Page 27 of Fated by Fire (Dragonblood Dynasty #1)

Chapter 27

E lena

The roar of the engine does little to drown out the storm of thoughts in my head as I drive. Trees whir past on either side as I speed down the winding mountain road, the cabin disappearing into the darkness behind me.

I tell myself that each mile is putting distance between me and the upheaval Caleb has brought into my life, but I’m not convinced.

“Dammit, Mara! Why?” I mutter under my breath, the glowing lights of my phone catching my eye from the passenger seat. I shouldn’t call her while driving, but I can’t wait any longer. Swiping the screen, I hit her number and put the call on speaker.

She picks up on the second ring. “Hey, Lennie! I was just about to—”

“What the hell did you do?” I cut her off, my voice sharp.

There’s a pause. “Uh, excuse me?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Mara. The video. The one where you spill everything about dragons and Craven Industries. You promised me you’d keep it to yourself!”

“Oh, that.” She lets out a nervous laugh. “Look, I can explain—”

“Explain?” My foot presses harder on the gas pedal. “You swore you wouldn’t tell anyone! And now the whole world knows!”

“I didn’t think it would blow up like this!” she protests. “I was just testing the waters, you know? Sharing a few hints. But then someone reached out to me.”

“What do you mean, ‘someone’?” I feel a cold knot forming in my stomach.

“An anonymous source,” she says, her tone shifting to excitement. “They wanted to pay me big bucks to do the story. Like, life-changing money, Elena! They confirmed everything you told me and more. This is the biggest scoop of my life!”

I clench my jaw, trying to keep my cool. “Mara, did it ever occur to you that there might be a reason this information isn’t public? That maybe there’s risk involved?”

She sighs. “I get it, okay? But think about it—we’ve been chasing stories like this for years. Aliens, Bigfoot, government conspiracies. This is the real deal! And I thought… I thought I could help you.”

“Help me?” I echo, incredulous.

“Yeah,” she says softly. “I know how hard things have been for you. With money, with… everything. I was going to give you the payment. You deserve it.”

I shake my head, incredulous. “I don’t want the money, Mara. I want you to take the video down. This isn’t a game.”

“I can’t just ‘drop it,’ Elena,” she insists. “This story is out there now. And besides, I’m meeting with the source tonight. They have more information for me. You’re not the only one who’s seen dragons.”

My grip on the wheel tightens. “Where are you meeting them?”

“At Green Lake Park. They said it’s safer to talk in person.”

My heart skips a beat. “Mara, listen to me. This is dangerous. You need to cancel. Don’t meet them.”

She laughs lightly. “You’re overreacting. I’ll be fine. I’ve handled worse; remember the abandoned asylum?”

“This is different,” I snap. “You have no idea how bad this shit is.”

“Relax, Lennie. I can handle myself. Look, I have to go. They’re expecting me soon.”

“Mara—”

“Talk later, okay? Love-you-bye!” The line goes dead.

“Dammit!” I shout, slamming my palm against the steering wheel. Panic claws at my chest. This isn’t good. I have a bad feeling—a deep, bone-chilling sense of dread that settles over me like a shroud.

I make a sharp U-turn, tires screeching on the asphalt as I push the Jeep to its limits. Trees blur past as I retrace my route, the quiet serenity of the forest now feeling ominous and foreboding.

Green Lake Park isn’t far; maybe twenty minutes if I floor it. I try calling Mara again, but it goes straight to voicemail. Cursing under my breath, I toss the phone onto the passenger seat.

“Please be okay,” I whisper, pressing down harder on the accelerator.

As I near the park, the city lights cast a pale glow against the night sky. The usual hustle of Seattle feels muted, a strange stillness hanging in the air. I pull into the empty parking lot, spots of light from the lampposts casting long shadows across the pavement.

I jump out of the Jeep, not bothering to lock it, and sprint toward the central clearing. The playground equipment casts eerie silhouettes, and the rustling of leaves sends my nerves on edge.

“Mara!” I call out, my voice echoing. “Mara, where are you?”

