Page 4 of Tempest Blazing (The Dragonne Library #3)

Tess

The next morning, I led Mason through the Library's corridors to Moriyana's private study. The heavy doors sealed behind us with a soft click that made my stomach clench.

Thalon waited by the hearth, his massive form coiled in elegant repose.

His scales shifted from obsidian to gold in the firelight, and his molten amber eyes tracked our every movement.

The way he held himself—perfectly still but coiled to strike—made it clear he was listening to everything we weren't saying.

"You're nervous, little one," his voice whispered through our bond, warm and reassuring.

"I have every right to be nervous," I replied silently. " What I'm about to do could upset everything."

"Or it could be the first step toward saving us all."

My spine prickled. Saving us all? Christ. That felt like a lot of pressure for a librarian who still wasn't sure how to make coffee without setting off the Library's magical fire alarms.

Mason's presence beside me was a steady anchor. His dark eyes swept the room, taking in every shadow, every potential threat. Even here, in the most secure location I could find, he was protecting me.

"Tess," Mason said quietly, his gaze finally settling on me. "What is this about? Why did you bring me to Moriyana's study?"

I gestured toward the comfortable chairs arranged near the fireplace.

"Moriyana gave me permission to use this space.

She said the privacy wards here are stronger than anywhere else in the Library.

" The words came out steadier than I felt.

"We need to talk, and I need to be absolutely certain no one else is listening. "

Mason's expression grew more serious as he took a seat. "Talk about what?"

I perched on the edge of my chair, my hands knotting together like they had a mind of their own. "I'm overwhelmed, and I don't know who to trust." I looked up at him, my chest tight. "I feel like everything is circling around me, and I don't understand why."

"What do you mean, circling around you?"

I stood, needing to move or I'd crawl out of my skin. "Think about it. I have this unprecedented connection to the Library itself. I can sense its moods, feel when something's wrong. And now I'm bonded to Thalon. That has to mean something, right? It can't just be coincidence."

Mason nodded slowly, his dark eyes following my movement. "No, it can't be."

"And this place..." I gestured around us, my throat closing up. "This is the first place I've ever felt like I truly belonged. Where people love and accept me for who I am, not who they want me to be. I won't sit around waiting for someone to destroy that."

Mason nodded. "Tell me what you know."

"Yesterday, when I caught the intruder in the restricted section, I saw him clearly—he bore a Guild tattoo.

The dragon and sword insignia. He was one of ours.

" Saying it out loud made my stomach turn.

One of our own. How could that be possible?

"And when I tried to tell security, Commander Hayes practically ordered me to forget what I'd seen.

The Council meeting was a joke—all that talk about increased security, but no one asked what I actually witnessed. "

Mason's expression darkened. "They're covering something up."

"Exactly. I won't be a pawn in their political games." I paced to the window that looked out over the Library's impossible gardens.

Thalon's rumble of approval vibrated through the floor. "Don't forget what you recovered from the intruder, Tess. That parchment you took from him—it referenced the Concordance Matrix."

I stopped dead, my hand flying to my pocket where I'd tucked the parchment away.

"You're right. I'd been so focused on the Guild tattoo that I almost forgot.

" I pulled out the crumpled document, my fingers trembling as I smoothed it.

"This mentions something called the Concordance Matrix. If someone's trying to apply it..."

"The Matrix is an ancient spell woven into the very foundation of the Library," Thalon explained.

"It governs the bonds between dragons and their chosen riders—how they form, how deep they run, how they can be.

.. influenced. In the wrong hands, it could be used to control or even sever those connections. "

The parchment crinkled in my suddenly sweaty grip. "Control bonds? You mean someone could force a dragon to bond with a specific person? Or break existing bonds?"

"Precisely. And if they succeed in manipulating it, every partnership in the Library could be at risk."

I turned back to face Mason, ice forming in my chest. "I'm going to research the Concordance Matrix—find out if it's connected to the Heart of Creation.

If it influences the bonding process, then tampering with it could affect every dragon and rider.

I need to understand why the Library chose me, why Thalon chose me. "

My hands clenched into fists. "And if there are infiltrators inside our own organizations—people who wear our insignia while working against us—then the only way forward is to build our own circle."

