The Twin Dragons Series: Requiem City Book 3
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C. Swallow
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In a world where dragons and humans coexist in a fragile balance, Maddie discovers she might be the key to breaking an ancient curse. As she navigates her complex relationships with dragon lords Loch and Hael, and her strained friendship with Zayda, Maddie must uncover her mysterious ancestry and confront her father, Xander, a powerful dragon slayer. With war looming and secrets unraveling, Maddieâs journey is fraught with danger, passion, and the quest for identity.
Urgent Meetings
MADDIE
I glared at Storm. He grinned down at me from his perch at the head of the table heâd conjured in the alley. His big, gleaming teeth looked nearly as they did in his dragon form.
I canât believe I once thought he was sexy.
Not anymore.
In the past twenty minutes of our meeting, heâd shown me his true colors.
Well, since we were in the Shadow Realm, everything was shades of grey. But even in the real Requiem City, Stormâs heart was as black as tar.
It turned out Lochâs transformation into Lochness had been all Stormâs fault.
So many innocent peopleâand some not so innocentâhad met their deaths because of Stormâs little game.
And it was all to test my skills.
What a cold-blooded prick!
I wanted revenge. But my aching knee reminded me that opposing Storm was futile.
The powerful dragon had sent me flying into the gravel with a simple wave of his hand.
And my knee wasnât the only thing that hurt. Stormâs new revelations were giving me a massive headache.
He had told me that I might be the second coming of Freesia, the woman who killed her baby to bind dragons within the borders of Requiem City.
And if I didnât live up to her twisted legacy, then I wasnât good for shit.
âIn order to know if youâre the chosen oneâŠthe one to break the curse,â Storm said, pinning me with his gaze, âyouâll need to learn about those who came before you.â
He snapped his long-nailed fingers. A toothpick materialized, and Storm proceeded to pick his teeth.
âYour ancestry,â he elaborated.
I cleared my throat, glancing down at my hands. We were in the Shadow Realm, but even in color my knuckles would have been white.
âIâm an orphan,â I hissed.
âPrecisely,â he went on. âBut you are not all alone. I understand that youâve met your father, XanderâŠâ
I gritted my teeth. I had no interest in discussing my father with anyone, let alone this manipulative snake.
âMy father is dead to me.â
Sure, it was harsh.
But Xander was fucking evil. Heâd tortured my mates by drugging them and stealing their blood. Now that heâd killed Xythor, just the thought of Xander made me sick.
I wished that Iâd never found out that he was my father. I was better off an orphan than the daughter of the devil himself.
âPerhaps to you, little rat,â Storm went on. âBut Xander is still very much alive, whether we like it or not.â
I wasnât the only one who hated my father. He was the mortal enemy of Storm and every other dragon in Requiem City. Xander University was a danger to them all.
âBesides, your task doesnât regard your father so much asâŠyour mother.â
I narrowed my eyes even further. Anger bloomed inside me.
I didnât know much of anything about my mother, and I wanted to keep it that way. My brother Mason had said she died giving birth to me. That was it.
Growing up at Greensward, I basically raised myself. And Iâd turned out just fine, thanks.
I didnât need to learn more about the woman whoâd willingly fucked a monster like Xander.
Storm seemed to read my mind even though I still had my mint bracelet on.
âYou might be surprised at what you discover about the womanâŠâ
His smile made me nauseous. I hated feeling like he knew everything about my ancestry.
I hated feeling like I was beginning another one of his fucked-up tests.
I stood up from my chair.
âThis has been nice and all, but I have betterââ
But, true to form, Storm didnât let me get a word in.
âSit. Iâll keep it brief.â
At that point, I was too tired to fight. I sank back into my velvet chair.
âThough you have demonstrated some of Freesiaâs abilities, itâs too soon to know if youâre her second coming.â
âGood!â I shouted. I didnât care if Storm thought I was throwing a tantrum. âIâm not the second coming of anyone! Iâm me!â
He responded with an infuriating smile, clearly amused.
âWe shall see,â he said mysteriously. âAll in good time.â
He snapped again, and a piece of cake appeared on a plate before him. There was one in front of me as well, covered in pink frosting.
âIn case youâre feeling peckish,â Storm explained.
I pushed the plate away.
âI donât want your cake,â I spat.
He smiled again through a sugary mouthful.
âOkay, if youâre just going to eatâŠâ I continued, getting to my feet again. This meeting was over as far as I was concerned.
âYes, you are dismissed, little rat,â Storm said.
His permission only irked me more.
I turned on my heel, ready to leave him in the dust. But then I realized I couldnât leave this place on my own.
Damn dragons!
âSilver will be here in a moment,â Storm called. âJust one more thing: I suggest keeping your friend Zayda close. She could be a useful resource in this quest.â
My hands were balled into fists. I needed to get out of the Shadow Realmâstat.
First Storm told me that Zayda might also be the one to break Freesiaâs curse. Now he thought we should collaborate?