Silence answers me. My heartbeat thunders in my ears as I scan the darkened paths. Then, faintly, I hear a muffled cry coming from the direction of the picnic pavilion near the pond.

I take off running, feet pounding against the gravel path. As I approach, I see Mara struggling against two shadowy figures, their faces obscured by hoods. One of them has a firm grip on her arm, while the other rifles through her backpack.

“Get your hands off me!” she shouts, trying to twist free.

“Hey!” I yell, adrenaline surging through me. “Leave her alone!”

They jerk their heads up at my approach. Without thinking, I grab the nearest loose branch from the ground and brandish it like a bat. “I said, leave her alone!”

One of them steps forward, chuckling darkly. “Look what we have here. Another little bird.”

“Elena!” Mara cries out, panic lacing her voice. “Run!”

But I’m not about to abandon her. I swing the branch at the man advancing toward me, but he dodges easily, grabbing it and yanking it from my grasp. He smirks, tossing it aside like it’s a toothpick.

“Feisty, aren’t you?”

The second man tightens his hold on Mara, clamping a hand over her mouth. Fear spikes through me. I need to do something—anything.

Before I can react, a gust of wind whips around us, leaves swirling in sudden turbulence. I look up just in time to see a massive shadow blotting out the sky.

“Caleb?” I breathe, a flicker of hope igniting.

But as the enormous figure descends, illuminated by the park’s dim lights, dread curls in my stomach. This dragon is different—its scales a duller hue, wings ragged around the edges, and most notably, it’s missing a rear leg.

“It’s not Caleb,” I whisper, backing away slowly. I know exactly who this is.

Malakai Steele.

The dragon lands with a thud that shakes the ground, its tail lashing out and knocking over a lamppost, which crashes in a shower of sparks. The men release Mara, stumbling back in shock. For a second, I feel a sense of irony that of all the people they could choose to mug, they picked Mara… who was heading to a meeting with their very worst nightmare. They both turn tail and run screaming for cover.

Mara looks at the dragon, eyes wide with terror, then back at me. “What the—?”

“Run, Mara!” I scream, snapping her out of her stupor.

She hesitates for a second. “But you—”

“Now!” I put real force into my voice. “I’ve got this!”

God. If only that were true.

She doesn’t need to be told again. She bolts in the opposite direction, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

The dragon’s gaze locks onto me, its eyes gleaming with a cold intelligence. Fear floods through me, but before I can move, it lunges forward. Massive claws encircle my waist, and I’m lifted off the ground as if I weigh nothing.

“Let me go!” I shout, struggling against its grip. The air whips around me as the dragon beats its powerful wings, lifting into the night sky.

Below, the park shrinks rapidly. The city lights blur as tears fill my eyes, the icy wind biting at my face.

“Caleb!” I scream into the darkness, knowing it’s futile, but some sort of instinct drives me to reach out to him.

The dragon emits a low, rumbling growl—a sound that resonates deep within my bones. I twist in its grasp, trying to see its face, but it’s no use. Overwhelming terror threatens to consume me.

“Calm down, Elena, think!” I tell myself, forcing down the panic. I need a plan.

I reach into my shirt, fingers closing around my phone. With difficulty, I pull it out, the screen illuminating with a touch. If I can just call him. Just let him know where I am…

Come on! Please, please, please!

A sudden jolt causes me to drop the phone. “No!” I wail, then watch in despair as it plummets into the void below. My only hope of reaching out has just been snatched from me, and I’m lost. Totally lost.

The dragon levels out, soaring steadily now. Desperation claws at me. I glance down—the ground is impossibly far away. Jumping isn’t an option. The wind tears at my clothes, and the cold chews into my skin.

The city beneath us stretches on, a sprawling maze of lights. I don’t know where it’s taking me, but I know I have to get free. Because now that I know just a small part of this story, I have no doubt that whatever Malakai Steele has planned for me, it’s not going to be good.

In fact, it’s going to be bad.

Very, very bad.