Chapter Twenty-four
Henry called upon every ounce of his training in order to keep his cool, but nothing worked. He wanted to yell and hit something. Hard.
He stared at a face he knew, but his sister was no longer the same person. MI5 and Ulrik had done their job to perfection. The girl he remembered who always had a dirty joke to tell and who was known for her infectious laughter was gone.
The woman in front of him had been reprogrammed, thoroughly erasing everything that made her special.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Esther said from the chair in the middle of the cavern.
Con used his magic to make the room impossible for Esther to leave without Con beside her. So there was no need to tie her. But Con took it one step further and altered the cavern so it looked like an interrogation room instead of a cave.
Henry raised a brow. “Like what?”
“Like you don’t know who I am.”
“I don’t.”
She gave him a scathing look. “Do you think it was any different when you went to work for MI5?”
“I know it.” He motioned to her. “You’ve erased all that you were. I didn’t.”
“Ah, dear brother, that’s the rub. Because you did. You think you didn’t change, but you’re wrong.”
Henry wasn’t going to get into a debate with her about his life. This was about her. “I did a little digging through my contacts at the agency. You’re no longer working for MI5, and haven’t been for quite some time.”
In response, she merely looked at him, her expression closed.
It’s what he would expect from an agent. Henry clasped his hands behind his back. He wanted to ask specifically about Ulrik, but something held him back.
Henry didn’t question his instinct. Though there was no doubt Ulrik was her new commander, Henry wasn’t going to give her a name to latch onto. With all Henry knew about Ulrik, the Dragon King had most likely given her another name.
And another name was exactly what they needed. Despite Ryder’s skill with computers, Ulrik managed to somehow keep anything from being connected to him.
“Who are you working for?” Henry asked.
Esther crossed one leg over the other. Her coat had been removed. She wore a thick taupe sweater and navy pants. If anyone saw her on the street, they wouldn’t look twice at her. Just as Henry was able to blend in, Esther worked that trait as well.
“Do you even know who you work for?”
She smiled slightly. “Of course.”
“Then why not tell me a name?”
“You’re here with these … things … and you don’t know?”
It was Henry’s turn to stare noncommittally. If Esther thought she was good, she was in for a rude awakening. So far Henry had taken it easy on her because she was his sister.
And he began to suspect she expected just such a reaction.
Esther gave him a meaningful look. “You do know who these people are?”
“I do. They’re honest and loyal. They’re my friends.”
“Then you’ll go down with them.”
The more Esther talked, the more Henry could see she wasn’t his sister anymore. Blood was the only thing that bound them now. “You’re so sure you’ll win.”
“I know it.”
“Very confident of you. You can say that knowing who my friends are? Unless you don’t really know.”
Esther made a face. “They’re dragons.”
“Well, she got one thing right,” said a voice Henry had been yearning to hear for weeks.
He whirled around to find Rhi standing behind him. She briefly met his gaze as she walked into the cavern. His heart was pounding, his palms sweating. Rhi was within reach. All he had to do was lift his arm and he could touch her.
He stopped himself before he gave anything away to either Rhi or Esther. It was bad enough he was head over heels in love with Rhi and that every King on Dreagan knew it. Later, he would tell Rhi of his feelings. Once they were alone.
Esther regarded Rhi with a mixture of curiosity and wariness that she hid well, but Henry knew what to look for.
“Your
Henry called upon every ounce of his training in order to keep his cool, but nothing worked. He wanted to yell and hit something. Hard.
He stared at a face he knew, but his sister was no longer the same person. MI5 and Ulrik had done their job to perfection. The girl he remembered who always had a dirty joke to tell and who was known for her infectious laughter was gone.
The woman in front of him had been reprogrammed, thoroughly erasing everything that made her special.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Esther said from the chair in the middle of the cavern.
Con used his magic to make the room impossible for Esther to leave without Con beside her. So there was no need to tie her. But Con took it one step further and altered the cavern so it looked like an interrogation room instead of a cave.
Henry raised a brow. “Like what?”
“Like you don’t know who I am.”
“I don’t.”
She gave him a scathing look. “Do you think it was any different when you went to work for MI5?”
“I know it.” He motioned to her. “You’ve erased all that you were. I didn’t.”
“Ah, dear brother, that’s the rub. Because you did. You think you didn’t change, but you’re wrong.”
Henry wasn’t going to get into a debate with her about his life. This was about her. “I did a little digging through my contacts at the agency. You’re no longer working for MI5, and haven’t been for quite some time.”
In response, she merely looked at him, her expression closed.
It’s what he would expect from an agent. Henry clasped his hands behind his back. He wanted to ask specifically about Ulrik, but something held him back.
Henry didn’t question his instinct. Though there was no doubt Ulrik was her new commander, Henry wasn’t going to give her a name to latch onto. With all Henry knew about Ulrik, the Dragon King had most likely given her another name.
And another name was exactly what they needed. Despite Ryder’s skill with computers, Ulrik managed to somehow keep anything from being connected to him.
“Who are you working for?” Henry asked.
Esther crossed one leg over the other. Her coat had been removed. She wore a thick taupe sweater and navy pants. If anyone saw her on the street, they wouldn’t look twice at her. Just as Henry was able to blend in, Esther worked that trait as well.
“Do you even know who you work for?”
She smiled slightly. “Of course.”
“Then why not tell me a name?”
“You’re here with these … things … and you don’t know?”
It was Henry’s turn to stare noncommittally. If Esther thought she was good, she was in for a rude awakening. So far Henry had taken it easy on her because she was his sister.
And he began to suspect she expected just such a reaction.
Esther gave him a meaningful look. “You do know who these people are?”
“I do. They’re honest and loyal. They’re my friends.”
“Then you’ll go down with them.”
The more Esther talked, the more Henry could see she wasn’t his sister anymore. Blood was the only thing that bound them now. “You’re so sure you’ll win.”
“I know it.”
“Very confident of you. You can say that knowing who my friends are? Unless you don’t really know.”
Esther made a face. “They’re dragons.”
“Well, she got one thing right,” said a voice Henry had been yearning to hear for weeks.
He whirled around to find Rhi standing behind him. She briefly met his gaze as she walked into the cavern. His heart was pounding, his palms sweating. Rhi was within reach. All he had to do was lift his arm and he could touch her.
He stopped himself before he gave anything away to either Rhi or Esther. It was bad enough he was head over heels in love with Rhi and that every King on Dreagan knew it. Later, he would tell Rhi of his feelings. Once they were alone.
Esther regarded Rhi with a mixture of curiosity and wariness that she hid well, but Henry knew what to look for.
“Your