Chapter One
Ivy Passmore slowly opened her eyes, only to blink them against the bright light above her.
Her mind was foggy, and it took everything she had on getting her eyes to stay open and focus.
Although once she did, the bare, cream walls and white ceiling told her nothing of where she was.
Something about her running through a forest, trying to find dragon-shifters came back to her.
Why would she go looking for dragons? She hated them. She'd heard stories of how they'd terrorized some of her coworkers before. Besides, everyone knew the dragon-shifters would soon demand humans to help increase their numbers, whether the women wanted to go or not. To deny them meant risking their wrath, and really, what chance did a human have of winning against someone who could change into a beast?
After all, a group of dragons flying in the sky could take over any small town or village in the UK without breaking a sweat.
She tried turning over to her side but couldn't budge an inch. Her entire body was heavy, as if rocks were stacked on top of her chest to keep her from moving.
While Ivy had never been the strongest person in the world, she could bloody turn over. Something was wrong with her.
Trying to make a sound, a barely audible gurgle escaped. Within seconds, a man's face came into view, his dark brows drawn together.
She had no idea who he was, but his brown eyes took in her face, as if he needed to catalogue every detail.
Then he moved better into her view, and she noticed the tattoo on his upper bicep. Her heart skipped a beat and she resisted screaming.
It was a dragon-shifter.
And given how she'd worked with the Dragon Knights, who made it their goal to eradicate dragon-shifters at every opportunity, her chances didn't look good.
He'd probably kill her.
She tried to scream, but only more gurgling escaped. The dragonman sighed before his Northern English accent filled the room. "So you're awake. Now, calm the fuck down already."
Ivy remained still—not that she could move much beyond her eyes and her lips—and waited to see what he'd do.
She was currently helpless. Maybe that could save her. Dragons were ruthless, but if they had wanted to kill her, they would've done it already,
right?
He muttered, "I'll fetch the doctor. Maybe you'll listen to them. However, we're not done yet. You and I are going to see a lot of each other." He leaned an inch closer. "Because you're going to tell me why you showed up here, not to mention what you know of the Knights."
The dragonman leaned back and left before she could even think of how to respond to that.
Although his words niggled at something, a memory at the back of her mind.
Running through the forest, her stomach gnarling with hunger.
Dragons flying in the sky above.
The answer was so close, but just out of reach. If she could growl convincingly, Ivy would've done it right then.
It wasn't as if she had amnesia. She remembered her name and that she lived in Brighton.
She also had a brother, Richard.
The name triggered overwhelming grief. It flooded her body, making her heart squeeze.
Then she remembered: Richard was dead. So was his long-term partner, David.
And it had something to do with her.
Tears prickled her eyes. Damn it, why couldn't she remember everything?
Was her brother's death related to the dragons? If so, it'd give her even more reason to hate the bastards.
And yet, for some reason, she didn't think it had been them. But who else would kill her brother?
Someone entered her room, garnering her attention. Ivy managed to turn her head a few inches to see the visitor.