Page 97 of A Lick of Flame

I gasp because I can see her breasts and her…all of her. I can see all of it.

“Is there a way I can be of service, Sire? Name it.”

“Stop with the traps, Bellatrix. I can see right through them all.”

“Oh, you are no fun.” She huffs, her dress solidifying again. “How can I help?”

“We need to break a tether. Maya accidentally bonded with a dragon whelp,” Orion says, sounding bored.

The witch’s eyes flare with interest. “A human…really? Oh, Maya, you are naughty.” She looks at me with confusion in her stare. Like she is sizing me up. “Are you sure she is tethered…to a dragon?” She looks me over again. “I don’t see how it is possible.” She keeps looking me up and down like she can’t find what it is she is looking for, but is trying anyway.

“Yes,” Orion says. “Very sure. Maya has the mark of her dragon on her shoulder. The tether is there. We need you to tell us how to break it, please.”

Bellatrix looks me up and down again. She scratches her chin. “Give me your hand.” She holds out her own hand, palm up.

I look at Orion, who nods once. He is scowling.

I put my hand into Bellatrix’s, noting how cold and bony her fingers feel. She closes them around mine, her grip tight. For a moment, I feel a strange sensation, like electricity coursing through my veins, and then she lets go as if she has been bitten. She even staggers back, clutching her hand against her body.

Her face has turned ashen. “Go!” She points at the door, which appears and opens at the bottom of a long hallway. “Go now! You cannot be here.”

“You said you would help,” Orion barks.

“Go away!” Bellatrix yells. “There is nothing I can do for you. The tether is unbreakable; you are wasting your time. You have no idea, do you?” She starts laughing like a crazy woman.

“No idea about what?” I ask.

Bellatrix’s hand slices through the air with a sharp whoosh, and suddenly, we are being propelled backward by an unseen force.

“Go!” she roars, her voice echoing down the dark hallway.

No matter how much I brace myself and push back against the unrelenting pressure, we are still swept along like leaves in a strong wind. Our feet stumble and slide against the polished floor as we struggle to keep our balance. We stagger down the hallway. Before long, we’re pushed out of the door, which seals tightly behind us. We’re left standing in the clearing in front of the tree, where Xander and Thesha are still waiting.

“What happened?” Xander asks.

“Is it done?’ Thesha asks. “Did she help you?” she asks me.

“No,” I say.

“What was that?” Orion yells. “Let us in. Hey! Bellatrix!” He bashes his fists against the trunk, but to no avail.

“Orion,” I say, touching his arm. “It won’t do any good.”

“She’s a meddling, good-for-nothing—” he growls, giving the bark one last slap before turning to me.

“She was afraid,” I tell him. “Didn’t you see it? Up until she took my hand, you’re right, she was trying all of the tricks – although I didn’t see it until right now, but that’s not the point. The point is that as soon as she took my hand, she got scared.”

“Why?” Orion asks.

“I don’t know.” I shrug.

“What now?” Xander asks.

Orion looks up. “We get the hell out of here. This forest is no place for us. Not at night.”

“I think you are right,” Thesha says; her eyes have gone wide as she stares around us.

The horses are snorting and prancing. They want nothing more than to leave this terrible place.

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