Traded To The Lycan King

It's incredibly difficult to rest on the back of someone you aren't sure you can trust. Every muscle in my body feels tense, my neck aching from keeping it pressing into his back too hard. I am used to being carried around; it seems lately it's been happening more frequently. But this time is different. It feels forced.

Ezrah feels...fake. Or rather, I am seeing the real him for the first time. Each time he looks over his shoulder to check on me, I see something in his eyes. If I were more optimistic about him, I would think it was a concern, but it feels deeper. Almost as if he is concerned, but not for me. More my presence.

Percy remains near, his eyes constantly cutting in my direction like a worried watch dog looking for orders. He can feel it too, which only makes me more unnerved. What happens when we arrive?

Is Ezrah really a bad guy, and if he is, why not kill us after what he saw I could do? Clearly, he isn't under some magic spell like the many others out here fighting.

"We should go separate ways here." Percy says, sniffing the air.

It smells of heated metal, the trees brown and shriveling while the branches further north of us begins to smoke. Not only are we close, but it would seem that Lily's death has been felt already. We are running out of time.

"I think I should take you all the way. It seems like we are almost there now." Ezrah says, a frown on his face as I squirm off of his back and take a step over to Percy.

"There is a plan in place for a reason," Percy says, his words clipped and pointed.

"Sometimes plans change for the better." Ezrah shrugs. I say nothing as he stares at me, neither of us breaking. Then he rolls his eyes and lets out an enormous sigh. "Well, come on then. I might as well walk you the rest of the way."

"We need to stick to the plan." I reiterate, and he scoffs.

"Your plan was ruined the second you trusted Elm."

"It's not Elm who is the issue," Percy says, his voice defensive as he inches in front of me, ready to fight Ezrah if he has to. I reach out to touch his upper arm, reassuring him.

"Percy, Merikh vouched for Ezrah." I remind him, but we both know that trust is gone. We can feel it, sense the shift in him. The end of his charade is so close, and he has let his guard down. "Let's just move, quickly. We are close. I can feel it."

Ezrah walks first, trying to show that by turning his back, he trusts us. But it's easy to trust the people you think are beneath you. How often do they ever actually stand up and retaliate? What he doesn't realize is that we are a step ahead of him this time.

It doesn't take us long to see her pacing figure. The air around her shimmers like she is a blue flame, my view of her distorted by the warbling of the heat encircling her. I pause, moving behind a tree trunk, Percy taking a similar stance to the right of me as Ezrah continues to walk.

open, his cheeks turning pink as he shifts to the side. The heat is almost too much for him as he licks his lips and glances at me. "You always come with letters of the law,

in flames that cover her almost naked body. Her skin is skewed

his offering."

her lips twitch. Then she smiles at him

to pretend that it is just me doing all of this?" She

will be here soon to explain everything to

along. Pulling strings, and playing us all with the trust he spent years establishing. This fool things he is still

giggles erupt

She says, not even trying to feign the surprise. She knew I was there the moment Ezrah walked up. Why? Because Ezrah was always meant to bring me to her. He is the delivery boy, after

wouldn't convince me it was him trying to kill me. I trust

is in front of them."

have our failings. Some

sense Percy

a little more gumption. The ability to push her, goad her like Merikh planned to do all along. What I need to do first is find what hurts her the most.

Giselle chuckles, waving her

curls at the corner of my lip. And just like that, I know I have found the weak spot. It should have been easier to

A bitch, but

She says in a carefree

have

you had to pretend to be a species you aren't in order to make a dragon 'love' you." I scoff. "My mate wanted me

the air leeching away as I take a few steps back, needing to breathe. "Giselle, you are feeding into their plan." Ezrah grits out, holding

hair going

speak to me. I am your fa-courier." He says, and it dawns on me. He is going to deliver her.

whisper from the trees, his eyes flickering to Giselle, an encouraging head

of this?" I ask, breaking up their heated