Page 8 of Exquisite Monster (Dragons of Viria #2)

CHAPTER EIGHT

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ZOVAI

T hey hadn’t dosed me in what felt like days. Had it been days? I wasn’t sure. No natural light reached the cells where they kept us, and between the forced flames and the brief times they unstrapped me in order to feed me, I had no concept of time.

I didn’t have much of a concept of anything.

My knees ached, raw from the stone floor scraping through what was left of my trousers. They hadn’t expected me to fight back while I’d been blind.

Do either of you know how long we’ve been here?

Endre and Sirrus were close enough to hear me, but I didn’t know where they were.

If Andaros was smart he would have us separated by more than a mere wall.

Because if even one of us had the chance to get free, we would go for the others.

He’d need to make it as difficult as possible for us to escape.

It wasn’t currently an option. They were too on edge and too careful. They piled into the cell on top of each other whenever they had to deal with me. And, of course, Aeghi’s command still held.

But they would grow lax. Humans always did. Dragons did too, but it took us longer. If I obeyed them and kept my head down they would think I was beaten—their arrogance was too strong to believe otherwise. Until this command was reversed or we could find a way around it.

I don’t , Sirrus said. Maybe a week? It feels like longer.

I cast my thoughts to Lena, wondering where she was and what she was doing. Not knowing was almost as bad as what they did to us, forcing our bodies to perform against our will. It was painful, but not as painful as they could make it. For the moment, I would be grateful.

I’ve been watching whenever I can , and I believe I could direct my wind down with my flames to do some damage. At the very least I could take down those who were in the cell with me. If we’re lucky, I could set something below on fire and create a distraction.

Not a bad idea. Not until we know how to actually break free of these.

The chains they had on us were too strong to break. If we had any leverage, perhaps we could force them open, but they were smarter than that.

I could slice through them, Sirrus insisted. Anger laced his words. Familiar desperation .

It felt like a reversal to be the calm one in a situation between the two of us. Perhaps it was the sheer exhaustion that felt welded to my soul. Still, I understood it.

We’re not ready. I wish we were.

Fuck . The single word shook with rage. I can’t ? —

Sirrus . Endre sounded bad. Each time he spoke it felt worse.

A dragon’s magic would protect them as much as it could. And it would replenish us. With Endre’s power bound as it was, every time they dosed him it was harder to recover. I didn’t think it would kill him, but he was weak.

Remember when Lena came to us in the mating robes, he said, voice quiet. She looked like she was on fire, and the only thing any of us thought or felt was how we wanted to taste her and pleasure her, even though she had no idea what it meant.

A snarl echoed in the connection between our minds. What’s your point? I was just as angry then as I am now.

Remember her . Endre said. Think about the way the gold looked on her skin. Or that scrap of silver we were able to pull her out of. Her laugh. The green of her eyes .

Why?

I was the one who answered. Because it’s the only thing we can do to keep going.

We’re not ready. Don’t mistake my calmness for lack of anger, Sirrus.

For Lena, we have to take our time. If we find a way around the command, try, and we’re not ready?

We may never have another chance. So think about our mate .

His turmoil spilled through with a groan, but I also felt his acknowledgment that we were right.

Instead, I wanted to ask what I hadn’t been able to figure out.

Where would he have taken her that he thinks she’s dead?

Because if he only thinks it, and we know otherwise, he didn’t put a blade in her heart.

He either assigned it to someone who failed, or did something he was sure would finish the job for him .

Footsteps sounded in the hallway outside the cell.

It seemed like we were underground. The walls that contained me were carved stone—not built.

The floor too. We were in Craisos, likely Caelora.

That was halfway across the continent from where we’d been, and we had no idea how long we’d been unconscious.

Anything could have happened between Doro Eche and here.

I’ve been trying to figure it out . Endre let a burst of his own frustration through. It’s too much distance. Too many possibilities.

It might be to our advantage to find out what story he’s been telling Gleira. I’m sure he told King Rhole he intended to rescue Lena. By that same token, he might have sold the idea that the dragons really did kill her to stoke the tensions.

The hinges on the door squeaked as it opened, and the man in question strode into the cell. In this case, we didn’t have much to lose, and it wouldn’t take me much to feign devastation. Why don’t we just ask?

I glared at Andaros, locking eyes with him forcefully enough that he smirked. “Something to say, dragon?”

The muzzle made it difficult to speak, but I made a sound of assent. It wasn’t clear enough to be understood.

Andaros nodded to the guards with him, and they released the mask, my jaw aching as they pulled it free. “What did you do to her?” I snarled it at him, putting every bit of my pain and grief into the words.

“To who?” He asked lightly.

“ MY MATE. ” My roar shook the walls. “She’s gone, and I want to know what the fuck you did to her.”

Be careful, Z , Sirrus said.

“Why should I tell you?”

Straining against the chains, I made it clear that I could and would free myself if I could, and when I did, I would separate his head from his body.

“What difference does it make? She’s gone.

She’s gone .” The words felt hollow. She was gone, but she wasn’t dead.

Still, I felt the pain. “How does telling me how she died change anything?”

Andaros searched my face, looking for some kind of deception, and found none. He thought he was so much smarter, but he forgot how long we’d been alive. I knew better than he could possibly imagine how to pretend something. The three of us had been pretending for centuries.

Finally, he shrugged. “It was no more than she deserved. I threw her down the center of the world at Evrítha.”

Incandescent rage filled me. My fire burned in my chest, and I was going to destroy this man. Pain slammed into me as I was struck and forced back into the muzzle before I could try to fucking burn them to ash.

Andaros laughed as they poured the hot potion into my mouth. “That was more fun than I thought. Maybe I’ll tell the others too so I can watch them try.”

I relayed what he’d said, fighting sickness and rage. But all three of us had the same question. If Lena fell down the center of the world, how the fuck was she still alive?