Page 79 (1/2)

Chapter One: Alyx

Alyx Chen ith a gasp

For adisoriented while the ered in her mind

A boardwalk A Ferris wheel Wind in her hair and the sensation of absolute freedom

Then she drew in a deep breath At the falione from her mind

With a groan, she sat up on her little cot

Her small room was lit by the tiny lamp with the broken lampshade that was one of the few amenities of her room

Not that it was really a room It was little more than a prison cell

There were no ith bars in front of them—but that was because she had no s at all And because she was underground

I can’t escape It’s i of the sky and the sun I’ to die here

In the diht of her one lamp, she stood and stretched, then hastily washed and dressed

She didn’t have a brush, so she used her fingers to coth black hair as well as she could It fell liathered it back in a simple ponytail The strand of forrey-blue

Once, she’d enjoyed herhalf an hour in her bathrooe box of makeup She’d left her apartel on her way to work

She’d breezed into the office with a sues And when she’d at last settled down in front of her sleek laptop, she’d known that she was exactly where she’d alanted to be

Alyx Chen, working for the hottest lifestyle , fashion trends, and where to get the best organic soy whatever in the city

Of course, that was before her boss had decided that Alyx was getting a little too old for their target audience—whatever thatto her position and her coluraduate Lea were already circling

And noo round cell, her hair limp and dull, without even a mirror of her own to check if she looked as horrible as she felt

A ed on her door

“Hey, human Firebird wants you”

Alyx flinched

She knew the voice well It was one of the dragon shifters who locked her into her cell every day,sure that she wouldn’t escape

Not that there was any way for a huon lair

Two ons were real

Alyx took a deep breath, then straightened The only thing she could do was to play along