Taken by the Dragon King by Caroline Hale

is one of those spell casters,” I remind him.
    “The man that disowned you? Yeah, I thought about that.”
    “It should really go without saying that I don’t want you to burn my dad to death. Just because I used to cry a lot when I was a kid-”
    “Cry? I don’t think there’s a strong enough word for the way I used to find you, curled up in a corner, sobbing so hard you could barely breathe.”
    “That was a long time ago.”
    “Well, if you’d like to reconcile with anyone, find a way to pull them Uptop against their will.”
    “Why?”
    “Because there won’t be an Underground for much longer. I’m going to destroy it. Well, let it fill up with rocks and sand so nothing happens to the human city above.”
    “What?”
    “That cave system would have naturally filled in itself a long time ago without a series of dams and supports. A physical system, no magic involved.”
    “I’ve never heard of that.”
    “No one has. My father told me before he went off to war, just in case. If I pull it all down, the Fae would have to use up most of their magic to just to save themselves, assuming they survive.”
    “But all those people…”
    “Stop calling them people. They aren’t.”
    “Ash, you’ve never even seen the Underground, or anyone who lives there.”
    “And I never will. We’ll find a way to evacuate somehow.”
    “No, we won’t, because this isn’t happening. I’m going to seal in my coven, make it officially mine, and we’ll unbind you.”
    “It’s too risky.”
    “Did you not notice the giant, flaming, power-awakening orgasm I had back there? My magic is fixed.”
    “For how long? We share a familiar glance and I understand what he’s getting at. This won’t last. Will it work just as well the next time? We still have a lot to figure out about how all of this works.
    “Your powers are all wonky, too, Asher!”
    “I’ll barely need any. It’s a delicate system, I’m surprised it hasn’t failed already.”
    “Ash, for all you know, Arralt replaced those supports a thousand years ago and it won’t work.”
    “Then I guess we’re back to firebombing Renewal Day, then,” he snaps, his eyes narrowed. “That option was always the most appealing.”
    “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. I can’t believe you would even consider hurting all those people. I don’t think you have it in you.”
    “I certainly do. If it means keeping you safe, staying with you forever, then I can definitely do it. I would do anything to have that, Lindy, I don’t care what it takes or who suffers. Anything. ”
    Well, this sure went downhill fast. It sounds like he’s trying to convince himself more than me. Asher might be a Dragon, but he’s my Dragon and he isn’t a murderer. He’ll fly in there and find all those happy people dancing and celebrating. Little kids. Old women that have been hanging on for years just to see this day.
    Once he sees it in person, he won’t be able to go through with it, but by the time he figures that out it will be too late. And I’m sure Arralt knows his weaknesses better than we do. It will be a disaster.
    But I can’t argue with him, that will just push him away. All Asher has seen of this world, my world, has only angered him more, made him more reluctant to claim his rightful place on the throne. He needs to see the good stuff, too.
    “Fine,” I say, surprising him.
    “Fine?”
    “Yeah. But one condition. You need to see the Underground first.”
    “I don’t want to see it. I want to remember it the way it was.”
    “You can’t stay in the past.”
    “I’m moving forward, just not the way you thought I would.”
    “I want you to see my home. Where I grew up. I need you to know what you’re taking away from me.”
    “Nice try, Lindy,” he laughs. “It pains me to do this to you, but there is no other way.”
    “I’m asking you to do this. Begging you.”
    I can see his resolve crumble. “If I go down there, Arralt and this SIGMA