Page 28 of Guardian's Dilemma

They didn’t hear the door close, thankfully, so they kept moving into the room. It was large and stretched back much further back than it first appeared. There was an archway at the back, leading into another room, and that was where I’d put my mate.

They drew gradually closer and I let them, even though my dragon was twitchy about letting so much danger so near to my mate. I was relying on them being distracted by the sight of him.

My clever mate stayed silent, knowing that he could turn the balance of this fight if he called out.

It seemed to take them forever to work their way through the room. Each of them held a sword and thrummed with power and they scanned the shadows suspiciously as they progressed.

Just as I’d hoped, when the leader saw my mate, he started and his surprised question burst out of him before he could stop himself.

“Kingsley? You’re alive?”

Thank you, evilridireman. Now I had a name for my mate.

Chapter 13: Kingsley

The silver shackle around my wrist was stopping me from drawing on my magic, which was annoying because I could have been out of there in under a minute if I’d been able to use it. I could still feel it inside me, though… it was just that I couldn’t draw it up through my hands.

It meant that I could still use my magic to sense what was around me. It was muted, like I was trying to smell something when I had a cold, but it was there. And I was sure that I could sense dragons outside.

There were no sounds, which actually made memoresure that something was up. I’d spent years learning to walk silently and we all moved carefully, especially when out on a hunt. The silence was telling.

I’d assumed that it was my coven come to rescue me, but the closer they got, the more I felt the dark taint of dragon magic. It was dragons outside this room. Dragons creeping silently through these vaults.

I couldn’t help the wave of fear that washed over me. I stayed still and I didn’t make a sound, but I was afraid and my heart rate had sped up.

Those dragons moved closer and closer until they were right outside the room. My blood began to pound in my ears. I was trapped. Even though I’d been sat there for what must have been half an hour or more, I’d not felt exposed and vulnerable in the same way, even with Glimmer standing over me.

Then I sensed the particular brand of his magic, too. The one that was softer than the rest, that didn’t carry that dark dragon magic. He was outside with them.

I wondered whether he would protect me from his clan, if he really and truly thought I was his mate. I still had no idea why he’d ever even considered the possibility but hedidbelieve it, I was sure of it. I’d seen the way he reacted to me, felt the way he’d kissed me and pressed against me, and of course he’d freed me.

Ok, he hadn’t meant to do that. Not in the way it turned out, anyway, but he’d untied me because he really thought we were mates.

I tested the cable-ties around my wrist again. They bit into my skin and I knew I’d rubbed my wrists raw by this point, trying to wriggle my hand out of them. The tie pushed into the already-raw skin and I had to repress a hiss of pain.

My so-called mate had learned his lesson.

Outside, those dragons were gathered round the archway and I watched, struggling to free my hand. It wouldn’t help much, not against dragons, not without my magic, but at least I would be able to dosomething.

I actually gasped when I saw the firstridirestep into the room.

They were wearing their black armour and my stomach clenched again. I’d need to tell them what that was. How did we all wear it every day and none of us knew?

Fiveridireslipped into the room and spread out, scanning the room for any signs of dragons.

“Kingsley? You’re alive?”

Of course it was Leonard. I had been wondering who they’d send and it rankled that it had to be him. If there was one person I didn’t want to see me like this, trapped and helpless, it was Leonard. He’d never let me forget it.

When he said my name, goosebumps broke out over my skin. There was something so deeply wrong about it. But what?

The other four spread out, searching for hidden dragons or doors or traps. That was protocol.

Leonard was looking at me, studying me, and his dark eyes were mean and merciless. I guess that’s what made him such a good hunter. I hated to admit it, but the first time I’d tried to take on a dragon and kill it, I’d ended up here, weak and unarmed and strapped to a chair. Perhaps that was what Douglas had seen in me all along. He’d known Leonard was a better hunter than me.

“Where’s your armour?”

“The dragon took it off me.”

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