that precautions had no doubt been put in place for just such an endeavor. He didn’t mind letting them think he was beaten and wouldn’t fight. That way, when the time came for him to flee, it would be a surprise.
The man blew out a loud breath, his gray eyes swinging to Varek before lifting a brow. “Come,” he said gruffly.
Varek hesitated before crawling toward the door that now stood open. When he reached it, he was able to get to his feet when the man took a step back to give him room to duck beneath the metal arch. Then, to Varek’s utter astonishment, the man unlocked the manacles around his wrists. The thick chains dropped to the ground, but the male didn’t pick them up. He did toss Varek a shirt before he shoved him backwards into the cell and then slammed the door.
Varek hit the low ceiling as he stumbled back. He dropped to his knees to stop the momentum and looked at the brown shirt. It was sleeveless, had a V-neck collar, and was made of a simple material that had seen better days.
Varek slipped his arms through the openings and pulled it over his head. It was too snug in the chest, the seams stretching precariously. He shrugged and dusted his hands on his jeans, and immediately tried his magic. He clenched his teeth when nothing happened, but he wasn’t giving up.
Over the past several days, he had come to realize that Jeyra liked schedules. She came around the same time—about the time he heard the guards moving down the corridor—stayed the same amount, and always had food to share. As the time wore on, and the hour when she should’ve been there passed, he grew concerned that something might have happened to her while digging into the past. If someone had gone to such lengths to remove pages from the archive, it was because they wanted to keep something hidden. He hadn’t needed to tell her that. Jeyra had said so herself.
But Varek had watched humans for centuries. He knew how devious they could be. That was true for any species. He didn’t know if one person or a group had taken the pages. And if the accounts were missing, what else had been hidden? And when? More importantly, was Jeyra being used now?
Varek couldn’t shake that thought. It made sense. She had seen the dragon who killed her family. For years, she had held hatred in her heart for dragons and especially the Dragon Kings. Not that he blamed her. She had been one of those who had brought him to the dungeons, and then she had been the only one to question him before going to the council with information. Now, she was looking into the past.
Either Jeyra was deceitful in a big way, or she was being used. Or set up. All three possibilities were feasible. Varek could make an argument for—and against—each one. Which made it nearly impossible for him to figure out which one it was.
The fact that his chains had been removed didn’t sit well with him. Were they trying to get him to escape? To force him to show how untrustworthy Dragon Kings were? Or were they attempting to prove something else?
“Fuck,” Varek said as he ran a hand down his face.
He smiled now that the chains didn’t rattle and clank every time he moved his arms. It felt good to have the manacles gone, even if it meant he needed to be more wary of everyone and their motives.
Varek lay back on the ground and laced his hands behind his head. He thought of the dragons on the realm Jeyra had told him about as he opened the mental link. Then, he said, “I’m Varek, King of Lichens. I was pulled from Earth to this realm without my knowledge. I’m being held prisoner, unable to use magic or shift to get free. Can anyone hear me?”
He held his breath as he waited for a dragon to answer him. But as the seconds ticked by with nothing but silence, he had his answer. Whether that meant his message hadn’t reached the dragons, or that none were on this realm, he couldn’t be sure.
Yet.
Varek dragged in a ragged breath as another option was removed from the table. With his chains gone, at least that was one obstacle out of his way. A time would come when they took him out of the dungeon. And when they did, he would attack anyone who stood in his way to freedom. He didn’t need a weapon. He had millions of years of training to call on. The humans holding him could do nothing to stop him.
He’d let them continue believing that he had given up and accepted his Fate. That only played to his advantage.
Chapter Eleven
She would have to make a decision soon. For over a week, Jeyra had been giving the council just enough to keep them happy, but she would be forced to provide them with more soon. She had a lot of information from Varek that others would want to know. She hadn’t divulged any of it, and she wasn’t sure what she planned to do with all of it.
On the one hand, she knew firsthand just how ferocious dragons were.
On the other, she had few facts to support the things she had believed for most of her life.
She was questioning everything now, and that put her in a precarious position.
As she stood before the council, staring at the five of them as they whispered amongst themselves, covering their mouths so she couldn�
��t read their lips, all she could think about was that she didn’t know any more now than she had the first time she went looking for the truth, even after eight days of searching for answers. And that frightened her.
Jeyra glanced out one of the windows and noticed that she had already been in the council’s chambers longer than usual. She wasn’t sure how she felt about admitting to herself that she was anxious to get back to Varek. He was supposed to be the enemy. It was peculiar that he had become a confidante of sorts.
The longer the council took, the more irritated Jeyra became. It was all she could do not to tap her foot, clear her throat, or outright ask them to get on with things so she could continue her day. Doing any of that would put her out of favor immediately. The council had too much power. They had the ability to ruin everything, including her capacity to earn a wage. No one should have that kind of influence.
She shifted her feet and wondered what Varek thought of her tardiness. Then she inwardly snorted because it wasn’t as if he had any concept of time in the dungeon. Then again, he was a Dragon King. There was much about him she didn’t know. She was the only one who brought him food, and if she didn’t go, he wouldn’t eat.
At one time, that wouldn’t have bothered her. But since she had gotten to know him, she found it distressed her. His wounds were healing, albeit slowly. The magic within him wasn’t able to repair his injuries, which meant that it couldn’t ensure he didn’t die of starvation. Not that missing one meal would do him much harm. Still, she wanted to get to him.
Mostly, she wanted to tell him what she had discovered after leaving him the previous day. If she had thought she could go into the council, give them a tidbit of information, and then walk out like before, she was wrong.
