Never wake a Dragon (on hold)

2. part III - trapped

His skin crawled and burned, reminding him of a past filled with disasters, mass murder and agony, a period he never wanted to revisit. If the dragon realized what type of power he held, even if they were a trickle of their true strength, he would face the Council and someone might decide to use him again. Like they had. He would be a puppet, a destroyer on a leash. Never again.

The secretary walked with a bounce in her step, her heels clicking on the stone floor. It was such a stark contrast to his mood that it became confusing on its own. He could only follow as she steered both of them through the confused crowd toward the back of the room where the windows stood narrow and tall.

The dragon wasn't alone. He was the center of attention—a strong leader in his true element. In a group of sorcerers and bulky werewolves, the man appeared taller than the others, greater. Almost as if the dragon's presence was larger than life. It annoyed him to no end.

His insides shrieked, revolting with every step forward. Another step, and the dragon suddenly met his gaze. Black eyes glistened with yet another challenge, fierce and unwavering. There was no forgiveness, no curiosity, only cold determination. Long seconds passed, then suddenly, out of nowhere, reality warped and spat him out into nothing but silence. The crowd vanished in a haze—the walls changed, the pillars and windows disappeared. A starlit sky opened up above them and long grass brushed his legs. A warm wind carried the scent of an ocean.

He was in shock, unable to think.

Kyung stood absolutely still, his dark hair gently caressed by the breeze. If Adeem hadn't known better, he would have relaxed in the treacherously serene atmosphere.

A half smile touched the dragon's lips. "Welcome."

"Where am I?"

"I figured you wanted some privacy," Kyung replied.

"Well, if you wanted to chat in private, you could have chosen a better place for it than at this awful party." He clenched his fist into a ball, checking if he could. At least he wasn't physically restrained, but the silence inside was what scared him the most. No powers. The dragon had him neutralized, and he was completely at Kyung's mercy. Emotions that should have been there—panic, fear—were nowhere to be found.

"Yet, you came." Kyung smiled again as if everything about the situation amused him.

"I shouldn't have."

"I disagree. I wanted to see you interact with the others. I've heard a lot about you, but I wanted to form my own opinion. I'm glad you gave me the chance." A hint of disapproval hid somewhere in those words, but Kyung kept the tone light.

He wanted to laugh. It sounded as if the guy expected him to be grateful for the chance to prove everyone wrong—that he should be grateful for being trapped in some strange alternate reality with no powers to protect himself. The fight for dominance was over before it truly begun. Not that he'd wanted it in the first place.

"Well, I guess you have your opinion formed by now. So we can quit the games. Let me out and I promise to play nicely."

Kyung chuckled, his stare intense and dark. "A promise like that requires trust. And I never trust promises made here." Kyung gestured at the surroundings. "You're in my domain, but when you leave, we start anew."

"What do you want?" he asked. There had to be something. Each time someone had controlled him in the past, ruin had followed.

"I want peace and quiet."

"I'm no reason to start a war." He might have been in the past, but not in Stockholm. It was one of the reasons he didn't want to leave the city. He'd formed a life here—he had friends who didn't hate his guts. He'd even had a future before the dragon came along.