by Naomi Sparks
Prisoner
Exiled Kings Dragon Romance
Naomi Sparks
naomisparks.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2019 by Naomi Sparks
All rights reserved.
Second Edition
This book was previously published. Learn more at naomisparks.com
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Published in the United States
Contents
1. Saphira
2. Bren
3. Saphira
4. Bren
5. Saphira
6. Bren
7. Saphira
8. Bren
9. Saphira
10. Bren
11. Saphira
12. Bren
13. Amasis
Naomi Sparks (Exiled Kings Dragon Romance)
1
Saphira
The hot desert sun beats down on me. Even when I close my eyes, I can't do much to block out the light. Droplets of sweat slide down my dark skin. By the time this is over, my skin is going to be tough as leather, I think bitterly to myself.
Repeatedly, I curse myself for being stupid enough to get caught. I'm better than this. At least, I thought I was. What kind of weakling lets the enemy capture them alive? Father will probably give me the beating of my life if I ever manage to get out of here.
Which, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do. I struggle against the ropes binding my wrists, hooked to a post in the middle of their camp, but even with my considerable strength, they don't budge. No doubt one of the Fae witches has charmed them somehow. If I could've shifted, I could've broken them in an instant, but after my injuries, I still didn't have the strength to shift again. I'll get there, but not yet.
Besides, they watch me too closely for that. Especially the one called Bren. He's irritatingly alert to my every movement. The moment one of them notices me trying to shift, they'll all be on me in an instant. Escaping by brute force isn't my best option. Which means I need to find a way to slip away when they're distracted. Then, I'll have time to shift, shatter my bonds, and fly away before they can catch me.
For now, I need to keep calm, pretend to be docile until they let down their guard. Then, I can act.
Movement catches my attention. I see a woman striding toward me. Faith is my father's escaped pet, the one with the power to read minds. I suppress a growl, I'd warned him that it was risky to keep such a person around, but he'd ignored me, like usual. She was too valuable he always claimed. Now, look how that's worked out for him.
Faith stops and looks down at me. I glare up at her, willing her to go away, putting all of my strength into those thoughts. But either I'm still too weak to influence her or she has a stronger will than I thought. Either way, Faith just stands there, sweat glistening on her light skin. For a moment, the two of us just stare at each other. She doesn't look like she wants to be here anymore than I want her there.
When she reaches out to place her hands on either side of my forehead, I shake my head and growl for her to keep her hands off me. With my hands bound, it isn't nearly as effective. If I had been free, this stupid human wouldn't dream of trying to touch me.
"That's enough of that," a deep voice says from behind me. I glance over my shoulder to see Bren stride forward, and I glare at him, too. Once again, my influencing ability seems to be insignificant, not that I expected it to work on another dragon. I have only been able to influence a really weak dragon. Father claims it will grow stronger as I do, but I doubt it'll ever be strong enough to cow a full dragon.
This little mind-reading witch, would look good, groveling at my feet.
Before I can visualize that, Bren steps up behind me and holds me in place. Between the ropes binding my hands and his hard grip on me, all I can do is squirm as Faith reaches for me again. Her touch is almost gentle as she places her hand on my forehead, and that makes me even more angry.
I can feel her presence in my head. It's unnerving, especially since it's painless. If she had forcibly ripped the thoughts from my head, then it wouldn't bother me so much. I close my eyes and take deep breaths, doing everything I can to put up mental shields inside my mind, trying to hide as much as I can from her, hide anything important. But when she steps back and smiles at me, it feels like I've handed her everything she wanted to know on a silver platter. It leaves an acrid taste in my mouth, and I spit on the ground, my pitiful saliva evaporates almost as soon as it touches the dirt.
"I've got it," Faith says, beaming proudly. I want to lash out and knock that smirk off her face. "I know exactly how to get us to the California compound."
Well, at least that's all she got, I think to myself, letting out a sigh. There are worse things she could've pulled from my mind. But I figure without her strength being boosted by Father, it's more difficult for her to probe my mind. She'll have to be looking for something specific to find it, rather than just taking in everything in there.
At least, that's what I hope.
It's only then that I notice almost everyone is around us now. Lex, the traitor, nods at Faith but doesn't smile before he turns and walks away. I glare at his back as the others take his lead and leave us. This is all his fault. If he hadn't been such a spineless bastard and left Amasis, I wouldn't be in this situation. And if Father would just give up his stupid fantasy of inticing Lex back into the fold, we wouldn't be in this mess.
Father doesn't need Lex. I've told him over and over again. I'm a much better dragon than Lex ever was. I won't betray him like Lex, or go soft on him. To think that Lex was the man Father treasured as if he was his son is now working with humans and Fae as if they're equals. It's pitiful, seeing him like this. He doesn't even resemble the man Father boasts of.
