Page 55 of Consumed By Fire

I don’t say anything. Not a word. I’m reeling. Octane leaves without a backward glance.

Has all of this been a ploy to get information from me? It can’t be. No! And yet…doubt is creeping in more and more by the second.

17

Octane

I follow Shadow, who is walking fast. I only realize that I am naked when we are nearly at the main building. Quite frankly, I don’t give a shit.

As soon as we are inside her office, she whips around. Her face is bright red, and her eyes are narrowed. I’m pretty sure that there are a few scales on her cheeks, just below the skin.

She’s pissed.

“Fucking the enemy, Octane. Really? You went there. I can’t believe you went there.”

“It’s just sex,” I say, but saying it doesn’t feel right because it wasn’t just sex. It was so much more. Shadow doesn’t need to know that.

“You had better have a whole lot of information for me after this little stunt. I can’t believe you.”

“She had only just started to open up to me. I need more time.” I’m not telling Shadow just yet, but I’m keeping Trinity, just until she has the baby. Then I’ll send her back to Mistveil with enough money to get her through without needing help from anyone else, especially that asshole Titan. I know I can’t keep her, keep her, but I can ensure that she and the baby have a good future.

“You’re not telling me anything, Octane. Start talking! Tell me what you know. Do not leave out a single thing.”

“Fine,” I mutter. I tell her about Trinity and Igor. Then I tell her about Titan and all the meetings. I tell her about the king and his relationship with the humans. I tell her that they are far more civilized than we ever thought. That they have cities and a hierarchy. Everything we have been led to believe is false. Most of them are not feral creatures who live more in their dragon form than not. I tell her about the male-to-female ratio on the island and the challenges that it brings.

“Tributes to Mistveil?” Shadow’s eyes are huge. “Are you sure?” She starts pacing. “That can’t be right. She must be lying.”

“Trinity isn’t lying. There is a shortage of females on Mistveil. The king – Arctic is his name – is in talks with the Mainland. He is hoping to stave off unrest by bringing in thirty human females a year for the men to take as mates. They’re hoping for more females to be born going forward.”

“That’s strange, Octane. We don’t have that problem. We’re genetically the same as the Mistveil Dragons. So why them and not us?”

“They are more controlled in their dragon forms than we are.”

She nods. “It’s a mystery. Then again, you’re far more controlled than any of us in your dragon form. Why is that? Maybe there is a correlation.” She shrugs.

“Perhaps. All I can tell you is that there is something fishy about the whole thing,” I say, my mind working. “The Mistveil Dragons don’t need Sky Wardens to keep their dragons in check, like we do.”

“We have seen this firsthand,” Shadow remarks. “I suspect foul play as well.” She shrugs. “But who is to blame? Is it the Reds? Or the humans? Both?”

“Surely the humans want us docile? Feral dragons are dangerous, hence having all of our rules in place. It makes no sense that the Mainland would want us out of control in our dragon forms.”

“We’ll have to try to get to the bottom of this somehow,” Shadow remarks. “What else did she tell you?”

I tell her about Trinity’s pregnancy and Igor’s death. About how Trinity moved in with Titan and how she started to pay closer attention to all the secrecy, which eventually led to her coming to Draig.

“That’s when I caught her and brought her here.”

“How did she get onto the island?” Shadow asks, her eyes narrowing.

“I was just about to get that information from her when you called this meeting.” It isn’t a complete lie. “If you had given me a few more minutes, that would have been helpful.”

“Please tell me that you’re sleeping with her to get on her good side. That all of this is you being nice to get information from her.”

I hesitate too long because she groans, rubbing a hand over her face. “Octane! What the hell! You have feelings for her?”

“I like her…okay? I would never have sex with someone for information. Quite frankly, I’m offended that you would think so little of me.”

“You like her? You like… This isn’t high school.”