Page 9 of Ensnared (The Dragon Captured #1)

T he next morning, I’m up by dawn. The cell towers may be down, but somehow, the grid’s still up, and the water’s working too.

I charged my useless iPhone and brushed my teeth.

Thank goodness. Even if my phone’s now the most technologically advanced alarm clock I’ve ever had, it’s a comfort that it’s still alive.

Sammy, Coral, and Jade are all still sleeping, but I’m pacing by the door. I was told to stay put, but it’s dawn, and there’s still no sign of Axel.

An hour later, Jade’s awake and using the sink as a shower like I did, and I’m about to leave in spite of the orders, just to see what’s going on out there.

Did Axel die? Is the government doing anything?

What’s going on? I walk back and forth in front of the doors just to make them open so I can get a peek outside.

Not that I’ve seen anything helpful.

Axel apparently picked the most remote spot of their camp for his stupid den. There aren’t even any dragons milling about like there were on our trip here yesterday.

I’m about to leave and brave the consequences when the doors finally open. Gordon looks irritated, which I can tell easily, because he’s in human form. “Here.” He holds out several bags.

“What is all that?”

His nostrils flare. “His Highness made me go into a market and pick out things I thought you’d like to eat.”

As if he has any idea what we’d eat. I tremble at the thought of what might be in the bags. “Um.”

“Just take it.” He drops them.

I catch most of them, barely. Which is a good thing, it turns out, because one of the bags has a jar of pickles in it that would have shattered.

There’s also a container of mustard, a box of Ramen noodles, a loaf of bread, a watermelon, cans of beans, which we can’t open without a can opener, and several bags of candy.

Also, there’s a box of tampons. I wonder what he thinks those are for.

It’s like a blind person waltzed up and down grabbing one thing from every aisle.

I realize that’s probably exactly what he did.

“Next time, how about I go with you?”

“I have strict orders. His Highness is very, very preoccupied right now, so it’s critical that you all stay inside. Once he’s settled things, he’ll return, and he’ll see that you’re trained at that time.”

Settled things? As in, once all the pesky humans who fight back are dead? Oh, heck no. “How about I come with you and I can help him?—”

“No.”

“But—”

Gordon growl-roars, and the odd sound coming from a human-shaped throat wakes the other two kids. Sammy whimpers.

“I’ll return later with more food. If you tell me what you like?—”

“Milk. Cereal.” There’s a fridge in the break room, assuming the power’s on in the store and the milk isn’t spoiled yet.

“More bread. Peanut butter and jelly. Eggs, if they have any.” Sammy will eat those cooked in a microwave, which thankfully the break room has.

I drop to a whisper. “We can tell the kids they’re free range even if they aren’t. At least it’s protein.”

“How much of this do you think I’ll remember?” Gordon arches one irritated eyebrow.

“Bread. Eggs. Peanut butter. Jelly. Cereal. Milk. Granola bars, if you see any.” I pause. “Can you remember that?”

He shrugs.

“And if you have time, ask his royal fanciness again if I could please be allowed to leave this furniture store prison to collect some food myself. I would really appreciate it.”

“Request denied,” Gordon says. “His Highness is in a difficult position right now, leading the shock troops as well as rounding up humans for the other ensnared to control.”

“He’s what ?”

Gordon swallows, his eyes bugging a bit. I’m guessing he wasn’t supposed to share that part. “Just stay put. Got it? Or I’ll eat one of your kids.”

“Again, they aren’t my kids. They’re my siblings—my mom and dad’s children.”

“Whatever.” Gordon leaves as quickly as he came, changing forms just outside the door and slithering away faster than I would have thought possible if I hadn’t seen him racing through the streets yesterday.

“He gives me the heebie jeebies,” Jade says.

“Me too,” Coral says.

“I like him,” Sammy says. “The way he moves is neat, and he’s tough. That doesn’t mean he’s bad. He brought us pickles.”

I forgot how much Sammy likes pickles. He proceeds to eat the entire jar. I hope it doesn’t give him an upset stomach.

The next three days go exactly like the first. Gordon does a grocery drop off, with increasingly improved items, though the milk on the third day is expired, not that we needed more. He also brought mostly things like plain old rice chex, which are edible, but not very exciting for kids.

“Sugar-coated cereal,” I emphasize. “Look for the boxes like this that are bright and exciting. Those are the ones they want.”

He rolls his eyes, but I think Gordon likes us a little bit more each day. He brings better stuff, and he practically preens when I praise his selections.