After a few moments, everyone leaves me to my thoughts again. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. This desert is a literal hell hole. Why the Fae would choose to set up their stupid compound here is beyond me. There are hundreds of thousands of places on this little planet they could've hidden, many of them better than this desert. And yet they'd chosen here.
Finally, I shake my head and push the thoughts from my mind. There is no point in trying to figure them out. They're no more than savages, living in hiding, scurrying like rats when their masters finally arrived to bring them back into the collective. They should be grateful to us and should come willingly. Serving Amasis and the council would be better than living out here in hiding.
Then, the sound of approaching footsteps makes me open my eyes again. It's only Bren this time, carrying something in his hands as he approaches. I scowl at him, but that doesn't seem to deter him in the least bit. When he sets it down in front of me, I realize it's a plate of food. I look up at him and scowl again, but he just grins. Bastard.
Letting out a huff, I turn away from him. I don't need his pity food. I don't need anything from him or anyone else. I'll get out of here soon enough and find my own food then. Whatever garbage they've managed to scavenge for me isn't necessary.
"Oh, come on," Bren says, sounding exasperated. Hearing the annoyance in his voice almost makes me smile. Almost. He's been nothing but a pain in my ass since they took prisoner, but it's fun knowing I get to him, even if only a little. "A hunger st
rike, really? I know you're young, but I didn't take you for a child!"
Just to annoy him further, I turn and stick my tongue out.
Bren just rolls his eyes at my antics. Perhaps he's used to dealing with stubborn prisoners. "It's not poisoned, you know," he says with a sigh. As if to prove his point, he picks up a piece of bread, taking a small bite before setting it back on the place. "See?" he says after he swallows as if that's supposed to make me eager to eat his leftover scraps. "Come on. It's not that bad! Katia is actually a pretty good cook. You'll like her stew."
Just when I'm about to open my mouth to tell him to leave me alone, he stiffens. I stare at him, and his eyes go wide in panic, as he looks around, he grimaces. He grabs at his throat and falls to the ground, thrashing.
My heart rate skyrockets as I stare at him. I look around, looking to see if anyone else has noticed him collapse. As much as he was annoying me, I don't want him to die! He's still a dragon, one of my kind, even if he's a pain in the ass. He doesn't deserve to succumb to poison just because one of his so-called little friends intended to poison me. Besides, the bastards will probably find some way to pin his death on me, use it as an excuse to execute me, and send my head back to Father as a warning.
Then, Bren pops back up, grinning at me, barely able to suppress his laughter. The bastard, I think to myself. He wasn't poisoned. He was faking it, trying to get a rise out of me.
And he's about to get a rise all right. I have to fight back the urge to lunge at him, to beat him senseless for his stupid little joke. I know it would be useless though. In my weakened state, with my hands bound, I'm no match for him. Even if I wasn't so weakened, I'm not sure I'd be strong enough to combat him. From what Father said, he's much older than I am and has had more time to mature and grow. He isn't as old as Father, but he would be around the same age as Lex. Old enough to have become powerful.
So, I let out another huff and sit back, glaring at him. One day I'll get my revenge on him. I just need to bide my time.
"Oh, come on," Bren says, barely containing his laughter. "You have to admit that was funny! You should've seen your face! Now eat up. You need to eat so you can regain your strength."
Still glaring at him, I reach for the plate. He isn't wrong, but I don't like the idea of taking food from my enemy. He may think this is time for fun and jokes, but I know better. We are still at war. I'm his prisoner. So instead of eating the food, I toss it at him.
With his quick reflexes and my bound hands, it isn't hard for him to dodge, though some of the stew splatters onto his cheek, which makes me smirk. I'd hoped that might annoy him enough to leave me alone, but he lets out a short laugh and shakes his head, which makes me scowl. Doesn't anything get to this bastard?
"Why won't you just leave me alone?" I snap at him, my anger getting the better of me. Mentally, I chastise myself for the outburst. I'm supposed to have better control of myself than that.
Bren shrugs as he sits down, just out of reach. Even though I'm bound and weakened, it seems he's not completely stupid enough to sit close to me. Maybe he's not a total idiot after all. "I feel responsible for you," he says with a shrug.
I roll my eyes. "I don't need you to take care of me. Just release me, and I'll be on my way." It isn't a lie, either. As much as I would love to be the one to bring them all back to Father in shackles, I know it's just a foolish thought. There's no way I can take them on by myself. I'm not that strong, not yet.
"You know I can't do that," Bren says with a sigh. Something about the way he says it though makes me think he wants to release me. I'm not sure what to think of that, so instead of responding, I turn my back to him. It's a tactical mistake, but I doubt he'll attack me. Not if he went through all the effort of bringing me food.
But no matter how hard I try to pretend he's not there, I'm hyper aware of him sitting only a few feet away. My heart hammers in my chest, and I close my eyes, taking slow, even breaths. Get it under control, I tell myself, over and over. But no matter how hard I try, I can't get my body to obey my commands.
