Read Online Dragonfire: Freedom in Flames (Secrets of the Makai Book 3) by Toni Kerr - Free Book Online Page B

if—”
    “You’ll meet with Dorian first, so you can work out this food issue. Pink is not my concern.”
    Tristan nodded.
    “I’ll send Victor and Landon with you. Oliver won’t appreciate my presence, so I’ll remain hidden but available if needed.”
    “Oliver doesn’t want me there either, so I should get permission to be there, or arrange to meet with Dorian secretly.”
    “Easy enough. We’ll make arrangements for Landon and Victor, and I’ll keep Oliver occupied with a bit of cat and mouse while you sneak in.”
    “When can we go? What time is it there?”
    Donovan thought for a moment. “3am. So I suggest we wait a few hours. And, I would like to use that time wisely.”
    Tristan glanced up from the ground, not liking the implications.
    “Don’t look so worried.” A hint of an amused smile twitched on the man’s lips. “I’ve been compiling a list of warning signs to shifting and I think you should be aware of them. When we are out, if you feel any of these symptoms, we should retreat and head home.”
    “I wouldn’t think retreating would be an option for you.”
    “I personally wouldn’t. But you don’t seem inclined to aggression. For as long as I’ve known you, you don’t stand your ground. You run and hide until you know your options. It’s not a bad thing, per se, and it might even be what’s kept you alive all this time.” Donovan raised a hand to silence Tristan’s defense. “As time goes on, and you gain more experience and control, this trait might change. But for now, let us accept that perhaps not all dragons are vicious in nature.”
    The agonizing weight on his shoulders lifted. “Thank you. That helps me a lot.”
    “I still expect you to learn how to defend yourself and others, because you are loyal and protective. Perhaps even possessive.”
    “I am?”
    Donovan rolled his eyes. “I would have preferred not to label you so literally, but your inaccurate imagination and fears seem to be doing you a disservice.”
    Tristan nodded, anxious with excitement and dread over the course of this conversation.
    “We’ve been interviewing Pink about dragons. She says they do not rely on the use of power, although they do tend to camouflage themselves when they do not wish to be seen, which is most often. She is not sure if this is a power dragons have, or a natural, biological ability. I believe you did this when you first met Lazaro and Gram on the island, and I would like you to experiment with the idea and develop this skill as quickly as possible.”
    Tristan couldn’t remember camouflaging himself deliberately, but agreed it would be a good skill to have.
    “Dragons are simple, logical, and can see all the elements of nature quite easily. But they tend not to alter them in any way. You picked up the concepts quickly, but it never felt natural. Correct?”
    Tristan nodded.
    “We suspect the power you took on due to making contact with the gems is a crippling factor for you. It is not something to be ignored, yet you have no instinct for how to cope. So we either need to figure out how to rid these powers from your capacity, or you must learn to embrace it, even if it goes against your nature to do so.”
    “Can I get rid of it?”
    Donovan shrugged. “I know nothing of the power these gems wield, and my theories about your ability to cope may be completely wrong. There is no need to resist these powers, yet I find you constantly fighting this battle within yourself. You strive to suppress it, when you should simply let it be.”
    “Let it run wild? It would destroy and kill and who knows what else. Look at what it did to Samara….”
    “I cannot say. It is a lot to take on and only time will tell if it was meant to be controlled, or never meant to be consumed in the first place. That said, you’re letting your fears dictate your health rate.”
    “I am not.”
    “You fear that if you are healthy, you will have to start training to face these things about