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Pretend to be scared and docile Do whatever they tell me to do Be the perfect human servant

And then, one day, theresomewhere, and she’d take it and run But for now

“Hurry up, I said,” the voice snapped There was a rattling sound as her door was unlocked and then opened

It revealed the dragon shifter who’d corin, his dark eyesslowly over her body with obvious appreciation

Alyx resisted the urge to cross her ar her head low and her eyes on the ground, she carefully moved past him and out into the corridor

“One day the firebird will tire of you, little hu for that day”

Alyx didn’t acknowledge his words Instead, she hurried forward through the long corridor, which was lit by flickering lamps

One day, the firebird ht indeed tire of her But until then, she was useful And as long as she was useful, she was safe

“Come in,” the voice of the firebird called out impatiently when Alyx knocked on her door

Hurriedly, Alyxthe door behind her At least for a on shifter guards

The firebird—or rather, the lady Zena, which hat theon her lounge, wrapped in a silk robe and holding one of her doorstopper novels

“Finally,” Zena said, without looking up “You’re late You can start on my hair”

“Of course,” Alyx said,her way over to the dresser

Lady Zena, the firebird shifter, was an honored guest and ally of the fire dragons who had captured Alyx and locked her up At least, that hat both the fire dragons and Zena herself claimed

To Alyx, on the other hand, it looked like Zena was in exactly the same situation as she was

Locked up underground A prisoner

Just with a lot more comfort, access to makeup and mirrors, and an apparently endless supply of books

Still, even if Alyx secretly thought that they were just the same, that didn’t make Zena any nicer

Zena ht not be able to leave—but she claily with the fire dragons

No, Alyx wouldn’t be able to depend on any help fro to be Zena’s uards

And she’d do anything—anything at all—to o back to those horrible first weeks of her capture

Alyx re tied to a table, sing some horrible potion that smelled burnt and made her retch She rememb

ered a darkness that crept up on her, tendrils of shadows all around her while fire rushed through her veins, burning her from the inside

For nearly teeks, the fire dragons hadfor them, a lab rat