Chapter 16
Ember
I sit in the small room, concrete walls pressing in from every side. The metal chair digs into my spine. Overhead, fluorescent lights buzz and flicker, casting everything in a harsh white glare that makes my eyes burn.
Hours. It’s been hours since they brought me here.
The cuffs around my wrists hum with that sickening blue light, suppressing everything inside me. Every time I reach for my fire, I find nothing. Just hollow silence where magic should be.
I should have grown used to it by now, after days of being human, but instinct keeps fighting it. Especially after what happened back there, when my magic came back for an instant. What was that? A flash of emotion? Or something else?
I can’t think about it clearly. Can’t think about anything.
My body aches. The fight in the cave. The rough transport. These restraints cutting into my skin. But the physical pain is nothing compared to not knowing.
Where’s Luke? Is he alive?
I test the cuffs again, carefully, trying not to draw attention from whoever’s watching through the cameras I can feel trained on me. The metal doesn’t budge. The suppression field pulses stronger, like it’s punishing me for trying.
Through the door, I hear boots on concrete. Voices, low and controlled.
They’re coming back.
The door opens without warning. Two men enter, and I recognize the first one immediately—the commander from the caves. Military gear still in place, that same controlled arrogance radiating from him. Behind him walks someone new. Older, wearing a civilian suit beneath a heavy coat. Sharp eyes that take in every detail of my slumped posture, my torn clothes, the way my hands shake in the cuffs.
Authority rolls off him in waves that have nothing to do with rank insignia. He’s dragon… and ancient.
Neither speaks at first. They just study me. A specimen under glass.
The older man settles into the chair across from mine with deliberate slowness, like he has all the time in the world.
“You’ve been quite the puzzle.” His voice is cultured, almost pleasant. “Aurora operative. Untrained. Young. Yet you survived two days in hostile territory with limited supplies.” He pauses, letting that sink in. “Impressive. Or suspicious.”
I keep my expression neutral. Don’t give them anything.
“Let’s start simple.” He leans back, perfectly relaxed. “Name.”
“You already know my name.”
“Humor me.”
The silence draws out. I count my heartbeats—five, ten, fifteen—before I answer. “Ember.”
“Ember what?”
My teeth grind. Habit wars with defiance, and defiance wins. “Just Ember.”
The commander shifts his weight, impatient. “Aurora Collective operative. Recent recruit. Clearly no prior combat experience.” His tone sharpens like a blade. “So, what were you doing in the Carpathians with a centuries-old dragon?”
I lift my chin, meeting his stare. “Aurora sent us. Cleanup detail after your people tried to wake something they shouldn’t have.”
The senior officer doesn’t react to the jab. Just watches me with those calculating eyes. “Cleanup detail doesn’t explain the fire.”
My stomach sinks.
Dammit! Why did I let them see that?
“What fire?” I keep my voice steady.
