Claimed by the Dragon King Read Online Free PDF Page A

he?”
    A part of me wants to tell him, but Fee shakes her head almost imperceptibly and her squeaky voice echos in my head. “Lindy don’t say anything!”  I want nothing more than to see my friend stop suffering, but I can’t give in. I have to do what she told me to no matter how bad it hurts.
    “I already told you, I don’t know,” I sob, turning my head so I don’t have to see what’s coming next.
    “Not good enough,” Arralt growls. I hear the tiny screech and the ripping sound again. If I could collapse to the floor I would, but Arralt’s spell is still holding me in place. Another bell tolls and it echos throughout the room. Arralt snarls and then smiles as if he’s just had a wonderful idea.
    “Lucky for you, she’s still alive,” he says casually, tossing my friend back into the cage. “We will continue our conversation tomorrow. Think carefully about your answer girl.”
    He snaps his fingers and the cage disappears as Arralt struts out of the room. Bastard, if I could just get free I would love to get my hands on him. The door shuts behind him and the spell holding me in place lets up, sending me crashing to the floor. I race over to the door and try to wrench it open but the lock won’t give. My fists slam against the wood, over and over again. Blood drips from my raw knuckles but I don’t stop. I’ll beat down this door if I have to.
    A gentle tug from behind me startles me out of my ferocious pounding and I swing around with my fists raised. I stop my arm from following through with a punch and jar my shoulder. Michael stands in front of me, looking up at me curiously. I take deep gulps of air and try to calm myself. The boy tenderly takes my hand, looks at my stinging wounds, and then back up at me. Almost like he’s trying to figure me out. I pull my hand away.
    “Can’t you talk?” I spit at the boy harshly. He doesn’t respond in any other way than blinking his big brown eyes. “Of course not, you’re just another dumb kid. Another dumb stupid kid who needs someone to save them. Well heads up kid, I can’t save you. I can’t even save my own friends!,” I shout.
    My chest heaves as I start to panic. The room spins and the walls start to press in on me. The door clicks open and two burly guards grab me by the elbows. I don’t put up a fight as they follow Michael through the castle. I don’t have anything left to fight with. After climbing a few flights of stairs, we stop at another thick wooden door. The guards unlock it and shove me roughly inside. Michael watches me intently as the door swings shut. His brown eyes full of sadness but his face as impassive as ever. Poor kid.
    The room is sparsely furnished with a small cot and a chamber pot in the corner. The only source of light is a tiny window, just out of reach. The sun is setting and my room is slowly getting darker. I pull off my muddy pants and curl into a ball on the bed. The hopelessness of this whole situation is dawning on me. The memory of Fee getting her wings ripped off is too fresh so I push it away. I don’t want to know what Arralt is planning for her. It’s hopeless. I’m a horrible friend.
    I disappeared from Asher, he must think I’m dead. I suppose that’s a good thing, it should keep him from trying anything impulsive. Who am I kidding, no one knows where I am other than a mad King, my terrible father, a bunch of zombie kids, and my half dead best friend. The frustration of not being able to do anything pushes me over the edge and before I know it tears are spilling over. I try to wipe them away but they won’t stop coming. A couple of drops hit my leg as I sit up and run down over the brand on my thigh. Holy shit! It’s glowing. I sniffle back my tears and watch as it pulses brightly then fades to a low glow. I have no idea what just happened but I don’t feel any different. The mark shimmers as I run my fingers along the symbol. I think of Ash and how he ran his fingers over the mark in the