Am I getting close to a heat cycle, I wonder? The thought makes my heart beat even faster. I pray that I'm not, though I doubt there's any dragon God up there listening. Going into heat while I'm in captivity won't be good. No, definitely not. I've only been through a few mating cycles, and they've all been hell. My body stops responding to my thoughts and acts on instinct. I get an insatiable need, a willingness to mate with any nearby male dragons.
Each time in the past, I've always locked myself away from everyone. No way was I going to give anyone from the Clutch that much leverage over me. It would be stupid to let them use my heat cycle to claim me as a mate.
But as bad as that might be, what would happen if I go into a cycle here, with the Fire Riders? What if one of them decides I'm a better bargaining chip if I mated with them. Then what will I do?
No, I tell myself, forcing those thoughts from my mind. I refuse to think about that any more. It won't happen. I will get out of here long before then, I swear to myself. I vow not to let myself become any more of a weapon against my father.
Bren stays sitting behind me for a while. He doesn't say anything, but he's driving me insane, nonetheless. I just want him to leave, to go back to his friends and leave me in peace. He should know by now I'm not going to give him anything he can use against my father. I can't be sure that the witch girl won't be able to pull sensitive information from my mind, however.
Eventually, Bren stands up and walks away without saying another word. I can feel the tension in his steps. I want to call out to him, but I don't let myself. He's the enemy. I remind myself.
I can hear the group moving around not far from me. After a while, I glance over my shoulder and watch them work together. They laugh and talk with the worthless Fae mingling around. We were in the middle of a war, and yet these people are still acting as if it's just a typical day.
At first, I glare at them. They should be panicking, knowing Father will come for me, for them. They'd managed to stand against Father's forces once but only because he still hopes Lex will come to his senses and rejoin the Clutch.
I know better. I've seen it in Lex's eyes, in all of their eyes. They will never willingly rejoin the Clutch. They are our enemies, plain and simple. Soon, Father will understand that. He will send the full force of his armies after them. Then, he will crush them beneath his boots. They will regret slapping away his generosity.
Soon, I promise.
2
Bren
I sit and stare at the flickering flames of the fire in front of me. The sun has started setting, and fires spring up all around the Fae encampment. Everyone moves around in a flurry now, getting ready for the evening meal. And yet all I can do is sit and stare at the fire. It's like my brain has gone into complete overload, so much going through it that I can't process any of it.
The only clear thought I can get is of Saphira.
Why can't I stop thinking about her? All I want is to cross over to where she's sitting and be near her. I've never been drawn to someone like that before. Deep down, I think I know what's going on, but I refuse to acknowledge those thoughts. She's our enemy, our prisoner. Nothing more. She can't be. I know that.
But damn if I still don't want to go over and comfort her. Even though she literally thew her lunch at me, I hate knowing she's probably starving. Why does she have to be so damn stubborn? I wonder to myself. Maybe if she was thankful we saved her life, I could understand being drawn to her.
She's done nothing but try to offend us, though. It's like she wants us to torture her and drive us to our breaking point, then she can justify her hatred of us. If only she knew we didn't want to hurt her. We don't want to hurt anyone. We just want to rescue the Fae Amasis has captured, and perhaps everyone would able to live in peace.
It takes a while before I realize everyone around me has gone silent. Snapping out of my daydream, I look around to see everyone circling Hannah. I curse under my breath a
nd jump up off the ground and rush over to her. I expect to see her writhing in pain or see her coughing up blood again. But instead, she's just sitting there in the middle of the circle, her eyes closed.
Then, her eyes pop open as she sucks in a gasp of air. Everyone goes tense as they stare at her, waiting. We all know what just happened, and there's nothing we can do to rush her. She needs a moment to process everything she's just seen.
Finally, she looks up at Lex, and I see the fear and shock etched onto her face. My heart seems to stop beating as I wait. When she speaks, her voice is barely above a whisper. Even with dragon's hearing, I can barely make out the words she says. "Saphira is Amasis's daughter." She says the words slowly, as if she's still having trouble processing them. "I saw her with him. Being reunited."
The wind is knocked from my lungs as I stare blankly at Hannah. I had to have misheard her. It has to be a mistake. There is no way she'd just said Saphira is Amasis's daughter. No. No way.
Everyone remains locked in place. It seems like no one else can believe it either. None of us knew Amasis had a daughter. Can Hannah have been wrong? I doubt it. She hasn't been wrong yet. Her power of prophecy is one of the most accurate I've ever seen in my life, growing more detailed as she grows into it. She has to be telling the truth.
I glance over my shoulder at Saphira. She's still sitting with her back towards us, and suddenly, everything makes sense. No wonder she has such a fierce loyalty to Amasis and the Clutch. She isn't just another one of their soldiers. No doubt Amasis has spent considerable time brainwashing her, bringing her into his fold.