His dark eyes sharpened. "What kind of circle?"

I took a steadying breath. "I need people I can trust completely."

Mason's smile was fierce and proud. "I'm with you. Whatever you need."

Relief hit me so hard I nearly staggered. But beneath it, fear coiled like a snake. Fear for him, fear for what we might be walking into together.

"We'll need more than just us," I admitted. "One dragon and two rider applicants against an entire conspiracy... it's not enough."

"We need allies," Mason agreed. "People we can trust completely."

That's when the shadows moved wrong.

Magic crackled across my skin, raising every hair on my arms. A tingle sparked in my fingertips—my magic stirring at the sudden shift in the shadows. But before I could react, Ciaran stepped out of the darkness as if he'd been part of it all along.

Tall. Lean. Dangerous. That unsettling combination of pale skin and silver eyes that seemed to see too much. His black-and- white hair was tousled, like he'd been running his hands through it, and he moved with the fluid grace of a predator.

"Apologies for the intrusion," he said, his voice doing things to my pulse that I absolutely didn't have time for. "But I couldn't help overhearing."

Mason shot to his feet so fast his chair scraped against the stone floor. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Ciaran's silver eyes flicked to Mason, then back to me. "I've been following Tess since the infiltration. Watching over her. I couldn't show myself during the Council security debacle—too many eyes, too many questions. But I won't leave her unprotected."

"You've been following me…" Of course he had. At this point, I'd have been more surprised if he hadn't been tracking my every move. Heat flared in my chest—anger mixed with something I didn't want to name.

"Protecting you," Ciaran corrected, taking a step closer. "There's a difference."

Mason moved between us, every muscle coiled tight. "Back off. Now."

Ciaran's smile was sharp as a blade. "I don't think so."

The temperature dropped like a stone. Magic crackled in the air—Mason's protective instincts flaring against whatever power Ciaran carried in his shadow-touched presence.

"You have no right to be here," Mason growled. "No right to watch her, to follow her—"

"Don't I?" Ciaran's voice was deceptively soft, steel wrapped in silk. "The mate-mark says otherwise. She's mine whether you like it or not."

Mine. The word hit me like a physical blow, stealing my breath. Heat coiled low in my belly.

Mason's hands clenched into fists. "She's not property to be claimed."

"No," Ciaran agreed, his silver eyes never leaving mine. "She's far more precious than that."

Thalon's growl shook the floor. The wards flared, casting everything in harsh blue light. Books rattled on their shelves, and I could feel the air itself trembling.

Everything balanced on a knife's edge.

"Enough." The word cracked like a whip. I stepped between them, my own magic rising to meet theirs—not to fight, but to command . "Both of you, stop. Now."

The authority in my voice surprised me. It wasn't just anger—it was something deeper, something that came from the bond with Thalon, from the Library's recognition, from whatever power had been awakening inside me since I'd first set foot in this place.

Both men went still.

"I called you here," I said, looking directly at Mason, "because I need allies, not rivals." Then I turned to Ciaran. "And you—I don't know what game you're playing, but if you can't put your pride aside, you can leave. I won't be the prize in your fight."

Silence. Even the fire seemed to hold its breath.

Mason's jaw was tight, his dark eyes still fixed on Ciaran with obvious distrust. But after a long moment, he nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry." His gaze flicked to me. "But I still don't trust him."

Ciaran's smirk was infuriating and somehow endearing at the same time. "Smart man." He inclined his head toward me with mock formality. "I'll stay, a rúnsearc . On your terms."

The Gaelic endearment sent warmth spiraling through my chest, but I shoved the feeling aside. There would be time to unpack whatever was happening between us later. Right now, I had bigger concerns.

"Good." I sank back into my chair, suddenly exhausted. "Because we're going to need all the help we can get."

Looking between these two powerful, dangerous men who had somehow chosen to follow me, I felt something shift. The word leader settled over me like armor I wasn't sure I was ready to wear.

But maybe that didn't matter anymore.

I caught Ciaran watching me with those unsettling silver eyes. Hunger, yes, but also something that looked like reverence. It made my breath catch.

Annoyance warred with a flutter of something dangerous. I couldn't afford to be distracted.

"What?" I asked.