The sisters sipped their wine, though they only nibbled at slices of bread and took small bites of the meat.
“So,” I asked after swallowing a mouthful, “what’s this matter you wanted to discuss? Are you letting me go free?”
“In a sense, yes.”
Yes? Had I heard her correctly? But there was a catch. There always was. “Really? Pray tell, will I be able to go home?” Not that I had a home anymore, not after Xaldain Von Rothbart had betrayed my people.
“We’ve traded you,” Neleia said.
“Traded me?”
“Yes.” Gwynna smiled. “It was worth it, too. We thought we’d never find a creature rarer than you, but then we were offered something we couldn’t refuse.”
Gwynna lifted her hands, cupping them as a mist of white fog gathered. Magic tingled over my skin from her spell. When the fog dissipated, she held a black egg with veins of blue running through it.
“Is that…?”
“The egg of a phoenix,” Neleia said, her voice quiet with awe. “So, you see, we had no choice but to trade you to him. We’re very sorry. We hope you’ll forgive us someday, dear. We really did enjoy your company.”
“We’ll miss you terribly,” Gwynna added.
I couldn’t hear their words anymore. The word him echoed in my ears. Please, no. It couldn’t be who I thought.
“Gwynna, Neleia,” I said slowly, controlling my voice. “Who did you trade me to?”
Heavy bootsteps thudded behind me. I spun around. The silhouette of a large man appeared inside the shadow of the doorway. I dropped my fork on the floor with a clatter that echoed on the cold, unyielding marble.
Not him. Anyone but him.
My heart stopped as Xaldain Von Rothbart walked toward me. His bulky frame moved stiffly, as if he weren’t used to taking his human form. He wore black leather armor that hugged his meaty frame. His golden eyes shone like two burning coals. A wave of memories washed over me.
The first time he’d entered my homeland, my parents had left our hut on the seashore to go speak with him. I couldn’t forget the fear in their eyes when they returned. They’d warned me of him. They’d warned everyone, but no one listened. Not until it was too late.
I stood so quickly, my chair fell over. Anger flooded my blood.
“You traded me to him?”
“We had no choice,” Gwynna said, running her hands over the egg’s glassy surface. “We couldn’t refuse.”
“We said we were sorry,” Neleia interjected.
“Odette,” Xaldain said behind me, his voice producing a rough, animalistic sound. It seemed so wrong coming from his mouth, as if he controlled me just by speaking my name.
I rounded on him. “What do you want with me?”
He stood without moving, his hands clenched into fists, looking at me with a predatory gaze. His slit-shaped pupils made it easy to see the dragon in his eyes. “We’re the last of our kind. A dying breed. I bargained my most prized possession to get you back.”
“You can’t do this. I won’t go. I refuse.”
“You’ve got no choice,” Neleia said. “You belong to him now.”
“But… he tried to kill you!”
“Many years ago, yes. But we don’t hold grudges.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Is it?” The sisters stood. “You have her now,” Gwynna said to Xaldain. “Now leave our lands. We’ve tolerated your presence long enough.”
“Very well,” he said with a nod.
The witches turned to leave.
“No,” I called after them. “Please, don’t leave me with him. He butchered my people. He murdered my parents. Don’t you care?”
Gwynna glanced back. “There are some things we care about more.”
They walked out of the room. The door slammed behind them. The sound echoed through the enormous, empty room.
Xaldain stepped closer to me, so quietly he could have been a snake gliding silently through the grass. He struck out, squeezing my shoulder blade, tucking his fingers beneath my cloak to touch my skin. His fleshed burned with searing heat. I cried out, but his iron grip held me in place. Pain lanced through me, radiating through my neck and shoulder.
When he released me, I stumbled. Burning pain radiated through my body. I moved my cloak aside to look at the wound. A red imprint of his hand marred my skin. Large white blisters formed.
“What did you do to me?”
“That mark is your brand. It denotes you as my property. I freed you. You’re no longer under the witches’ spell. You can now transform from human to dragon whenever you please.” He held up a finger. “That is, as long as I allow it. Unfortunately, I can’t allow you to unleash such power in your dragon form, not until you’re properly trained.”
“Trained? I’m not an animal.”
“No? Perhaps not. But soon, you will be something much closer to me.” He smiled, a leering grin, revealing his canine teeth that ended in sharp points. My stomach churned. I backed away, but he grabbed my arm in an iron grip. He stood close, his stale breath warm on my face.
“You, Odette, will soon be my bride.”
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Acknowledgments
I want to thank everyone who supported me while I wrote this book. First, a tremendous thank-you goes to my publisher, Clean Teen, and to the amazing women behind it: Courtney Knight, Rebecca Gober, Marya Heidel, and Melanie Newton. They really are a tremendous team, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have them by my side.
To my editor Kelly Risser, a fabulous author and editor who helped make The Witch’s Tower shine. Also, thanks goes to my tremendous team of proof readers.
To all my beta readers: you’re the best. I don’t think any author has had a more supportive group. Jenny Bynum, Donamarie Goldsmith, Leah Alvord, Jennifer Lapachian, Wesley Plummer, Julia Mozingo, and Melissa Lopez.
My street team, the best street team ever. I couldn’t do any of this without them. I love being able to share all the info with
