“What's wrong? Why in such a hurry?” the shifter who'd returned asked suspiciously.
“You haven't heard yet? That damn human has escaped,” one of the other dragons growled. “Can't be found anywhere.”
“No fucking way has she made it up here. She'd need wings for that. Still, boss says we have to sniff around the entrance, see if we catch a sign of her.”
“It's hell down there. Boss is very angry.”
“She one of those test subjects?” the returned shifter asked. “Boss should've killed her when those experiments failed. I hate that stink of human in our own home.”
The shifters laughed coarsely. “Oh, this time she'll get it. Boss is going to kill her himself as soon as he finds her. Better hurry back down. He'll want you to help in the search.”
The newly arrived shifter groaned. “Fuck, I'm hungry and tired,” he complained. “This better be over quick.”
A moment later, Braeden felt the particular, small burst of fiery energy that told him that they had all shifted back into their dragon form. He heard the sound of claws on stone again—this time walking into two different directions, two dragons going towards the exit, and the returned shifter continuing in the same direction Braeden was going.
Just to make certain, he waited for ten long minutes until the tunnels all around him had returned to silent darkness, not even a hint of dragon fire to be glimpsed around him, except for the torches.
Braeden's heart was racing—but no longer because he was infiltrating the home of people who'd declared him their enemy.
A human woman. A human woman imprisoned here, they said!
He had no idea what experiments the other shifters had talked about—but he didn't need to. She was a human, imprisoned in the lair of a group of fire dragons.
This was everything he'd sworn he'd prevent from happening.
He didn't even know that they'd started to imprison humans—but then, he was beginning to learn that there was a lot he didn't know about the fire dragons who led them.
Steele. Steele’s behind all of this.
Something about the powerful fire dragon had seemed terribly off the last time they'd faced each other.
He'd seemed...corrupted. Braeden had been able to feel the evil inside him.
No, he wouldn't put it past Steele to imprison humans. After all, Steele's goal had always been the subjugation of humanity. What would one human woman matter to him?
But she escaped. Right now, she's free. And in terrible danger. If they catch her...
Braeden took a deep breath. There was no time left to lose. He was a stranger to this particular lair, and even with his newfound powers, he knew that it was a terrible idea to take on all the fire dragons gathered here.
But he had to help her. He had to find her and get her out of here.
That's wh
y the flame had chosen him. That's why he was the master of fire.
It meant power—but it also meant duty.
And for the first time in his life, Braeden understood why the dragons of the council of elements did what they did. It was something Steele, despite all of his power, would never understand.
Braeden had been given this power to use it—not for his own personal gain, but for the good of them all.
And for the good of a helpless human woman who'd been imprisoned in a lair of fire dragons. That's why he was here.
He wouldn't leave without her. Because there was no one else who would—or could—help her now.
Determined, Braeden stepped out into the tunnel. He kept a tight grip on the flame within him, hoping to keep his power from shining forth and announcing his presence to his enemies.
If he could manage to appear like an average fire dragon, one of the many fighters who got sent out on missions to the surface, he might manage to move among them undercover. Which would give him time to find the escaped prisoner before someone else could get to her.