Chapter 5 Chapter Five
Violet
Somewhere far away, something screamed my name.
The sound wasn't physical.
I didn't hear it with my ears.
I felt it.
Inside my skull.
Inside my bones.
Inside that strange place beneath my skin where all the impossible things seemed to live.
Violet.
The voice echoed through me like a bell ringing underwater.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Hungry.
Then it vanished.
Leaving behind silence.
And terror.
Nobody moved.
The boardroom stood frozen around us.
The windows remained black.
The silver symbol still burned against the glass.
THE LOST HEIR HAS AWAKENED.
The words seemed impossible.
Absurd.
Like something from one of the fantasy novels stacked beside my bed.
Not real.
Not possible.
Not happening.
Except they were.
I swallowed.
Hard.
"What does that mean?"
My voice came out embarrassingly small.
Kael stood directly in front of me.
Protective.
Furious.
Dangerous.
His broad shoulders blocked most of my view of the windows.
As though he could physically shield me from whatever had sent the message.
Which was ridiculous.
And strangely comforting.
Rowan's expression had lost every trace of humor.
For the first time since I'd met him, he looked every bit as dangerous as Kael.
Maybe more.
Because where Kael's anger was obvious, Rowan's had gone quiet.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Lethal.
The realization sent a chill down my spine.
Neither of these men were normal.
Not even close.
Kael stared at the symbol.
Jaw tight.
Golden eyes glowing.
Actually glowing.
Which would have been much higher on my list of concerns if literally everything else wasn't on fire.
Metaphorically.
Hopefully.
"Kael."
Rowan's voice was low.
"We need to leave."
"I know."
Leave?
Leave where?
Leave why?
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
"Okay."
Both men looked at me.
"Maybe this is a stupid question."
"It probably isn't."
That was Rowan.
I pointed at the burning message on the glass.
"But what the actual hell is happening?"
Silence.
Reasonable.
Then Rowan sighed.
"You know those moments in movies where the main character finds out everything they know is a lie?"
I stared.
"Yes."
"Congratulations."
I hated him a little.
"That wasn't helpful."
"I know."
The bastard smiled.
Just slightly.
Which somehow made everything worse.
A sudden crack split through the room.
I jumped.
The symbol on the window flared brighter.
Silver fire spread across the glass.
Spiderwebbing outward.
Growing.
The air pressure changed.
Every instinct I possessed screamed.
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
This wasn't like before.
Not vague discomfort.
Not uncertainty.
This was real fear.
The same fear that had saved me countless times.
The same feeling that had warned me before foster parents became violent.
Before drunk strangers followed me home.
Before terrible things happened.
Run.
Every nerve in my body shouted the same command.
Run.
Kael reacted instantly.
His head snapped toward the window.
His entire body tightened.
Then I heard it.
A growl.
Not human.
Not even close.
The sound vibrated through the floor.
Deep.
Ancient.
Predatory.
My stomach dropped.
Because the growl had come from Kael.
His eyes widened.
Like he hadn't meant to let it escape.
For one impossible second I saw something move beneath his skin.
Not muscles.
Something else.
Something bigger.
Then it disappeared.
"What was that?"
Nobody answered.
Wonderful.
Fantastic.
Love that.
The silver fire exploded.
Glass shattered.
A scream tore through the boardroom.
Mine.
A creature crashed through the window.
Not a person.
Not an animal.
Not anything that should exist.
It looked vaguely human.
In the same way a shark vaguely resembles a fish.
Tall.
Thin.
Wrong.
Its limbs were too long.
Its mouth opened far too wide.
Silver eyes burned from a face that looked carved from moonlight and nightmares.
The creature landed on the conference table.
Wood cracked beneath its weight.
The thing smiled.
My instincts lost their minds.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Unfortunately my legs had stopped working.
The creature looked directly at me.
And bowed.
Actually bowed.
What.
The.
Hell.
"My lady."
Its voice sounded like knives scraping together.
I blinked.
"My... what?"
"My lady."
Nope.
Absolutely not.
I did not have the emotional bandwidth for titles.
The creature smiled wider.
"I've finally found you."
The room exploded into motion.
Kael moved first.
One moment he stood in front of me.
The next he hit the creature hard enough to launch it through the conference table.
Wood exploded.
The creature crashed into a wall.
And laughed.
Actually laughed.
"Oh."
The thing stood.
Unharmed.
"Interesting."
Rowan swore.
Which felt significant.
Because Rowan didn't seem like someone who got surprised often.
The creature's silver eyes returned to me.
Ignoring both dragons entirely.
"You've awakened."
I took a cautious step backward.
"You're making a lot of assumptions."
The thing tilted its head.
Then smiled.
The expression somehow became more terrifying.
"She has spirit."
"Touch her and die."
The words emerged from Kael.
Low.
Deadly.
Absolutely certain.
For the first time, the creature looked at him.
Really looked at him.
Recognition flashed across its face.
Then amusement.
"Oh."
The thing laughed softly.
"The Dragon King."
Every hair on my body stood up.
Dragon.
King.
My brain stopped functioning.
The creature inclined its head toward Kael.
"Forgive me."
Its smile widened.
"But she doesn't belong to you."
The room went deathly still.
The temperature plummeted.
And for the first time since meeting him...
I watched Kael completely lose his composure.
The golden glow in his eyes became molten fire.
Power exploded outward.
The conference room shook.
Every light in the building flickered.
Something enormous roared beneath the surface of reality itself.
And suddenly I realized something horrifying.
The monster that crashed through the window?
It wasn't the most dangerous thing in this room.
Not even close.
Because Kael Drakon was no longer trying to hide what he was.
And whatever was emerging beneath his skin...
Was a dragon.
