Page 34 of Dragon Tempted

She walked to the door before turning around at the last second. “John, you are not the reason magic is dying. If you don’t believe anything else, believe that.”

Sienna stepped out and closed the door, leaving him alone. Which he normally preferred. But for the first time in centuries, it was the last thing he wanted.

Chapter 13

A scream bubbled at the base of Sienna’s throat. Frustration and anger had taken form in her chest and traveled up her throat like liquid fire, but she forced it down while John was talking about being thrown out of his dragon clan. And when he spoke in that toneless voice about lying on the forest floor for days waiting to die. And yet again when he declared the attacks against him were because he was to blame for the damn curse.

Holy Fates. No wonder he lived away from everyone and everything. Had he never fit in anywhere? As far as she was concerned, he could be the king of grumps and hermits and any other thing that kept him safe.

Megan hadn’t said anything so far on the ride back to the house. Sienna glanced over at her and saw that she was holding onto the bar overhead like it was a lifeline. Sienna slowed the UTV on the wooded trail and came to a stop. She shut off the UTV and turned to her.

“Are you okay?” Sienna asked.

Megan unwrapped her fingers from the bar and then flexed them as if to get the blood flowing again. “You’re driving like we’re in the middle of a high-speed chase. Maybe I should drive the rest of the way back to the house.”

Sienna closed her eyes for a moment before responding. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. After talking to John, I feel the same. Do you want to go hit the heavy bag?”

“Hit and kick it.”

Megan smiled. “Me too. We can change and grab Tessa. You know she would be mad if she doesn’t get to beat on something.”

Sienna smiled back. “Okay.” Her smile dropped as buzzing sounded above them. “Wait. Do you hear that?”

Megan shook her head. “I don’t hear anything.”

Sienna expanded her dragon senses and looked up through the trees. A moment later, a small black object flew over them. She narrowed in on it with her dragon sight. It was a drone with a blinking green light and what looked like a camera lens turning in a slow circle. “It’s a drone. It has to be Templars.”

“What should we do?” Megan asked.

Anger filled Sienna’s chest. “I’m going for it.”

Megan grabbed her arm. “Wait! It’s going to fly away if it sees you. Let me distract it and you can get it from behind.”

“How?”

“I’ll just drive the UTV toward the house. Once it sees me, it should follow and you can get it.”

Sienna hesitated. “Fine. But be careful.” Eric would kick her butt if anything happened to Megan.

Sienna climbed out of the UTV, and Megan scrambled into the seat and started it again. She drove through the woods at a slow pace. Sienna watched the drone home in on her and follow. She unfurled her wings, ripping through her shirt, and launched herself into the air.

Veronica hollered, Yahoo! Like she was on an amusement park ride.

A couple quick flaps of Sienna’s wings had her closing in on the drone as they weaved through the tops of the trees. Her breathing sped up as she reached for it, but it dipped lower out of her reach. She dived toward it, her claws lengthening, and grabbed it from behind. She quickly covered the camera lens with her hand as she dropped toward the ground. Megan had made it out onto the open backyard and turned the UTV around to meet her. Several guards, including Marcus and Ryan, ran up to them while a couple others flew toward them as well.

Sienna pushed the power switch, and the light faded on the drone.

“Are you both okay?” Ryan asked, taking the drone from her.

“I’m fine,” Megan said, and Sienna nodded.

“Find the operator,” Marcus ordered the guards. “They can’t be too far away.”

The guards dispersed, leaving Marcus and Ryan alone with them.

“It has to be Templars, right?” Sienna asked, her heart thumping. “Do you think they recorded much?”