Page 38 of Reluctant Rebel

“Apparently, your death isn’t the best-kept secret we thought it was,” she revealed.

“What do you mean?” Sabre demanded in a rush.

“Dendey.” Jinx dropped the name like a bomb. “He’s in the Forbidden Forest. He wants a word with the King. Not Brax. The King that’s supposed to be dead but isn’t.”

“The fuck?!” Sabre snarled, palming a blade. The leather grip of the handle squeaked as she practically crushed it. “I’m going to rip out his entrails.”

“Hold up,” Mikhail commanded, grabbing her shoulder. “Before we agree on evisceration, we need more information.” He looked at Jinx. “Jinx, can you start at the beginning?”

“Dendey flew in. We insulted one another. He told me he knows you’re alive and has information for you. He’s waiting for another …” she looked at the time on her phone, “… thirty-five minutes. Then he’s gone.”

Sabre looked at him worriedly. “How does he know you’re here, Mikhail?”

“I don’t know. But he came to one of the camps over a year ago and spoke with me as Hound,” Mikhail revealed, his mind whirling. “And then again a few months ago, just before I went to Sydney. He gave no indication of knowing my true identity.”

“He placed emphasis on the fact that he’s a dragon,” Jinx offered.

And just like that, a lightbulb went on inside his skull. He groaned, palming his face and wondering how he could have been so stupid.

“What is it?” Sabre asked. “You’ve thought of something.”

“Dendey is a dragon,” Mikhail uttered, peeking through his fingers.

Sabre harumphed. “We’ve established that.”

Mikhail poked at his own eyes. “He must have the gift of the dragon’s eye. He can see through glamours!” he exclaimed loudly.

Sabre’s mouth closed with a snap. She looked more pissed off than before. “That’s not a thing. The Dragon Eye isn’t real.”

“It is,” Mikhail insisted. “Father told me about it. It’s rare, but some powerful dragons develop it as they age.”

“It’s a myth,” Sabre maintained stubbornly.

“Like my ability to open portals is a myth? Or Brax’s exoskeleton?” He dared her to dispute those little facts.

She grumbled for a second before relenting. “Fine. Dendey, the dragon merc, has mystical eyes that can see through all magicks. He must have seen right through your Hound façade.”

“But if that’s true, it means he knew who you were all that time,” Jinx chimed in. “Why didn’t he say anything? The guy is a jerk, right? Why would he keep your secret?”

“Good question. Let’s go ask him,” Mikhail said darkly.

15

“Why the fuck are you naked?!” were the first words out of Mikhail’s mouth when he spotted Dendey. He jumped in front of Jinx, blocking her view.

“I flew here,” came the bored reply. “No clothes.”

“Don’t move,” Sabre warned. She raised her bow, a steel-tipped arrow already knocked. “If you so much as twitch, I’ll give you a new pee-pee hole.”

“You really are delightful company, aren’t you?” Dendey said, sarcasm thick in his voice.

Sabre pulled the string back. “You bet.”

“I have infor—” Dendey began, only to be cut off by Mikhail.

“Cover yourself. Then we’ll talk.” There was no way he would allow Jinx to be in the presence of a naked, virile predator.

Dendey rolled his eyes, no easy feat when your eyes were reptilian, before covering his crotch with his hands. “This is pointless, given the lovely tiger and I were both naked here less than an hour ago.”

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