Page 42 of Ensnared (The Dragon Captured #1)

K issing someone is always a bad idea for me. I should have known that kissing a dragon prince would end like this.

“What are we going to tell people?” I sit, but somehow I miss the bed and land on the floor.

“Are you alright?” Axel crouches next to me.

I hold out my hand, palm out. “Don’t get too close.”

He’s smirking.

I snap my head up. “No, none of that, mister. The last time I let you come close, you entwined me or whatever, and now my hair’s fire-engine red, and everyone in the world’s going to know about your secret.”

His expression sobers. “We’ll tell them that you passed your bond from Axel to Azar.”

I straighten. “I’m not that kind of girl. I don’t just go passing my bond around.”

He arches one eyebrow. “What?”

“Never mind.”

“Or we tell them you’re bonded to both of us.”

I stand up, holding one hand out to keep him at arm’s length. “That’s worse.”

He sighs. “It’s worse for me than for you.”

“How so?”

“You get upgraded,” he says. “You can all move to the tower, and no one will pick on you anymore.”

“Wait, how’s that bad for you?” I scowl. “Are you saying that having me around more is bad?”

He sighs. “Is there a right answer to this?”

“Can we undo it?”

“Definitely not.”

I flop back on the bed and shove a pillow over my face. Axel and his stupid demands—learning to kiss. I groan into the pillow.

“It really will be better for you. Ensnared take their position from their blessed, and as Axel’s, I had no choice but to keep you out here. I had to make sure you’d be as safe as possible.”

“That went well.” I can’t help thinking about Ocharta’s first attempt to kill me. And the time I wandered out. And also, her second attempt. Ugh.

“She’s caged now,” he says. “And only because you won’t let me kill her.”

“Wait, can bonds really be passed?”

He shrugs. “Does it matter?”

“If they can, maybe we could pass my mom’s bond to someone else.”

He frowns. “I can’t really ask around. Not since we’ll have to say we’ve already done it.”

I guess not. “Maybe you could say that you’re wondering if we’re the only ones.”

“Liz.” Azar’s eyeing me with that patronizing expression again. “We’ll have to announce this, tomorrow morning.”

“Every day, it’s something new.”

“And for now?—”

I point at the door. “Out. I’m going to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“I’m staying.” He folds his arms.

“You can’t stay.” I’m not budging on this. “I need to sleep alone.”

“We’re entwined,” he says. “That means I need you close.”

“Nice try,” I say.

He shrugs and heads for the door. He’s walking toward the stairs, and suddenly, I’m out the door and padding after him.

“What’s happening?” I hiss.

“I told you.”

“You said we’re entwined.”

“I’ve only heard of it from my father, and even then, there were only one or two mentions,” he says. “But he said that once a dragon and human are entwined, it’s painful to be separated by any significant distance.”

“Painful?” My shoulders droop. “Did he say how to undo it?”

Axel’s lip twitches. “It can’t be undone. I told you that.”

“We’re doomed.”

“There are benefits,” he says.

“Like?” I could use some benefits.

“It increases my power,” he says. “And yours, too.”

“Explain,” I say.

“Essentially, I’ll be faster, stronger, and heal faster, and you will as well. If it used to take you weeks to heal without my help, you’ll be able to do it in hours.”

I yawn.

“You’re tired,” he says. “We can talk about details tomorrow.”

“What do you suggest we do about this?” I point back and forth between us.

He shrugs. “I already proposed my solution. You vetoed it.”

I huff.

Axel’s being entirely too reasonable.

“Fine.” I point at my door. “But you’re sleeping on the floor.”

He puts up not a single protest. I don’t even give him a pillow, expecting him to complain about that, but he doesn’t. He simply lies on his back, closes his eyes, and sighs.

“Wait,” I say. “You don’t sleep.”

“I’m going to take my weekly downtime,” he says. “Seems like a good time. No one’s coming after us right now. Everyone who wanted to already has.”

Solid logic. He defeated the humans today. He caged Ocharta. Good enough time for him to process his gas or whatever it is. Dragons are weird.

I watch him as he powers down. His features go slack. His muscles relax.

“Are you worried that I’m here?” I ask.

His eyes open and focus on me, but nothing else shifts. “Should I be?”

I shake my head.

He closes his eyes.

Not long after he powers down, I drift off, too.

When I wake up the next morning, I’m warm. I’m relaxed too. I slept better than I have in a long time. Warm arms are wrapped around me, and they tighten, pulling me closer. “Morning.”

His breath on my ear startles me, and I scoot away, almost falling off the bed.

“Easy, there.” He drags me close again.

“You were supposed to sleep on the floor.” I sit up, clutching the blankets against me as if that somehow makes things better.

Axel sits up. “I don’t sleep, remember?”

