46. Forty-six

forty-six

My muscles coiled, ready to leap over Kendal and defend her if they made a move against her, but the dragon simply dipped his chin and moved his gaze to Kragen.

"We have no records of creatures such as yours. Please tell us how you came to be."

Zeus already told the full council how we were made, but I would also want to hear it straight from us.

Kragen nodded and shifted from his position at the end of the line to next to me. Roul and Thurl moved to give him room.

"A man named Robert Willis directed a laboratory whose scientists created us from werewolf and dragon DNA."

"For what purpose?"

That question came from the mer representative.

"Death."

Roul's voice rolled over the room, but the silence didn't last. The council members murmured at each other. The only one not surprised was the fae. He didn't lean into his fellow representatives. He stared at us, a cocky smile still on his lips.

Without Kendal to protect, I would have killed him already.

Kragen elaborated on Roul's answer. "The humans saw us as an elite fighting force. They were going to use us to carry out missions they deemed impossible for human soldiers."

I watched in my peripheral vision as his eyes swung to the far right end of the table.

"The council had a different purpose in mind."

All eyes snapped to us. Ikram stood. "What are you saying? We had no knowledge of this laboratory. We do not condone genetic engineering."

"Most of you, perhaps, but at least one of you knew what was happening. Not only knew that we were being created and trained, held captive and tortured, but authorized and encouraged it."

The dragon's eyes narrowed. "You have proof of this?"

"Yes."

"Who do you accuse of such a crime?" Ikram leaned over the table, his palms braced against the wood, his anger apparent.

"Nindrol Zinvaris."

As a one, the council members' heads swung toward the fae. The smirk never left his face.

"Is this true?"

I could see Ikram's muscles bunching under his suit coat. Red scales rolled from beneath the skin of his neck before disappearing.

The fae turned to face the dragon. "Yes. I knew what Willis was doing."

The merman shoved away from the table, distancing himself from Nindrol with a look of disgust on his features.

"It is against Society!"

The dragon's roar made me wince. Kragen's clear voice entered the space that followed.

"We were designed, not to go against all of Society, but one species in particular."

The smile dropped from the fae's face and he went a shade paler as our eyes caught Ikram's.

The dragon slowly turned his head to face Nindrol, the scales beneath his skin crashing like waves against rock. The fae's chair slid across the floor as he stood.

"The humans sought a supernatural solution to their trickier military problems. I authorized their experiments for that alone!"

The flash of red along Ikram's neck continued. He never took his eyes from Nindrol as he asked us, "Do you have proof of these accusations as well?"

Kragen stepped forward. "We are the proof."

The dragon shook his head, but Kragen's next words stopped him.

"Our fur is thick and protects us from heat. We are fast and nimble, able to outmaneuver larger opponents. We have the healing capabilities of shifters. But the one thing we have which was designed specifically for us to use against dragons—are our claws."

Kragen nodded at Roul, who strode to the table. I only then noticed that the surface was covered in dragon scales. He dragged his hand down the length of the table with little effort, leaving behind deep gashes.

I heard a snap and the other five council members jumped from their seats and ran to our end of the room. The table slid across the floor as the dragon shifted, his bulk shredding his clothes and his tail lashing furiously against the back wall.

It felt like the entire building shook with his wrath. He advanced on the fae, who backed until he was pressed against the wall.

"I had no idea they were capable of doing that!"

The dragon's maw opened, and the scales on his throat glowed. "Nindrol Zinvaris, you are relieved of your council seat."

I scooped Kendal into my arms and backed to the far corner of the room. A stream of fire erupted from the dragon. It was smaller, more targeted and controlled than that of the dragon from the day before.

The fae screamed as it hit him, reducing him to a pile of ash in moments.

As Ikram shrunk to his human form, the merman extinguished the last of the flames with his bare feet.

The witch snapped her fingers and conjured a pair of loose sweatpants for the dragon, who stood with his chest heaving and his hands clenched in tight fists. He stepped around the table and his gaze swept the six of us.

I shoved Kendal behind me as he stalked toward us. He stopped short at the movement, his face falling.

"I cannot say I regret the actions of the fae, because that would say I regret your existence. I am sorry you entered this world the way you did. No creature deserves to be caged and used for another's whim.

"I am deeply sorry for that. From this point forward, the wyrfang is a recognized Society species, afforded the full rights and privileges equal to any other. You will be represented by the shifter on the council."

He took a deep breath and shook out his hands.

"Dragons owe you a debt of gratitude for uncovering Nindrol's plot, and as such, we are honored to shelter and provide anything you may need to thrive and enjoy your freedom."

"We appreciate your recognition. Zeus and his team have assisted in providing us all we need. The only thing we might further seek is a purpose."

Kragen glanced over his shoulder at us, and we nodded in agreement.

Ikram copied the move, looking to where his fellow council members were standing before returning his attention to us.

"The council would be grateful if you loaned us your unique skill set occasionally. Zeus has also expressed interest in having your help on troublesome cases."

"Of course."

The dragon nodded. "Cora, a portal to the Seelie fae, please."

The blue oval sprang to life and Ikram walked through without a backward glance.

The other council members left shortly after saying their goodbyes. Cora hesitated before handing Kendal a card.

"Call me if you need anything," she said. "Or even if you want to grab a coffee."

The two women smiled at each other before the witch disappeared through her own portal.

"Well," Kendal said into the silence, "that was exciting. And exhausting. Let's go home."

Quin laughed as we made our way to the parking garage.

"You shouldn't complain, Kendal. You got to see a dragon after all."