30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Finley

W hen I regain consciousness, I'm soaring through the air far above any rooftop. Dazed, my memory comes back to me slowly. Heart racing, I look up. Wide wings flap in a steady rhythm that propels us forward, farther and farther from the heart of the city.

Forcing myself to take slow deep breaths, I close my eyes, then open them again. Still there. There's still a fucking dragon! Scaled claws pinch around my stinging shoulders, wrap down my chest, and puncture my clothing. The grip isn't tight enough to break skin, but it'll bruise.

My mind races through possibilities. A dream? No, it hurts too much for a dream. A drug? A hallucinogenic? I don't feel hazy or out of it. I did acid once in college after Tim begged me. I hated it, but there was a distinct feel to the experience. This doesn't feel like that. I feel lucid, sharp even. Biting wind slashes my face, waking me up and keeping my body on high alert.

This is happening. I'm being carried out of New York by a damn dragon! How the hell did they get into the center of New York without someone seeing? Shouldn't someone be shooting this thing out of the sky?

Freeways and crowded buildings sprawl below me, falling away as we quickly pass. The dragon drops over a gritty brick building somewhere in New Jersey, close enough to New York that I can see the city outline.

I fall a few feet onto a rooftop, crumpling, and then the dragon lands in front of me. I recoil and pull my knees into my chest protectively. What do dragons do with their spoils? I try to remember the old fairytale stories Jess used to read to me, but those were make-believe, and this is real.

"What do you want with me?" I yell at it, uncertain if it's intelligent or just a wild animal. Fuck, I'm trying to reason with a monster. Stupid!

The air shimmers for a moment before claws turn to hands, scales turn to skin, wings shrink into shoulders, revealing Violeta, naked in front of me.

"W-what? You're a dragon?!" I can't blink fast enough, rubbing at my eyes, trying to make sense of what I'm seeing. A manic laugh bubbles out of my chest. "Is this…? "

I don't even know what to ask. A trick? An illusion? What the hell would she want with me and how the fuck did she change like that?!

She ignores me and looks over my shoulder. "I did what you asked. Are we even?"

Turning, I find the massive man from the club, Kyro. A high pitched laugh stutters out of me. Looks like this isn't a friendly, run-of-the-mill dragon snatching. Or Violeta just taking me out for the weirdest girl's night ever. My laugh turns to a snort, then a broken sob.

"Your debt's paid," Kyro says to Violeta, ignoring me. "But if you step foot in our territory again, don't expect the same mercy twice."

"Don't worry. I'll be as far from here as I can get." The words are no sooner out of her mouth than she's shifting back into her dragon form and taking off into the sky. Shit! Shit shit shit. We're not friends, but she's at least a familiar face and a connection to Cyrus. Now she's gone. I'm among real enemies. And apparently my brain's completely cracked.

"You just saw that, right? Dragon? Scales? Pretty wings? Fucking wings ?!"

He seemed almost nice at the club, even with Jethro's warning, but when he faces me again, his expression is stoney and cold, completely devoid of any feeling. He doesn't say anything, just grabs my wrist and yanks me up on wobbly feet. Wrenching my hands behind my back, he zip ties them.

"Please, just tell me I'm not going crazy." I fight to keep control of the tears that threaten to spill. "Is V-violeta really a d-dragon?"

He assesses me like a general studying a battlefield. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what? Why does everyone keep talking circles around me? I hate it! Midas and Jess do it. Cyrus does it. Even his fucking grandma did it tonight. Aren't grandmas supposed to be sweet little old ladies? Well, let me tell you, she wasn't." I'm really losing it now. Tears are leaking down my face, my nose is all snotty, and my mind is spinning too fast for me to make sense of things. "Nobody tells me shit. I'm so sick and tired of it. I fucking hate it!"

"We're all dragons," he barks. "Now, pull yourself together. You're about to meet the Queen of the Silver Court."

"Pull myself together? Right. Pull myself together, that's all I have to do," I laugh again, because I can't seem to control myself. "You. Fucking. Kidnapped. Me!"

"And unless you want to be murdered," he pauses for emphasis, and I swallow thickly, "you'll snap out of it and show the Queen some respect when we get downstairs. "

Fear claws at my insides sharper than the scratches on my shoulder. I bite my cheek hard enough to bleed. The pain is an odd sense of comfort. I'm not going crazy. I'm just in a very, very dangerous situation. Away from everyone I know. Trapped. With dragons.

Some kind of harsh staccato noise bursts out of me, and Kyro gives me a hard look. I suck in a breath. He studies me, waiting. After another beat, he must decide I've calmed down enough, because he grabs the zip tie holding my wrists and yanks me over to a metal door at the edge of the roof.