I point. “The floor.”

He’s smiling now. “You’re cute in the morning.”

I slap his chest, and he snags my hand, his fingers wrapping around mine. “I like being entwined. It’s. . .bright.”

The door bursts open, and Sammy runs through. “Hey, Liz, can I—” He stops, his mouth dangling open. “Why’s he in here?” His left eyebrow arches.

“We’re together,” Axel says.

Now my mouth’s dangling open. “No,” I say. “No way.”

“Why’s your hair bright red?” Sammy asks. “Did you dye it?”

“My—no, he’s not?—”

“What’s going on?” Gideon’s standing in the doorway now, with Coral and Jade’s heads peering around his body.

“I’m Liz’s boyfriend now,” Axel says. “Because her bond has passed to Azar. We’re not ensnared anymore, but we’re still connected.”

He really should have run this past me.

I can’t help my hiss. “He’s not?—”

Axel takes my hand in his. “That’s why we’ll be spending so much time together, even though she’s bonded to Azar.” This is the perfect solution. I’ll be your boyfriend and your entwined.

I close my eyes. I can’t even argue with him, because how else can I explain him being around me all the time in his human form?

This is getting so complicated.

Gideon always seems to be the collateral damage.

“I think we’ll all be safer here with you instead of leaving Houston.” Gideon’s tone is flat. “You’ve shown that the humans can’t best you.”

“Let’s all go down and have some breakfast,” I say.

“We should.” Axel stands up. “Because Azar’s going to be here soon to pick you all up and take you to his tower.”

“What about Gordon?” Sammy asks. “I’ll miss him.”

Axel’s expression softens. “He can come if you’d like. He can be your personal bodyguard.”

“Really?” Sammy’s face lights up. “Can he be my friend, too? My best friend used to be Danny, but now I’m not sure if I’ll ever see him again, and Gordon’s really good at Uno.”

“What about us?” Jade asks. “We want Rufus.”

“Do you really?” Axel asks.

Jade nods.

“No one likes Rufus,” Gordon says from downstairs. “He bugs everyone.”

“I like him,” Jade says. “I do.”

“He’s okay,” Coral says.

“He can come as well,” Axel says.

“What about you?” Gideon asks. “Will you be staying here?”

Axel walks toward the door, but he stops right in front of Gideon. “You’d like that, and that’s almost reason enough for me to go.”

Poor Gideon looks like he’s about to punch Axel. That brave move would be his last, so I practically race to step between them. “Hey, I’m going to change clothes and throw my stuff in a bag. You guys should do the same thing.”

“I can help you pack,” Axel says. “I don’t have to do it myself.” He grabs the top of the door, ushers the kids back through, and then slams it in Gideon’s face.

“You should stop doing that,” I say.

Axel leans against the wall, his eyes roaming slowly from my legs upward.

“And that, too.”

“You might want to make me a list. There seem to be a lot of things I’m not supposed to do.”

“And you’ll stop doing them?” I grab my backpack. “Because I’ll start with the fact that you should stand outside so I can change.”

Axel takes my backpack and holds it open. “I don’t plan to pay any attention to what you tell me I can’t do.” He smiles. “But you seem to like telling me, and maybe making a list would be cathartic.”

I snatch the backpack out of his hands. “You’re pissing me off. If I’ve leveled up, maybe making me mad’s a bad idea.”

He grins. “No matter how much you level up, you can’t hurt me.” He taps the center of his chest. “Entwined, remember?”

I huff. “Then it’s all useless. You’ve always been the one I wanted to defend against.” If he won’t leave, I’ll escape. I grab my clothes and duck into the bathroom to change.

I hate that I can hear him chuckling outside the door. “Go away,” I shout.

“You don’t really want me to.” His voice is so soft that I shouldn’t be able to hear it, but I can. Clearly.

When I come out, my backpack full of toiletries, I scowl at him. “Why can I hear you crystal clear now, no matter how softly you speak?”

He presses his hand to my clavicle. “Entwined.”

“Stop saying that.” I bat his hand away. “And humans don’t touch women there.” Technically, it’s a little above where he shouldn’t be touching, but close enough.

“Why not?” He looks genuinely curious, his hand slowly reaching toward me again.

“No reason.” I turn to stuff my clothes into my bag. “And listen.”

“I’m always listening, as you pointed out.”

“It can’t stay like this forever, right? I mean, at some point we won’t need to be so close all the time, right? Please say that’s true.”

He chuckles. “It gets better, yes. The closer we get, the more we can stand some separation.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Our bond will force us to stay in close proximity until the bond in our lives mirrors the bond that now exists in our hearts.”

“Hearts?” I roll my eyes. “More like chests.”

“Sure,” he says. “Call it what you want.”

“I will.” I’m scowling as I walk out.