By the fifth day, however, we have amassed a bit of a stockpile, and nothing scary has happened since that first day.

The kids and I are all a little stir crazy, and I’m getting ticked that His Royal Majesty Axel can’t even be bothered to show up.

“Tell him, Gordon. If he’s not here himself tomorrow, I’m going out for a walk. ”

“You will not do that,” Gordon says. “You vowed to do as he said.”

“Well, I haven’t heard him say it. I didn’t promise to do what you said.” I fold my arms. “If he can’t be bothered to come by and give me orders himself, I’m breaking free.”

Gordon shakes his head and scowls. “You’re dumber than I thought.”

I think about what he means. I’m essentially a captured slave, and I’m currently being ignored.

I could take that as a boon, of course, and just be glad that we’re safe.

The less time we spend around the dragons, the better, right?

But we’re also sitting ducks here, and without our protector even coming by, how much time do we really have?

I’ve never been one to pull an ostrich and close my eyes to what’s happening around me.

I feel pretty ostrichy right now, hiding in a furniture store with sliding doors.

When I think about Axel’s smirk, it makes me want to duck out and go exploring right now. It’s just not the face of a cold-hearted killer. A villain? Sure. Even a killer, maybe, but only when truly provoked. He’d hear me out first, and then he’d understand why I didn’t just sit around.

Right?

Right.

I think.

My uncertainty keeps me inside another day.

But the next morning, as I’m facing down my sixth day of hiding in a furniture store in the middle of town, I can’t handle any more. I make a plan.

“You’re going to stay put, right?” Gordon eyes me askance.

“You convinced me yesterday,” I say. “I’m sure there are hundreds of dragons out there, right now.”

“In the sky, on land, and in the water,” he says.

“The water?” I didn’t expect that.

“You really need to be trained,” Gordon says. “The blessed returned to Earth to recapture the heart, and we won’t leave until we have it. In order to do that, His Royal Highness sent the Blessed Recovery Team.”

“Wait, did you say returned ?” I ask.

Gordon’s dramatic sigh seems over the top. “We lived here with humans for several thousand years. However, we fought often, and it became ugly. We, being the greater, stronger, and smarter beings, decided to leave.”

“Leave.” I blink.

“Axel will explain all of this,” he says. “But you should at least know that there are four categories of blessed. Flame, of which our Recovery Leader is one.”

“Flame?” That must be the huge red dragon I saw eating missiles. “Okay. And how many of those are there on earth?”

Gordon frowns. “Nice try. No tactical information. But there are also strike blessed. They’re silver and they control electrical currents.”

One of them took my mother. I grit my teeth and nod.

“They can fly, like the flame blessed.”

“I’ve seen them.”

“And there are water blessed,” he says. “They keep to bodies of water whenever possible and complain absurdly when forced to walk instead of swim.”

“How did you get here, then?”

“Tactical,” he says.

“But—”

“His Majesty can share that if he chooses. The last kind of blessed is the earth blessed, and we’re the most plentiful.” He beams. “I am, of course, earth blessed, as is His Majesty, the Prince of the Earth Blessed. That’s why he was able to ensnare a human, a feat we were told wasn’t possible.”

“Goodie,” I say.

“Now, keep your promise, and stay here. He thinks he’ll be free to see you in the morning.”

I’ve heard that before, but I don’t argue. I just nod my head.

“I mean it.” Gordon points at me. He’s learning human movements quickly.

He’s also finally replaced the idiotic Jedi Knight outfit with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a tiny green dragon on it that says, “Fear me. I’m dragon.

” I didn’t really take him for an ironic kind of guy, but it’s funny.

The one on his shirt actually resembles Rufus a little.

I wonder whether that’s why he chose it.

“Hey, where did you find that shirt?” I ask.

But it’s too late. He’s already on his way out.

I wait for more than an hour after he leaves, just to be safe.

“You’ll all hide until I come back.” I’m making the kiddos lock themselves into the office at the back of the store.

No windows. Metal doors. Locks from the inside.

If it had a vault, I’d try to force them in there.

“You have enough food for several days. Don’t come out for Rufus, do not come out for Axel, and definitely don’t come out for Gordon, no matter what they say. ”

“But I like Gordon,” Sammy says.

I glare.

“We’ll keep him inside and quiet,” Coral says.

I’m sure they’ll be fine. Right? Right. I’ll be back before they even get sick of playing with Sammy’s Legos.