My legs shake so badly I stumble on the first step of the stairs leading down into the building, but he catches me and places me back on my feet. He's not exactly gentle, but he's not rough either. Maybe I can convince him to let me go. I know that's a futile hope the moment I look into his impassive eyes.

Okay. Think, Finley. Think. He threatened murder, but Cyrus said something about a ransom. I'm not much good to them if I'm dead. That's some small comfort.

The stairway is narrow, paint peeling from the walls, and there's a distinct smell of mold or mildew. Each time we pass a doorway, Kyro's grip tightens. But it's not like there's anywhere to go. I'm sure he can run faster than me. And he's definitely stronger. He's a fucking dragon! Trying to escape right now would just be stupid. I need to be smart if I want to get out of this .

With each step, I feel more and more numb. My brain feels like it's working at half speed now that it's stopped finding everything darkly funny.

Kyro is quiet, leaving me to my thoughts, and my thoughts are exactly where I don't want to be. "Will you tell me about the Queen?"

He doesn't answer. He stops and pushes open an exit door, leading me into a long hallway. Halfway down the hall, he opens another door and waits for me to enter. The room is clean, but the furniture is well-worn and crowded. Two men and one woman stand around a circular table. The men are massive, with tight crew cuts and the posture of soldiers. They're also wearing guns at their hips.

I suck in a breath, my whole body shaking. Dragons with guns. Great. How am I going to get out of this? I'm an artist, not some kind of martial arts expert or diplomat. My skill set doesn't fit this situation. I really should have insisted that Cyrus train me in combat or something the second I found out people wanted to kidnap me.

The men stay where they are, flanking the woman, who steps forward. She's more relaxed than they are, but there's a hard edge to her that's only slightly softened by her long red hair, light sundress, and bare feet. She's wearing a smile, but her gaze is cunning. It's clear she's the one who holds the power in the room .

"She knows nothing," Kyro says, giving me a little shove forward. I stumble, but manage not to fall.

"What do you mean?" The woman narrows her eyes, and I squint right back. She doesn't look like a dragon. How would I tell though? How many dragons have I met without knowing it? The thought is chilling.

"She's not part of the horde," Kyro continues. "Doesn't know anything about it."

Horde? A crowd, a group, a swarm, a… cult? They can't mean… No. They can't mean Cyrus . He had his dick inside me just an hour ago—if he's a dragon, I'd know.

Wouldn't I?

The queen tilts her head. "So they won't come for her?"

Her words stab at something deep inside me, but they don't hurt the way they normally would. The place is raw, but surprisingly less tender than normal. Despite the spinning in my head and the shaking in my bones, I know Cyrus will come. For the first time since being snatched out of the penthouse, I take a full breath. He'll come.

I know he'll come.

If he can, that is. A new worry hollows out my chest. He's currently in a cell somewhere for a stupid law I don't understand. He probably doesn't even know I'm missing.

"If she's not part of the horde and has no power, then we have no need for her." She waves a hand dismissively. "Dispose of her."

I don't know exactly what she means by dispose, but my brain immediately conjures images of being thrown in the river to rot. "Wait!"

Pushing away the anxiety, I take a tiny step forward. This is no time to fall apart. I can fall apart about dragons and everything else later. Right now, I need to convince this woman I'm worth keeping alive.

"He's right. I don't know anything about… a horde. I didn't know dragons existed until about five minutes ago, but Cyrus told me today that I'm his… mate. And he announced it to a group of people I can only assume might be this horde you're talking about."

"Can we verify that?" The woman says to one of the stoic men at her side. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a phone, and steps to the side to type. I wonder if he's texting Violeta to confirm or if he has some other contact.

The woman walks a circle around me, looking me over. "How is it you're the queen's sister and the prince's mate, yet you know nothing of the horde? "

Jess is a queen? I half-laugh, feeling a little of the mania creeping back in. "Yeah, trust me, they're gonna get an earful from me the second you decide we're gonna be friends and let me go."

Her lips twitch in a way that gives me hope. My sister used to say I could win over the staunchest bully. Not with my sweetness, but with my ridiculous confidence. I need that confidence now.

"Why would I decide to be your friend?" she asks.

I lift one shoulder and lower it. "I like that outcome better than the other ones I can imagine."

"Hm." The queen, whose name I still don't know, rubs her chin. "No one from the Gold Horde has ever been friends with anyone from the Silver Horde."

"Guess it's a good thing I'm not part of the horde, then." I take a chance and walk over to the table, sitting down in a chair. With my hands still behind my back, it's difficult, but I try to act casual, like we're just sitting down to share a meal.

My heart is pounding like a manic drum, but my posture is relaxed. I really hope she's buying it. I know I can be a bit abrasive sometimes, but something tells me this woman might actually appreciate that, so I lean into it.

I look over my shoulder with a forced, sardonic smirk. "So, friend , sit down. Tell me what you want and why the fuck you kidnapped me."