you eat the heart of one of your sons?”
“If my grandparents had wanted me dead, I would have killed them before they could’ve killed me. Why do you persist in treating your enemies as trusted allies?”
“They’re not my enemy. They’re family!”
“Family who want you dead.”
She stepped back from him as if struck. “She’s my grandma.” Her voice sounded small and lost.
Ronan advanced on her. “Do you want to know who my first kill was? It was my uncle.”
She held her ground. “Why?”
“My sister screamed for me in my mind, begging me to help her. I told her I was coming, but still she ran instead of standing and facing him. Ran straight into the trap he’d set for her. Then he came for me. I was all that stood between him and the land he wanted.”
“What about your parents?”
“He’d already killed them. My sister found them, my mother’s heart ripped out and missing, my father only recognisable by the ring he wore. I waited for him. Waited for Emlyn. He came with the sunrise, two of his warriors with him. And I killed them all. His was the first heart I took. So don’t you tell me about family. I know all about them. They can kill you as easily as another and stab you in the back just as quick.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want your human sympathy. You want to give me sympathy, give me dragon sympathy.”
“And what is that?”
“Revenge.” There was a flash of gold in his pale blue eyes.
Amber reached out to rest her hand on his shoulder. “I’ve already promised to help you get back your lands.”
“Then don’t get yourself killed before you’ve fulfilled that promise.” He looked past her. “I’ll take the Knight to her husband. If she’s to be in the same room as him it’ll be in chains too.”
Amber hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”
Ronan stepped past her.
Amber’s hand fell to her side and she hurried after him, worried about their first meeting.
Helen broke off mid sentence to point at Ronan. “You!” Grabbing a sword from beside her bedroom door, she ran towards Ronan, swinging it at him. “Murderer.”
Ronan leapt out of the way and still Helen came at him, expertly swinging the sword. Kade rushed her from behind and Ronan disarmed her while Kade struggled to hold the wildly flailing woman.
“Grandma. Enough. Please stop or you’ll get hurt,” Amber pleaded.
“Traitor.” Helen glared at her.
“He’s going to take you to your husband.”
“Make me a prisoner you mean,” Helen snapped.
“I’m sorry. But you want me dead. What am I meant to do?”
“I want the dragons dead. If you help us fight them, the Knights would have a use for you.”
Amber stared silently at her grandmother. Her glasses were crooked, Kade still held her arms pinned at her sides and her eyes sent daggered looks to Ronan. Had she ever known this woman? It didn’t seem like it. “I’ll come and see you tomorrow after school.” Her words were soft, exhaustion making her want to curl up in bed and pull the blankets over her head for a week. Instead she kept her gaze steady and her stance firm. “No one will harm you if you cooperate.”
“I’d rather die,” Helen spat.
“That can be arranged,” Ronan said.
Amber faced Ronan. “She’s mine.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to think about this one too?” Ronan gestured towards Helen.
“No. She’s mine. Until she’s coming at me with a blade, she’s mine.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow. “But it’s okay for her to come at me with a blade?”
Amber couldn’t help laughing. “Are you afraid of a little old lady, Ronan?”
“No, but she better be afraid of me if she goes for you with a blade, Amber. Because you’ve just given me permission to kill her if she does.”
“Traitor!” The word was filled with anger and bitterness, cutting off Amber’s protests.
She looked from her grandmother to Ronan, with a glance at Kade who steadily watched her, still keeping Helen’s arms pinned.
“If my grandparents had wanted me dead, I would have killed them before they could’ve killed me. Why do you persist in treating your enemies as trusted allies?”
“They’re not my enemy. They’re family!”
“Family who want you dead.”
She stepped back from him as if struck. “She’s my grandma.” Her voice sounded small and lost.
Ronan advanced on her. “Do you want to know who my first kill was? It was my uncle.”
She held her ground. “Why?”
“My sister screamed for me in my mind, begging me to help her. I told her I was coming, but still she ran instead of standing and facing him. Ran straight into the trap he’d set for her. Then he came for me. I was all that stood between him and the land he wanted.”
“What about your parents?”
“He’d already killed them. My sister found them, my mother’s heart ripped out and missing, my father only recognisable by the ring he wore. I waited for him. Waited for Emlyn. He came with the sunrise, two of his warriors with him. And I killed them all. His was the first heart I took. So don’t you tell me about family. I know all about them. They can kill you as easily as another and stab you in the back just as quick.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want your human sympathy. You want to give me sympathy, give me dragon sympathy.”
“And what is that?”
“Revenge.” There was a flash of gold in his pale blue eyes.
Amber reached out to rest her hand on his shoulder. “I’ve already promised to help you get back your lands.”
“Then don’t get yourself killed before you’ve fulfilled that promise.” He looked past her. “I’ll take the Knight to her husband. If she’s to be in the same room as him it’ll be in chains too.”
Amber hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”
Ronan stepped past her.
Amber’s hand fell to her side and she hurried after him, worried about their first meeting.
Helen broke off mid sentence to point at Ronan. “You!” Grabbing a sword from beside her bedroom door, she ran towards Ronan, swinging it at him. “Murderer.”
Ronan leapt out of the way and still Helen came at him, expertly swinging the sword. Kade rushed her from behind and Ronan disarmed her while Kade struggled to hold the wildly flailing woman.
“Grandma. Enough. Please stop or you’ll get hurt,” Amber pleaded.
“Traitor.” Helen glared at her.
“He’s going to take you to your husband.”
“Make me a prisoner you mean,” Helen snapped.
“I’m sorry. But you want me dead. What am I meant to do?”
“I want the dragons dead. If you help us fight them, the Knights would have a use for you.”
Amber stared silently at her grandmother. Her glasses were crooked, Kade still held her arms pinned at her sides and her eyes sent daggered looks to Ronan. Had she ever known this woman? It didn’t seem like it. “I’ll come and see you tomorrow after school.” Her words were soft, exhaustion making her want to curl up in bed and pull the blankets over her head for a week. Instead she kept her gaze steady and her stance firm. “No one will harm you if you cooperate.”
“I’d rather die,” Helen spat.
“That can be arranged,” Ronan said.
Amber faced Ronan. “She’s mine.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to think about this one too?” Ronan gestured towards Helen.
“No. She’s mine. Until she’s coming at me with a blade, she’s mine.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow. “But it’s okay for her to come at me with a blade?”
Amber couldn’t help laughing. “Are you afraid of a little old lady, Ronan?”
“No, but she better be afraid of me if she goes for you with a blade, Amber. Because you’ve just given me permission to kill her if she does.”
“Traitor!” The word was filled with anger and bitterness, cutting off Amber’s protests.
She looked from her grandmother to Ronan, with a glance at Kade who steadily watched her, still keeping Helen’s arms pinned.
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