Free Finding His Dragon (Dragon Blood Book 3) by Elianne Adams Page B

the house often enough to know that she could navigate it as well as any of them. She didn’t bother with instructions until they got near the stairs. “Five feet and we’re climbing the stairs,” she said as she kept running. As expected, Maddie kept pace.
    As soon as they reached the top landing, Maddie tugged on her hand. “Take us to the end of the hall on Stella and Brycen’s wing.”
    “That won’t get us to the roof.” She tried to bring her in the direction they’d been instructed to go.
    “I know. But we can’t go to the roof. If you were hunting dragons and knew one was hiding inside a building, where would you aim your arrows? They’re not here for me. They want to flush you out. We’ll play right into their hands if we go up there.”
    Damn it. Maddie was right. Jace had taken her through the estate, showing her some secret passages, but she didn’t recall one at that end of the hall. “There’s nothing there.”
    “There is if you know where to look. It’s a huge place. Jace won’t have shown you the whole thing yet.” Maddie turned and started pulling her along. “If they get inside, they won’t find us there.”
    A loud roar from outside the front door made her mind up for her. “Okay, let’s go.”
    They reached the end of the hall, and Charlotte looked around. Other than Brycen and Stella’s bedroom door, there was nothing. Maddie reached for the wall, using her fingers to guide her. “Here,” she whispered, “slide the panel over.”
    Two floors below a door slammed open. A loud roar and the sound of pounding feet made her heart stutter. She’d recognize the sound of that dragon anywhere. Reyn.
    She reached for the panel Maddie indicated and pushed. Nothing happened. She tried shoving left, still nothing, but when she pushed to the right, the panel silently slid behind the wall. The hole created in the wainscot was only two feet by two feet, but it was plenty big for them to squeeze through.
    “Get in,” she whispered as quietly as she could. She guided her to the hole, then slipped in behind her. With a gentle touch, the panel closed, sealing them in.
    She looked around the dusty area. It couldn’t be called a room. It was more like a wide passageway leading to an exterior wall. There was a single bulb light high above with a string attached, but she didn’t light it. She didn’t need it to see in the dark, and Maddie couldn’t see at all. “Sit here,” she whispered. “That dragon you heard is my brother. We have to be quiet. He’ll hear us if we speak.”
    When she was sure that Maddie was in a safe spot in the unfamiliar environment, Charlotte made her way to the other end of the room. Heavy drapes covered a tall window. One that unless she were mistaken would be much like the one in the room she shared with Jace, and every other window on the third level of the house. In her haste to get to the window, she didn’t notice the little nook off to the side, or the man standing there until it was too late.
    In an instant he had her back against his chest, his hand covering her mouth.
    Maddie’s eyes rounded, and her hand shot up at the sudden muffled sound, but she didn’t speak.
    The man shushed softly. “I’m not the enemy, Charlotte,” he whispered. “If you remain calm, I will release you.”
    Remain calm? A strange man or rather, a dragon was inside the house and had her trapped, and she should stay calm? Charlotte nodded, unwilling to show him any hint of emotion and braced herself, ready to defend her and Maddie.
    He loosened his hold, backing away only a fraction before dropping his hand. Charlotte spun, her hands in front, ready to strike. A long, jagged scar ran from his eye down his neck to disappear under the neckline of his black T-shirt. Charlotte swallowed. Her eyes darted to where Maddie still sat. The poor girl was scared shitless, and there was nothing she could do to reassure her.
    The man lifted his right hand, drawing her attention right back