Page 28 of Ensnared (The Dragon Captured #1)

A dmittedly, I was a little naive when I was first bonded.

It quickly became clear that any kind of insurrection I wanted to organize would have to be handled with more skill than I possessed.

Training for MMA may have left me suited to deal with surprise dragon attacks while using a broken umbrella or a fire poker.

It did not prepare me to lead troops or create spy-like networks.

But perhaps meeting the other ensnared will be a good thing.

Surely one of them, an older and wiser human than I am, will be planning a way to send the dragons home while mitigating the human death toll.

One of them must be doing something , and if so, they can teach me. I could finally be of some help.

Also, I feel like I ought to warn them all about the nuclear attack.

As I follow Penelope, I actually feel a sense of purpose. I may not be able to escape with Coral, Jade, Sammy, and Gideon, and I may be stuck here all alone, but perhaps I can still contribute.

Plus, I’m a little excited. I’ve been scared and nervous at the prospect of meeting my mother since we arrived, but then it never happened. She’s bonded to an electro dragon, and that’s where we’re going, so. . . Surely I’ll meet her today, right?

I sort of thought she’d come by to visit me.

I’m not sure why I expected that. It’s not like Axel and I have advertised about the kids being here, so she’d have no way of knowing that his ensnared was anyone special.

To her, I’m just another human girl among many.

But she did know I could hear the message that day, surely, since I listened to it and escaped with the kids.

She might have been somewhat curious about the other ensnared in case one might be her oldest daughter.

Right?

Only, as we walk and walk and walk—I thought Axel said we were finally living inside the main area—I start to get nervous.

What if Mom’s not Mom? What if she’s evil or something? What if she doesn’t remember me? Or, worse, what if she does , but she blames me for not getting the kids free?

“What’s wrong with you?” Penelope’s a dozen feet ahead by now, and the other ensnared who came with her are another two or three feet ahead of her. “Hurry up.”

I inhale sharply and pick up the pace. “Sorry. I was thinking.”

“Less daydreaming and more focus,” she says. “Get your head in the game.” When I catch up, she hisses. “I vouched for you, idiot. I told them you weren’t so bad. Don’t make me regret it.”

Penelope vouched for me? Really? “Uh, thanks.”

“I didn’t like you at first, you know.” Her voice is low.

“I had no idea,” I lie.

“Really? I called your blessed weak.”

I shrug. “He’s an earth dragon, and I know all the others think they’re better.”

“They are better,” she says, “but that doesn’t mean you should be punished.”

I’m not sure I agree with her statement that Axel’s not as good as the other dragons, but I don’t get hung up on it. “I should hope not.”

“The world’s different than it was,” she says. “You need to catch up.” She snaps. “We’re almost there.”

Turns out, there is a car. “We’re driving?” I blink. “Then why didn’t you just drive to where I was?”

“We didn’t want to spook you,” the heavy lady says. “Penelope said you’re a little different.”

“I’m human, just like the rest of you. Axel’s an earth dragon, but really, I think they worry too much about that. They’re all dragons.”

Her look of disgust has me lowering my opinion of her. “I heard he doesn’t even have wings. Were you really bonded by an earth blessed? ”

“Yep,” I say. “No wings at all, which isn’t really that big of a deal.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not a long drive,” Penelope says. “At least there’s no traffic anymore.”

Because all the people with ideas of their own aren’t around to cause it. That’s a sad thought.

“I thought the dragons all settled around here.” I point back the way we came, toward Clear Lake.

Penelope arches that eyebrow, the one she always arches around me. “Oh, hon.”

“What?”

“The water blessed and the earth blessed have chosen Clear Lake as their headquarters, since they need to be close to the ground and the water.” The ensnared who answers has silver hair, so I’m guessing he’s yet another strike blessed ensnared.

He’s small and effeminate, which is quite a contrast to the larger woman who was just denigrating Axel’s affinity.

“Oh,” I say. “I didn’t realize the dragons didn’t all live in the same place.”

They all stare at me, then.

“Where are we going, exactly?”

“The George R. Brown Convention Center,” the male ensnared says. “I think you’ll be impressed with how well the blessed fit there.”

I really doubt anything about the blessed is going to impress me, but I don’t say that. “I think I went there once before all this happened, maybe?” I vaguely recall being dragged to some kind of gymnastics competition there for Coral. “It’s a big building, right?”

“The strike blessed are quite large,” Penelope says. “They find most of our buildings too small. They also prefer places that are easily accessible by air.”

“I suppose that wouldn’t matter to those who can’t fly.” The larger woman smirks.

“The earth dragons can also shift into a smaller form, so living in a variety of places is easy for them. They’re very adaptable.” I can’t help bragging a little.

“Like cockroaches,” the other woman says.

I hate this lady. “It seems you already know a lot about me, but you didn’t even tell me your names.”

“I’m Dovie,” she says.

“Dove, like the bird?”

“No, Dove-ee,” she says, clearly annoyed.

“And I’m Seth,” the man says. “Bonded to Heaston, strike blessed.”

“I guessed you were all bonded to electro dragons,” I say.

“The hair’s a dead giveaway.” Seth’s smile this time looks genuine.

When we finally reach the Convention Center, both Seth and Dovie have relaxed. I’m a little proud of how I won them over, but my triumph’s short-lived.

I’ve barely stepped out of the SUV when a massive electro dragon lands in front of us.

“So this is the bizarre human that earth blessed prince bonded.”

The dragon’s shimmering scales are distracting enough that I don’t even see the human who spoke at first. When I slide my eyes all the way up, I finally make eye contact with the woman I assume is her ensnared.

She’s my mother.