Page 28 of Tamhas

“I don’t care if you believe it or not.” I spat. “It’s the truth. I know it’s the truth.”

“You don’t care?” one of them repeated, laughing.

“No. I don’t. I know you don’t want to believe it. I can tell you don’t. So it doesn’t matter to me. You’ve already made up your minds, haven’t you?” The laughter died—and to their credit, some of them averted their eyes when I turned my focus to them. It wasn’t so funny when they knew I knew what they planned to do with me.

They were going to kill me. I knew it. I guess I had known it all along. I had trespassed, I knew their secret.

I didn’t have to take it lying down, though. I wouldn’t let them steamroll me. I stood with my hands on my hips, daring all of them to hold my gaze. They might have been dragons, but did they have the guts to look me in the eye?

“I didn’t know anything about what happened here when I arrived—and if I knew before then, I sure as hell wouldn’t have come. I don’t want any part of this place or any part of you. And I don’t know who the Blood Moon Priestesses are. I’m from New York, for God’s sake. I grew up across the river, in New Jersey. I never even went to church. So whatever it is you all do here together, I wouldn’t know about your dragons or your priestesses or whatever. There’s no clearer way I can think of to explain it to you.”

They weren’t laughing anymore. A few of them glanced at each other, then at the back of Alan’s head.

I looked at him. He was looking at me. Why? Trying to decide whether or not I was telling the truth—and if I was telling the truth, why did he think I would know anything about these priestesses? I had never known a priestess in my entire life, and I had known a lot of people.

He took a step back. His jaw moved like something behind his lips wanted to come out, but he fought against it. What was he thinking? I wished I knew. I was always pretty good at sensing what other people were thinking—it used to help a lot when I was fighting, being able to sense what my opponent was going to do before they did it. It helped when I was tracking a bail jumper or somebody Hank had been hired to find, too.

I had always taken it for granted.

But these people, these dragons? They were unreadable. Was this what other people felt like? Having to guess at the thoughts of others? It was like being blind, just flailing around in the dark and hoping I eventually hit a light switch to help me see.

“You should eat something,” Alan finally decided, taking Tamhas by the arm and waving a few of the others behind him.

They hurried off, a little way down the tunnel, while the rest of them hung around and watched me.

I was accustomed to being watched. Even in a cage, which was almost like a cell. But I’d always had an opponent in the cage with me—and I’d gotten paid for it, which made a huge difference.

Even so, as much as I hated to prove Alan right, I was starving. Was this what animals felt like in a zoo? I wondered this as I unwrapped a protein bar and took a bite, watching them watch me. The bar tasted like sawdust in my mouth, but I ate it like it was the most delicious thing ever.

Damn it, I wished I could sense their thoughts.

Maybe I could find out if any of them felt sorry for me. I might be able to work that angle, play on their sympathy, get them to speak up for me. I might be able to get out of this yet if I had somebody on my side.

But they were blank. Like books without words.

There was only one person—one dragon—who’d be on my side, and I wasn’t even all that certain that he was.

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