Dragon Fate by Elsa Jade Read Free Book Online Page A

out he’s not getting the ichor he wanted. Before your cousin Rave brought down Ashcraft’s jet, the pilot radioed ahead to say we’d lost.”
    “Considering Rave left the jet a slagged, smoking wreck, the ash-hole can’t be sure who went down in the crash and what we know about him.” Torch set his empty beer bottle down on the table and gave it a spin. “We have a little time to mastermind our counterattack.”
    The bottle came to a stop, pointing at her.
    Damn, he was good.
    He pushed to his feet. “Let’s go.”
    She eyed him warily. “What now?”
    “For you, nothing. It’s late, and I need to talk to Rave about our next steps.”
    She rose. “Next steps? Don’t you mean next flight?”
    “Not when I’m in this form.” He cast a sidelong glance at her as he dumped the compostable takeout containers and put the bottles in the adjacent recycle bin; creatures that lived for centuries preferred to not live in a landfill. “I know what I am. No matter what I look like.”
    She pursed her lips and didn’t reply.
    Why did he want her to? He didn’t need her approval or acknowledgment. He didn’t even blame her for hating dragons considering what she’d lost without knowing it.
    So he was surprised to realize his dragon had set its course back to his aerie and not to the empty room where he’d stashed her originally.
    She apparently hadn’t realized it either, distracted by her own thoughts. She glanced around when he opened the door, her gaze dropping to the boutique bags that had been delivered, then she glanced quickly at him. “Are we just getting my things?”
    Yes, he thought, that was probably best. “No,” he said. “You’ll stay here.”
    She raised her chin. “The Keep is a big place. There’s must be another room.”
    “Probably, but those are expensive.”
    With her hands on her hips, she faced him. “Seriously?”
    “Like, a thousand a night, some of them.” He blinked at her insouciantly. “Or more.”
    “Is the money all that matters?”
    “You’re talking to a dragon.”
    Her snort was definitely dragon worthy.
    “I could put you up in the Amber Suite with your friends,” he offered. “Piper said Esme sleeps most of the day but only screams at night.”
    Though he hadn’t meant to be cruel, Anjali’s expression tightened as if he’d slapped her. “No. I’d rather sleep on the stones here.” She drifted past him into the room.
    Was that what had bothered her? He strode forward and slapped his hand against the wall. A recessed bed descended, revealing the wrought iron headboard behind it with rope lights strong along the curved edges.
    “I never use it,” he said. “I prefer to sleep au natural.” He flashed a mocking grin at her. “Meaning my dragon shape, of course.”
    Her gaze skittered away, and the faint glow of the rope lights highlighted the ruddy shine in her cheeks.
    The dragon inhaled the rush of her blood and rumbled with hunger.
    Torch backed away. “The wet bar and bath are around the corner. I don’t really use those either so let me know if anything’s missing. I’ll find you in the morning and let you know what’s next.”
    He headed for the door against the dragon’s wishes. It didn’t want to leave her alone, not when it knew how she was feeling, alone and facing dangers so much bigger than she was. At least he’d always had his dragon backing him up. Now it wanted to be there for her.
    “Torch?”
    He swiveled on his heel, head cocked.
    “Do you really think you can take Ashcraft?”
    He’d already told her the dragonkin had never faced a warlock, that they didn’t know what Ashcraft wanted or was capable of.
    “Yes,” he said. And walked out.

Chapter 6
    He hadn’t lied to her.
    So Torch told himself as he descended through the Keep to Rave’s underground laboratory.
    He did think they could stop Ashcraft’s assault on their centuries of secrecy.
    He thought it. Whether they pulled it off or not…
    “What the hell were you