Free Captive Fire by Erin M. Leaf Page A

showed in the prince’s
silver eyes, but he quickly shuttered his emotions.
    “Mother, I am fine,” he said, trying to pull free of
the guards. They squeezed tighter and he subsided, obviously not wanting to
make a fuss in front of her.
    “Let him go,” she said, wheezing. “Let my son go.” She
pulled a cloth from her pocket and coughed into it. She shoved it back into her
tunic, but not before Drakon saw the blood on the silk. “He’s done nothing. I’m
the one who arranged for my nieces’ escape.”
    “Shut up, woman,” Midian snarled. He raised his arm to
her and she cowered. “As if I’d believe a mere female had the brains to fool
me.”
    “Enough,” Ryuu said harshly, struggling against the
guards. “She is not the enemy here.”
    The emperor turned back to him, ignoring his wife.
“Your toy will be executed today, my son. And you will begin the task I set for
you.”
    Ryuu drew himself up. “You’ll have to kill me first,”
he stated.
    Drakon felt his mate’s sincerity. His gaze went to the
doorway, planning his move. When he saw Zinan and Svana, he shook his head
minutely. He may have neglected his task, but he and Ryuu had planned for the
emperor’s fickle madness. The prince’s personal guards silently disappeared.
Drakon knew they were headed toward the flitter hangar bay, where they would
notify Ryuu’s loyalists of the situation.
    The emperor laughed. “No, dear son. I won’t have to kill you at all.” He nodded to his warriors. “Take him to the
medical facility.”
    Drakon caught his breath. They hadn’t thought that the
emperor would stoop to that. He struggled against his chains, unable to stop
himself. The rattle drew everyone’s attention and he gritted his teeth, angry
enough that he had to concentrate so he wouldn’t shift form. If he let out his
dragon, he would be trapped here, underground. Flightless.
    “Take that one away,” Midian said, waving toward
Drakon. “No need to draw this out.”
    The guards bowed and dragged him across the room before
he could get his feet under him. “Bastards!” he cursed, trying to catch his
balance. “Let me walk.”
    They paused in the doorway and Drakon got his
bearings. When he saw the emperor turn back to Ryuu, he grabbed his chains and
heaved, tossing his captors to the floor.
    Ryuu! he cried in his mind, hoping their tentative bond would be
enough for his mate to understand his intention. Instead, the empress flung
herself at the emperor, a small blade flashing in her hand. He couldn’t see
what happened, but blood spattered the floor. Then he had no more time to
watch. The guards tried to grab his feet. He kicked out, breaking the first
one’s neck before he was pulled down by the second. They rolled through the
empty corridor. Drakon grabbed the guard’s sidearm and pulled the trigger. The
man’s eyes blanked, and he heaved him away. When he turned back to the door,
Svana was hauling Ryuu out by the arm.
    Didn’t she go with Zinan? he thought, confused. Ryuu
screamed in rage, trying to get back to the chamber, but Svana had his arms
locked.
    “Help me!” she cried.
    Drakon got to his feet, still shackled. “Ryuu! We need to go.” He glanced down the hall. It wouldn’t
remain empty for long. Even now, the dissonant wail of a siren filled the stone
hall. “Dragon’s balls,” he muttered, striding up to Ryuu and shaking him. “Ryuu!”
    “He killed my mother,” Ryuu said, face streaked with
tears and blood.
    Drakon looked in the chamber. The emperor lay on the
floor, blood seeping from a wound in his shoulder. Dead guards lay around him
like grim, red flowers, and the empress lay crumpled near the bed, face pale
and waxy. Even from this distance, Drakon could tell the wound wasn’t serious
enough to kill the emperor, but the empress was likely dead. He growled, torn
between killing Midian and getting his mate out of danger.
    “We need to go!” Svana cried, staring down the
corridor.
    Drakon followed her