Page 51 of Fated By Fire

Elena’s still unconscious, her face pale in the moonlight. I lift her carefully, noting how small she feels in my arms now, and carry her inside. The cabin is sparse but comfortable—a living area with a fireplace and bed against the wall, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. I lay her on the bed, pulling a blanket over her.

“What am I going to do with you?” I murmur, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

The answer, of course, is complicated. She’s seen too much. She knows too much. And now the Syndicate wants her—which means she’s more important than I initially thought.

I take a minute to get a fire burning in the hearth, the flickering flames taking the cold edge off the air in the small space.

When I turn back, she’s still unmoving, but a low groan escapes her lips, and her eyelids flutter. I step back, steeling myself for what’s to come. Her gray eyes open slowly, confusion clouding them before recognition—and fear—sets in.

This is going to be interesting.

Elena bolts upright, her eyes wild as she takes in her surroundings. Her hand flies to her throat, where a silver locketrests, and I can hear her heart hammering—a rapid staccato that sets my dragon on edge.

“Where am I?” she demands, her voice hoarse. “What happened? There was—there was something…” Her eyes lock onto mine, and I see the moment realization hits. The blood drains from her face. “Oh, God. Oh, my fucking God!”

“Elena—” I step forward, but she scrambles back on the bed until she hits the headboard.

“Stay back!” she shouts, her voice cracking. “You… you’re… I saw…” She presses her hands to her temples. “This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.”

I remain still, keeping my voice calm and steady. “You’re safe. That’s what matters right now.”

“Safe?” She lets out a hysterical laugh. “Safe? I was just kidnapped by some psycho who knows something about my mother, then snatched up by a— a—” She chokes on the word.

“A dragon,” I finish for her. My voice is quiet but firm. No point in dancing around it now.

“You…” She licks her lips, her head moving from side to side. “Where did it go?” she whispers, though I have a feeling she knows the answer.

“You’re looking at ‘it,’” I tell her.

She stares at me, her eyes huge in her pale face. “You’re not real. None of this is real. I’m having some kind of mental breakdown.”

“I assure you, this is very real.” I move closer, ignoring her flinch. “And right now, you need to listen to me carefully. The people who tried to take you—they’re part of an organization called the Syndicate. They’re dangerous, Elena. More dangerous than you can imagine.”

“More dangerous than a man who turns into a dragon?” she shoots back, but I hear the tremor in her voice.

“Yes,” I say simply. “Because they’re dragons, too. And they want something from you—something that could destroy everything I’ve spent centuries protecting.”

“Centuries?” She shakes her head violently. “No. No, this is insane. You’re insane. I need to get out of here.”

She moves to get up, but I’m faster. I catch her arm, careful not to grip too hard. “Elena, stop. Think. Where are you going to go? The Syndicate knows who you are now. They’ll find you.”

“Let go of me!” She yanks her arm away but doesn’t try to run. Instead, she stares at me, her chest heaving. “Why did you save me? Why not just let them take me?”

The question catches me off guard. Why did I save her? Because she’s important to whatever the Syndicate is planning? Because she might be connected to the Heartstone? Or because the thought of that bastard’s hands on her made my dragon want to tear him apart?

“I don’t know,” I admit finally. “But I do know that you’re caught up in something bigger than both of us. And right now, whether you like it or not, I’m your best chance at survival.”

She laughs again, but it’s a hollow sound. “Right. Because I should totally trust the guy who’s been lying to me since day one.”

“I never lied about who I am,” I counter. “I just… omitted certain details.”

“Like the fact that you’re a mythological creature?”

I can’t help but smile slightly. “We prefer ‘ancient species,’ actually.”

“This isn’t funny, Caleb!” But some of the hysteria has left her voice, replaced by something closer to her usual sharp wit.

“No,” I agree, sobering. “It’s not. But it is reality, Elena. My reality. And now, it’s yours, too.”

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