Free A Shade of Dragon 2 by Bella Forrest Page B

into her soul and hypnotized her with a false memory, convincing her to come with me to The Hearthlands. She had not made the decision to come, though she had made the decision to stay here. Even still—it was not her fault. She was only a human girl. She had lived in a world where she was invincible. To be here was such a shock to her paradigm, it could lead her to her death.
    And I could not return to the shelter—much less the portal to Earth—with the body of an innocent young woman. A young woman I had convinced to come just to ensure the aid of the Oracle. No; it wasn’t fair. I would need to find her and take her back to her home alive, no matter what she—
    The front door blew open and I whirled, sword drawn.
    Michelle stood in the doorway, amused and otherwise unaffected. She entered the shop and secured the door, then glanced over her shoulder at me.
    She had changed clothes. Gone was the stole of fox fur which had once adorned her shoulders, replaced by the low brim of a thermal hat, one tattered shawl and a patchwork scarf over her mouth and nose. A thick sweater disguised her nubile figure, and corded slacks gave her an almost masculine lack of curvature.
    “Dear gods, Michelle,” I sighed. I couldn’t disguise the vast relief which swallowed me entirely. “You’re alive. You’re still here.”
    “Uh, I think I know a thing or two about being incognito,” she replied, whipping the hat off of her head and shaking out her dark curls. “I have seen Never Been Kissed.”
    “I apologize,” I said. “I did not realize your people had films regarding the elements of warfare.”
    “It’s basically the backbone of the rom-com genre.” Michelle unraveled the patchwork scarf next. “And in spite of how insufferable I found you to be this morning, I’m going to go ahead and share some excellent news with you.” Her eyes sparkled, and although she tried to hide her genuine pleasure with herself, she could not. It bubbled over into a smile, and she had to clamp her lips together to suppress it. “I found a hidden entrance to the palace!”
    “Really?” Had she discovered the rose bramble door?
    Amazing.
    No one had even seen that door in over fifty years.
    “Yeah, it was crazy, it was just there,” Michelle blathered on excitedly.
    The fire roses had once hidden that point of entry to all but the most proficient fire-wielding dragons. They were poisonous to ice dragons, and would burst into flame at a single touch. The seeds had been planted immediately following the last war. None had even laid eyes upon that door in my lifetime. But Michelle had…
    “But it’s totally locked,” Michelle finished. “Theon? Are you even listening?”
    “Yes,” I assured her, shaking my head. “You found the fire rose door. It was hidden behind a thicket of fire roses for all of my life, in fact. I myself have never seen that door.”
    “Well, it was pretty awesome. But again, it is locked.”
    What if that door, viewed for the first time by this woman, Michelle—the very door planted after the last war, as a symbol of our enduring right to the castle and natural victory over the ice people—is a sign?
    Is Michelle the natural choice for queen, given future victory?
    The thought left my throat raw. It was just too soon to consider that. To consider anything. I’d never opened up my heart to a woman as I had to Nell. I’d never chosen someone… and to be betrayed by the very one I chose? What did that mean?
    There was only one way to find out.
    The skeleton key.
    A thoughtful key, Pythia had informed me. You may unlock any door which the key deems fit. This key was forged by the hands of fate, as was I.
    If I could unlock the fire rose door to reach Nell, to reclaim her from the ice people… would that not also be a sign? A sign that my mission was pure?
    “All right,” I told Michelle, going to rifle through the hanging racks of peasant clothing. I selected for myself a low-brimmed cap, a black knit