In a puff of black mist, Silverâs dragon appeared. I walked over to her and patted her flank. She pulled me onto her back with her winding tail.
âUntil next time, Madeline,â Storm shouted.
I didnât look back as Silver soared into the sky and out of their black and white world.
I hoped Storm choked on his fucking cake.
***
Silver dropped me on top of Req Tower.
She gave me a wink with her big dragon eye and flew away.
Finally, I was alone.
I had the best view of the city from up here, but instead of taking it in, I lay down on my back and looked up at the afternoon sky.
It was grey. Covered with clouds. I could have still been in the Shadow Realm.
I knew I had so much to be happy about. Iâd ended Lochâs murderous rampage, and now both of my mates were waiting for me in the penthouse downstairs.
Our relationship certainly had its flaws. But it felt like we were all turning over a new leaf.
Still, I felt a deep exhaustion and an unspeakable sadness.
Was this why I never spent time thinking about my past? Or my parents? Because it was so painful?
Because the more I knew, the more I saw how fucked-up my history was?
My meeting with Storm had been a disaster.
He wanted so much from me but didnât consider even for a moment how it would affect my life. To him, I was just some pawn waiting to be played.
I knew I was powerful. Hell, I loved the power I had when I sang.
But did that mean I could be the second coming of Freesia? Destined to break the curse that trapped my mates and countless other dragons here in Requiem City?
I didnât know if I could handle that responsibility.
Then again, it wasnât worth getting too worked up about.
For all I knew, I wasnât the âchosen one.â
It could be Zayda.
I was finding that the uncertainty made it even more maddening. The thought of Zayda liberating the dragons made an ugly feeling rise up in me.
Was it jealousy?
I didnât want to listen to any of what Storm had said. I didnât want to think about war coming. Or about my parents. My mom in particular.
But, of course, I couldnât think about anything else.
I sighed and pulled myself to my feet.
I knew two things that could help distract me from all these crazy thoughtsâŠand they were both waiting for me downstairs.
ZAYDA
Finally, I could see!
I gasped, able to breathe freely without that suffocating sack over my head.
As my vision adjusted to the fluorescent lighting, I focused on the man sitting in the chair in front of me.
Xander.
âHow fucking dare you?â I spat at him. âKidnapping me? Seriously? How else can you fuck up my life?!â
I tried to spring from my chair, but my wrists were bound to it.
Not only had my mentor knocked me unconscious, he had thrown me in the trunk of a car and driven around for hours just to deliver me here. To his fucking office.
âI apologize for theâŠunpleasantness,â he said, crossing his legs.
âYou can say that again, you murderingââ
âZayda!â Xander shouted. âIf you wonât cooperate, Iâll put the sack back on your head.â
I wasnât moved by his threats. I knew he was capable of basically anything, but all I felt was rage.
âIâm not going to be your fucking protĂ©gĂ© anymore, if thatâs why you brought me here.â
I glared, wishing I could poison him with my eyes alone.
âThe precautions were necessary,â he continued, âconsidering your new-found strength.â
He was right. My muscles quaked against the ties binding me to the huge wooden chair. Thanks to Xanderâs meddling, I still had the dragon strength Iâd accidentally absorbed from Xythor.
âIâll be brief. Mainly, I want to explain what youâre now capable ofâŠnow that you have the powers of a dragon and a Blood Raven,â Xander said gravely.
I let out a dramatic sigh. Xander loved to tell me how powerful I was. But there was always a catch.
âI believe you are the first of your kind,â Xander went on, âso there will be much that you will learn on your own.
âBut one thing I can tell you for certain is that the dragons will find out that you absorbed Xythorâs powerâŠand they will not be pleased. They will come for you.â
âAnd whoâs fault is that?â I sneered.
âIt matters not how it happened, only that it happened,â Xander continued in a calm voice.
He leaned toward me, which only made me want to strike him more.
âBefore, your blood magic bound you to Freesiaâs legend.â Xander smiled his sinister smile. âBut now that you hold dragon power within you, it is even more likelyâŠâ
Xanderâs eyes misted over, as if he was lost in some dark, twisted fantasy.
âThat you are the second coming of Freesia herself.â
I scoffed.
Ha!
Everyone at this fucking institution was obsessed with this crazy bitch who killed her own child.
Now they wanted to find her reincarnation? It was more than a bit creepyâŠbut mainly just pathetic.
âYou donât believe me,â he went on. âBut let me assure you, I am not the only one who believes that upon her return, the dragons and mortals of Requiem will clash in a war that could destroy us all. If the dragons get to you first, I hate to think of what they could do to youâŠâ
His last phrase made my stomach flip uncomfortably.
Sure, I had been in love with a dragon.
But that didnât mean I didnât know how dangerous they could be. How much you didnât want a dragon as an enemy.
Iâd seen how the Dobrzycka twins treated Maddie. Not to mention the horrifying images of Lochnessâ victims in the media.
âI have an offer,â Xander told me, seemingly concluding his speech. âIf you let me protect you, I can promise you something that no one could refuseâŠâ
