Dangerous Diabolical: Book 1 (Iridescent) ✔️

Chapter 12 - In the beginning

There were a thousand and one things I thought to say, but nothing seemed to fit. Glad we're alive? Close call! Surprise! You're welcome It didn't matter.

Leo grunted in pain, rolling his shoulders stiffly. "All this time?" He whispered, his silhouette starting to sloppily stand, obscured through the dusty haze. "I trusted you!" He staggered, catching himself on his knees.

I jolted up at the anguish in his words. Oh no.

"Was this all just a joke to you?" Leofstan ended with a shout.

Desperately I fought to catch my breath.

"You're a dragon." He stated.

Obviously. To hear him say it made it more real. There goes hiding from trouble.

I had thought he appeared calm, but as the dust settled, despite his posture, his face was thunderous.

Reflectively, protective scales jumped to the surface, my true form was lingering too close under the skin after changing to keep it in check. Leofstan jolted, and similarly to how he'd pulled a staff from the ground to command, he seemed to snatch a sword from mid-air. Its hilt crackled in a sheet of static to solidify in his hand. Steadily, as it formed, he brandished the long blade to point down towards me like an extension of his arm.

"Leo, Listen, it's not like..." I moved slightly, but he followed easily with the blade, the point kissing my throat.

"Stop," he intruded, tilting his head to look down his chin, "under the dangerous species law." His speech cracked. "You're under arrest to be brought to trial - "

"And death?" I ended for him. A coldness began to pool in me. For some reason, a small part of me had hoped he'd accept what I was. But Leo hated dragons and evidently, he wasn't ready for an exception. "You did say it yourself, did you not?" Venom dripped into my words. "Doesn't the council want to kill all dragons?" Or, him in particular.

His arm didn't waiver.

"Well, go ahead. I'm right here." I taunted.

He pushed the blade closer. "You and I both know I can't!" He shouted, a slight shake in his arm. "Wait," he questioned himself, "that was a lie, too, wasn't it? You knew what you were doing with that crystal when you bound us!"

I didn't. I really didn't. But how was I meant to tell him that? I understood how bad this was starting to look.

He inhaled sharply. "You've masterminded it that if I were to kill you, it would mean my death."

"Please, just listen a second!"

He cut me off, "All that time pretending you had limited knowledge of magic. You used me. You saw an opportunity to get into the SPCC and you took it."

I didn't even want to go near that place! "That's not true!" I shot back.

"Liar!" He yelled. "Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie!"

"I have never lied to you!"

Much.

Maybe a little bit.

It was nothing important.

I needed him to understand. "You have no idea what it feels like. Magic is always coiled under my skin with nowhere to go. There's all these things I wish I knew how to do..." I rose to a shout. With a deep breath, I tried to calm down. "I have never been taught magic. Every waking thought is about it. When I find spells I must investigate into what makes it that way. It's like an itch that doesn't leave. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Which is why this..." I pointed to the diamond in my hand "happened. It was an accident." I begged for him to understand. "I wanted to know how you did your super fancy spell, so I pulled it apart and bam! That's it."