Page 29 of Guardian's Dilemma

He made a sound at the back of his throat and jerked his head at one of the team. “Go and find it.”

My body revolted against the thought of ever wearing it again but Leonard didn’t know that. He thought he was doing me a favour, strapping those protections back on me.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him right then, not with danger so close to him. I didn’t want him taking his armour off while those dragons were outside.

I glanced at the door. Why hadn’t they come in yet?

The feel of Glimmer’s sunset-orange magic lingered somewhere over there but the dragons felt… nearer. I looked around the room, alarmed, but saw nothing. I heard nothing. If there had been dragons right there with us, there would be carnage.

Just as I felt I was on the edge of something clicking into place, I saw Glimmer slide around the archway and into the room. None of the team even noticed.

I’d half-formed a theory that the dragon had been boasting about his magic and he simply wasn’t as powerful as he said he was. He moved right into the room, though, and nobody looked up or saw him or heard him.

The implication stunned me for a second and it took me a moment to work out what was happening. Glimmer was moving towards Leonard. His body was pale and graceful and it was strange to think of all the coiled power that those lean limbs contained.

He walked straight towards Leonard, his eyes locked on the team leader.

I shouted, “Leonard, behind you!”

He spun around, his sword rising up and I saw in slow-motion the way Glimmer’s eyes widened and he fell backwards. Leonard struck again but Glimmer twisted to the side and managed to grab Leonard’s hand and hold the sword away.

There was a swell of dark power, dragon’s power, and I looked at the doorway, expecting an entire clan of dragons to pour through and kill us all… but the magic wasn’t coming from out there, it was coming from in here.

I knew the feel of Glimmer’s magic. I knew the feel of Leonard’s. And this was his, only it was twisted somehow and thrumming with menace.

Leonard pushed at Glimmer with that dark power and Glimmer was flung away, skidding along the floor. I saw the smear of blood he left behind and felt sick. I hadn’t wanted him to kill Leonard, but I hadn’t wanted him to get hurt, either.

That was messed up. Ishouldhave wanted that. I should have been cheering that my team were defeating a dragon. Only they shouldn’t feel like dragons, either, should they?

Three blasts of magic shot out like arrows, aiming for Glimmer, and he made a startled, hurt sound and flung himself to his feet, fleeing past the team to the edge of the room. He hit the wall and then walked along it, limping.

He wouldn’t look at me.

I watched him, wondering what he was doing but he just walked round the edge of the room and nothing else happened. The team were looking round as though they couldn’t see him.

Huh. It turned out that Glimmer had been right aboutthat, at least. It really was unusual for people to see him.

A little niggling thought wriggled at the back of my brain. Why couldIsee him and nobody else could? There was a logical explanation.

No, I didn’t want to think about that. Noridirewanted to be fated mates with a dragon.

Leonard moved away from me until he was standing in the middle of the streak of Glimmer’s blood. He bent down and pressed his hand into it, smearing it all over his palm and fingers. Then he stood and raised that hand and I felt him drawing more power to him, the familiar magic that I’d trained alongside for years, but harder and stronger and twisted.

He was scanning the room slowly. He was sure Glimmer was here.

I kept my eyes on him and deliberately didn’t look at the dragon. If I was the only one who could see him, I was the only one who could give him away. I kept my eyes straight ahead and my mouth shut.

Why did I always learn just a little too late?

Chapter 14: Kingsley

Strangely, Glimmer looked less hurt by my betrayal this time.

I tried to remind myself that I couldn’t betray someone I’d never promised anything to, but the reminder felt hollow.

When he came into my sight again, he was still limping and I didn’t like to think about how much he’d been hurt if his dragon healing hadn’t already taken care of that. Those arrows of magic must have been stronger than I expected.

“Are you all using their power?” I asked.

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