He took a step closer and I snapped, “Don’t you dare come near me!”
Silas looked me up and down. With a smirk, he said, “He was right after all. You reallyarepetty.”
“What?”
He laughed, an infuriating sound full of superiority and self-satisfaction. “I didn’t believe them at first. I thought the idea was absurd. But here you are, doing exactly what’s expected of you.” He narrowed his eyes. “I should have known you wouldn’t change.”
Silas circled me as he spoke. I yanked my body against the stone restraints, but they refused to budge.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t care,” I snapped. “You’ll release me this instant if you know what’s good for you.”
Now Silas turned irritated. “You’re completely at my whim and still making threats? Please, Halo. Try to havesomesemblance of self-preservation.”
My blood boiled. My mind stormed with confusion and fear. It should have been impossible for Silas to still be alive. Had I walked into some kind of trap?
“You claimed a mate, an omega,” I said, trying to piece my panicked thoughts together. “Your lifespan should have been halved. Why are you still here?”
He didn’t seem phased by the mention of his omega. “Oh, yes, him... I suppose he is dead by now. But it’s no matter to me. I knew the risks when I took this position. It’s still worth it to be able to deal with you.”
The crude, uncaring way he spoke about his former mate made my skin crawl. A claiming bite was supposed to tie two shifters together for their entire lives, yet Silas lived while his omega was long gone. “So why aren’t you dead?”
“Still as rude an omega as ever, I see.” His smirk widened. “But your arrogance turned out to be your downfall.”
I shut my mouth, locking my narrowed eyes onto Silas as he continue to circle around me like a vulture. I knew he couldn’t keep his big mouth shut so I waited for him to explain himself.
“You always did think you were the smartest, strongest dragon to ever live,” Silas went on, his voice laced with bitter sarcasm. “You thought you could outsmart the Knights by doing what you did best - running away.”
I flinched. The truth hurt.
“But it didn’t work. We decided to use your own arrogance against you, and it turned out to be our greatest weapon.” He grinned. “You see, we knew you wouldn’t go far. Why would you, when yourbig accomplishment- the Cinderhollow barrier - is right here? You wanted to keep yourself safe, so of course you’d stay within its walls. And you decided to stay in the area. So that’s where we set up our trap.”
Who is we?I thought angrily.Who is Silas working with?
“So with the help of some magic, the plan was laid out. I would become the bait. A statue of stone - ”
“Magic?” I said, startled. “You don’t know any magic. If you did, the Knights would never let you join.”
“Don’t be a fool,” Silas said. “Of course it’s not mine. Another mage performed the magic.”
“Who?”
“It’s none of your concern,” he declared, waving a hand.
I scowled. Another magehelpingthe Knights to apprehend me? I found that hard to believe, but it wasn’t entirely impossible. I knew I wasn’t the only shifter in Cinderhollow with magic in their veins - only the strongest, and therefore the biggest threat. Still, was I really so hated that someone I didn’t even know was going out of their way to get rid of me? There was clearly a lot that Silas wasn’t telling me.
“Regardless, the trap worked.” He shot me a smug glance. “We knew you were too arrogant to stop yourself from destroying a monument to the Knights you hated so badly. And here you are.”
The pieces fell together. “Earth magic,” I muttered. “Someone cast earth magic to lay you dormant until my specific energy signature touched you. Is that it?”
He seemed surprised that I figured it out so quickly. “Yes. Too bad your wit is marred by your lacklustre personality.”
I ignored his jab because I was too busy feeling angry with myself. Hot shame flushed my cheeks. Despite being a wretched person, Silas wasn’twrong -I’d completely fallen for the trap. I was too arrogant and petty to refuse the opportunity to destroy the statue, and now I was in trouble again because of it.
All I had to do was ignore it,I scolded myself.Instead I went ahead and acted like a smug idiot!
My heart clenched with fear. How was I going to get myself out of this mess? With my magic drained and my human form physically weaker than an alpha, all I could do was shift to get away.
But Silas was a dragon, too. He would have no trouble shifting and coming after me, and I doubted he would be so gentle after a break-away attempt.
