“None of this is real. I’ll wake up in a few minutes, and life will make sense again,” she murmured to herself as she neared the window, crossing her arms over her chest as if to hold herself together. They were all lying to her and this was just a dream. That’s all.
“Let us…explain, Ashley,” Jack said slowly. She couldn’t help but frown as she turned around to face him, willing him to give her a real explanation. “Sit down, there’s a lot you don’t know.”
When she reluctantly returned to her seat, Val paced before her.
“Long ago,” Val began, his voice taking on a formal tone, “before any of us were born, the dragon kings made a deal with the gods.”
“A deal that fucked over everyone else,” Jack interjected bitterly.
Val shot him a glare. “It was a pact that gave dragons control of the world.”
“At what cost?” Ashley asked, her voice small. They were still choosing madness, then.
Jack leaned against the wall. “At the cost of every other shifter species on the planet. The gods caused what we call the Night of the Howls.”
“What’s that?” Ashley asked, remembering that she’d already asked this but hadn’t been answered.
“It’s a night when all shifters except dragons go completely insane,” Val explained. “Overnight, they became savage, mindless creatures.”
Ashley’s eyes darted to Ned and the iron collar still around his neck. “And Dad? You’re saying that’s what happened to him?”
“Yes. The only protection for other shifter species,” Val said, “is iron collars like the one Ned wears. As long as he’s in service to the Tannagen line—to us—he’s safe.”
“And if it were removed?” Ashley whispered.
Val’s expression darkened. “He would lose his mind within minutes.”
Ashley felt sick. “So, in twenty-four hours, dragons just... took over the whole world?”
“We have always ruled the world, humans just didn’t know it,” Val countered. “Different dragon families control different territories. Now, we’re just more open about it. And we’ve gotten rid of some of the pesky humans that were doing their bestto destroy our home. Still, dragons are always fighting over boundaries, resources...”
“And Tennessee?” Ashley asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Jack snorted. “That’s the kicker.”
“No one wanted Tennessee,” Val admitted.
“No one wanted Tennessee?” Ashley repeated, incredulous. “Are you kidding me? That’s where I grew up!”
“It was deemed worthless,” Jack said with a shrug. “Too little strategic value.”
“And me?” Ashley asked, looking between them. “Where do I fit in all this?”
“You’re a dragon,” Val said, “but your magic has been contained since birth. Out of all the dragons in the world, you’re the only one who can’t shift.”
“Which makes you valuable,” Jack added, “and vulnerable.”
Ashley collapsed back into her chair, burying her face in her hands. She didn’t understand any of this.
“You have to stay, kiddo,” Ned said softly, “if only because...”
His fingers brushed against the iron collar around his neck.
Ashley looked up at the men around her. This was a disaster. Whatever Val had thought he would achieve by bringing her back, she couldn’t do it. Not when she could barely accept what she was, let alone the idea of being mated to someone she’d never met.
Val studied her face and, completely misreading her distress, decided he knew how to fix her. “Are you hungry?”
Chapter
