Scorched by Darkness Read Free

slipped away unnoticed.”
    Slipped away? Meaning she snuck away from the harem like a thief in the night?
    “How is that possible?”
    “She has fey blood,” Baine said. “Like you.”
    Torque frowned. He never talked about his mother. Primarily because there was nothing to say. He knew nothing about her beyond the fact she was fey. And that she’d abandoned him only minutes after giving birth.
    Not exactly the sort of mother anyone would want to brag about.
    “And?” he prompted.
    “And she was capable of creating a portal to leave her home without alerting anyone to her disappearance.”
    Torque’s hands clenched at his side as his anger spread.
    Which meant his female had not only walked away, but she’d deliberately tried to fool her father into believing she was still there.
    His chin tilted, his pride rubbed raw by the betrayal.
    Wasn’t it enough that he’d been commanded to place his mark upon her? Now she had to publicly humiliate him by walking away when they were due to formalize their union?
    “Does anyone know how long she’s been gone?”
    Baine shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. She was residing in the family harem, which meant the guards were only there for her protection. She was free to come and go as she pleased, so they didn’t monitor her daily activities,” he said. “She could have been gone for hours, or weeks before Synge noticed she was missing.”
    Torque turned to the side, unwilling to allow his master to see the fierce emotions that scoured through him.
    Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice was whispering that he should be relieved. If the female had disappeared then there was no fear he would have to take her as a consort.
    But it wasn’t relief that was scouring through his body. Instead it was a toxic combination of anger and betrayal.
    “Why would she leave?”
    Baine cleared his throat. “That’s what my father wants you to find out.”
    Torque turned back to meet Baine’s smoldering amber gaze.
    “He knows where she is?”
    “That’s your task.”
    Torque tilted his chin, trying to pretend an indifference he was far from feeling.
    “If she left before completing our mating then our contract is at an end.”
    Baine tapped his slender fingers on the arm of his massive throne. “I did mention that to Synge.”
    “And?”
    “And he’s fully convinced that it’s your duty to track her down and return her to the harem,” Baine answered.
    Torque pressed his lips together. Of course the older dragon would put the responsibility on him.
    “What if I refuse?”
    Baine grimaced. “You can spend your service as an ambassador to the trolls.”
    It was the shit-job of the dragon world. No one, not even the most hardened warrior, wanted to be stuck dealing with the smelly, thick-skulled trolls who lived like barbarians in the most remote mountains.
    “I don’t even know where to begin searching for her,” he muttered, still pretending he was reluctant to perform his duty. Inside, however, his beast was stirring with a sharp-edged urgency to be on the hunt. “Her dragon blood will ensure she can cloak her presence.”
    “Ah.” There was the sound of claws scrapping against the wooden floor.
    Glancing over his shoulder, Torque shuddered at the sight of the three-foot gargoyle sashaying his way up the red carpet. Levet was a friend of Tayla’s, and was a frequent visitor to the lair.
    “If you are in need of a tracker, then you are very fortunate that I have chosen to visit my BFF, Baine.”
    Baine scowled. It was a testament to his love for his mate that the miniature gargoyle hadn’t been turned into a charred pile of rubble.
    “BFF?” the dragon demanded.
    Levet spread his wings that were not only as delicate as a dew fairy, but shimmered in shades of blue and crimson and gold.
    “Best friends forever,” he told the mind-bogglingly powerful dragon.
    Baine looked momentarily horrified. “We are not friends.”
    “Of course we are.” Levet reached up