Page 1 of Taught By the Dragon
ChapterOne
Even through the thick walls of the prison, roars pierced the air, and Persephone “Percy” Smith paused while making a snack for the two kids sitting across from her.
For a beat, hope flooded her body. Had the girl’s uncle finally come to rescue them, like Ava had said he would? Percy’s cynical side said of course he hadn’t, but as more roars echoed from somewhere above, her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he had followed through, which was something she’d never experienced before. Well, at least in a positive light—threats and punishments, she knew well enough.
Still, she wasn’t going to completely rely on strangers and hope for the best. She needed to protect herself and her two bargaining chips. They were her chance at freedom.
One of the two kids who’d been handed into her care the day before, the little dragon girl named Ava Moore-Llewellyn, stood up and met Percy’s gaze. “That’s them. I told you my uncle would come save me.”
The younger human boy, Joey Carter, frowned. “What? I thought they couldn’t help us. You said so.”
Ava’s flashing dragon eyes met hers. Percy’s inner dragon had been silent for years, and even if she’d hidden the pain, the sight still made her long for the days when she’d actually had a friend. Her dragon had been her only friend, ever.
Until she’d been taken from her.
More roars sounded—as if a whole fleet or group or whatever they called a flock of dragons was in the air—and the long-dead emotion of hope tried to break free.
Joey leaned forward. “Is someone from Stonefire coming, then? Did my stepdad send help?”
The human boy looked to be on the verge of tears—he was so fucking young and innocent—but Percy didn’t know the first thing about comforting someone.
After all, no one had comforted her since her dragon had fallen silent all those years ago. All she could do was be her normal, straight-to-the-point self. “Maybe.”
Joey looked at the door exiting into the hallway, which was locked from the outside, and blurted, “Can we go looking for them? Or shout until they hear us? I want to see my mum.”
Ava sat up straighter. “They’ll find us, no matter what, Joey. I’m sure of it. My uncle would do anything to protect me.”
Percy nearly barked out a laugh. In her experience, people only cared about themselves. That was why she only trusted one person: herself.
Still, as the noise in the hallway grew louder, she wanted to be prepared. If—and that was a big if—someone had stormed the facility to rescue Ava and Joey, then the guards might come to take her or the kids away.
And she needed to keep the kids alive. After all, they would be her only ticket out of this hellhole.
She laid down the butter knife and walked to the other side of the counter. “Whoever it is, it’s dangerous to be out here, in the bigger room. Come on. You’ll be safer in the back bedroom, where there’s only one door in or out.”
Joey eyed the food on the counter. “Can we take a snack? I’m hungry.”
He was young, quite young, and Percy tried to remind herself that these two had lived sheltered lives with family who wanted them. Complaining about a snack seemed normal, even if to her, a woman who’d been sold at thirteen to become an experimental subject for a bunch of sadistic arseholes, it seemed ridiculous.
Remember, if you help them and keep them safe, Ava’s uncle might, just might, let you stay with their dragon clan until you can figure out what to do with freedom.
Percy was skeptical as hell that Ava’s uncle would hold up his word, but it was all she had.
She gestured toward the back room. “It’s either hide to try and not get hurt, or stay and have a snack and maybe have someone kill you. You’re human, Joey. And they only keep dragon-shifters here. Do you know what that means?”
Joey’s eyes widened, but Ava spoke to the boy before he could say anything. “Come on, Joey. It’s just for a bit. Remember, Percy knows this place. And we have to follow her orders if we want to stay safe.”
The little human boy’s eyes were wet, as if he were about to cry, and he was probably one step away from falling into hysterics. But Percy didn’t know how to be nice or kind or how to care about other people’s feelings.
At one point she had, but she’d learned rather fucking quickly how dangerous that was.
Shouts filled the hallway, as did a cacophony of boots hitting the tiles. She gently pushed the kids toward the bedroom. “Go. I’ll carry you in there and tie you up if I need to.”
Ava murmured some nonsense to Joey about how everything would be all right.
Oh, to be young and naïve.
But as more roars sounded, and the shouting from outside her locked set of apartments grew even louder, that flicker of hope came to life inside her again.