Page 6 of Dragon Flames
Guess it’s time to pay the price for my one minute of freedom.
I follow the entourage of guards, almost able to pretend that I’m sixteen and being presented at the debutante ball in the hopes of finding a mate.
Almost.
But that dream was shattered a long, long time ago.
On the night my innocence was stolen.
I am no longer that naïve girl.
As we pile into the elevator, I’m pushed to the back, the men giving me as much room as they can, practically stepping on each other to get away from me.
I actually find it charming.
Only one of them ventures close, the old man, and he’s on his phone…no doubt alerting his employer of our arrival.
The debutante ball turns out to be just a different type of prison, one where I will be bought and sold to a male who thinks I will make good breeding stock.
I snort at the thought, making the guards around me flinch, and I can’t stop the small curl of a smile at their fear, but it quickly fades as the elevator surges skyward.
No man in his right mind would choose a convict like me as his mate.
No—I’m being sold for a different purpose.
I just haven’t figured out what it is yet.
But I’m not too worried. I have my suspicions, and if I’m right, where I’m heading will make prison look like a day spa.
That is, if I manage to survive the night.
* * *
PRESTON
“Idon’t know why you like going to these things, Elias.” The man in question spends most of his time in the library, for fuck’s sake. What could he possibly want at a debutante ball? No one in our flight is looking for a mate, not that it matters.
We are among the very few dragons still left alive.
No female dragons have been born for over a millennium.
Elias was obsessed with figuring out the mystery of their decline.
He collected rare books.
Traveled to the far reaches of the earth.
Investigated any rare occurrences.
When he received a mysterious message about the ball, the silent dragon stirred himself from his den of books and headed out.
I decided it would be a fun lark to tag along, a welcome change of pace—until the asshole dressed me up in a fucking monkey suit.
I’m the decoy.
The dick decided to make me the sacrificial lamb while he plays investigator.
“Preston—you haven’t been to one of these things in more than a hundred years.” Elias tosses me an amused glance, clearly exasperated at my resistance. “Just enjoy yourself. If you’re bored, find yourself a willing woman and a quiet corner. I know you remember how to do that.”
