Amber's Fire, Book 3 Of Blood In The Dragon

question 10

chapter 10

Joy POV

It’s been a week since the last two attacks, and even though things looked calm on the surface, I could still feel the tension lingering in the air like a storm that hadn’t fully passed. My brother had been on edge ever since he found out Levonna had shifted and gone out there to help during the chaos. I didn’t see the argument myself, but I heard about it, everyone did. It had been bad… loud enough that even the guards were whispering about it afterward. But they made up. They always do. Levonna came over not long after and told me everything, from the yelling to the way it ended. She promised him, and all of us, that she wouldn’t shift or fight again until after the baby was born. I knew that promise was eating at her. Honestly… I understood it more than anyone. Because I got in trouble too.

Randy caught me shifting. Goddess, I really got it that night. He didn’t yell at first. that would’ve been easier, but the disappointment in his voice? That hurt worse. Then came the lecture… and it didn’t stop. I heard it all night long. About danger. About responsibility. About our baby. And then… for a few days after that, I didn’t feel anything. No movement. No little flutters. Just… silence. Panic doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt. I rushed to the healers, barely thinking, barely breathing. Randy was right behind me the whole time, not saying a word, but his presence was heavy… worried. The ultrasound felt like it took forever. Then finally,

“Joy, your baby is fine. Your dragon is just protecting him, that’s all. You should never shift while you’re pregnant. It’s too dangerous. Next time, go into your safe place in the house during an attack.”

Relief hit me so hard I almost cried right there. Randy squeezed my hand, and when I looked at him, I saw it, the fear he’d been holding in finally easing. But there was still that look… the one that said don’t ever scare me like that again. Now it’s a week later. Everything seems fine. Too fine. Drago and Randy are down in the cells right now, finally questioning the rogues. Honestly, I think everyone forgot about them for a little while. It wasn’t until one of the guards came up asking about it that anything was done. Now they’re down there.

And I’m up here… waiting. Hoping they get answers. Because something in my chest won’t settle. My dragon is restless. And I can’t shake the feeling that whatever those rogues know…

…it’s not over yet.

Drago pov

The door creaked as I pushed it open, the stale air inside somehow worse than the rest of the cells. It clung to your skin, thick and suffocating, but I didn’t let it distract me. Not now. Not when too much was on the line. Randy stepped in behind me, silent but solid, ready. The three rogues sat exactly where the guards left them, tied tight to their chairs. Blood dried along one’s temple, another’s lip split open, the third barely conscious but still breathing. Good. They didn’t get the easy way out. Not yet. I walked slowly to the table, My fingers brushing over the weapons laid out before me, knife, silver blade, whip. Dragon root, Each one a promise. A message.

I turned, my gaze locking onto them, cold and unyielding.

“You picked the wrong pack,” I said quietly, my voice carrying more weight than a shout ever could. “You came into my territory, spilled blood, and thought you’d walk away.”

One of them coughed, spitting blood onto the floor. He tried to grin, but it came out broken., “You think… this ends with us?” he rasped.

In a flash, I grabbed the knife and slammed it into the table beside his hand. The crack echoed through the room, silencing him instantly.

“No,” I said, leaning in close enough for him to feel my breath. “It ends when I say it ends.”

I straightened, glancing briefly at Randy before looking back at them.,“Who sent you?”,Silence.,Your jaw tightened. You weren’t surprised, but you also weren’t patient. I picked up the whip this time, letting it drag slowly across the floor as you stepped behind the second rogue. The sound alone made him tense.

“I’ll ask one more time,” my voice dropping lower, darker. “Who sent you, and why were you anywhere near my family?” Still nothing.

The crack of the whip split the air, sharp and unforgiving. The rogue cried out, his body jerking against the restraints. Randy didn’t move. Didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. Neither of us were playing games.

I crouched in front of the third, the one barely holding on..and grabbed his chin, forcing his head up. “Look at me,” I ordered.

His eyes fluttered open, fear finally breaking through whatever loyalty he’d been clinging to. Good.

“Your friends can keep bleeding,,Or you can start talking and maybe..maybe.. I let you keep breathing long enough to see another sunrise.” A pause. A breath. Then, finally..

“They… they paid us…” he whispered, voice shaking. “Didn’t say names… just said the King’s family needed to suffer…”, My grip tightened.

“Who?” I demanded.,

His eyes darted, panic rising. “I don’t know…please, that’s all we got..just orders, coin, and a warning to stay away after,”

I released him suddenly, standing back up as anger simmered n. d. Dddfbf him, darker than before.

“Who sent you to harm my mate? Answer me, or you will get something you will not like.”

The first rogue laughed. It was a sinister, broken sound that sent chills down my spine. “He already told you. We don’t know who they were, but it was a man, we only saw him once. He paid us to target her. I’m not sure why… but we didn’t care.”

Before anyone could react, Drago grabbed a hammer off the table.

The movement was fast. Too fast. He raised it and brought it down hard against the rogue’s head. A sickening crack echoed through the room as the rogue’s skull split open. He dropped instantly, dead before he even hit the ground. The second rogue watched it happen, frozen, the fear on his face clear as day.

“Tell me,” Drago said, his voice low and dangerous, “do you know the name of the man that sent you? Why did you attack my mate?”

“We don’t know his name!” the rogue rushed out, panic taking over. “He just told us to go after her. He wanted to see how strong you were, how strong your warriors are. Please… just let us go. We won’t come back. I swear, we won’t.”

Drago let out a dark laugh as he reached for a long blade resting on the table.,“Do you realize my mate is pregnant?” he said, his voice cold now, controlled. “If you would have harmed her… you would have died and not lived another day.” The rogue opened his mouth, about to speak again, but he never got the chance. Drago moved without hesitation, dragging the blade across the rogue’s throat.

Blood poured out instantly, thick and fast, as the rogue collapsed, choking on his own blood before going still. The third rogue started screaming, panic breaking whatever strength he had left. Drago didn’t even look at him twice. One swift motion, and his throat was cut too. Silence filled the room. Just like that… it was over. Drago stood there for a moment, surrounded by bodies, his breathing steady, but the rage still lingering in the air like a storm that hadn’t fully passed. Then he turned to the guards.

“Get rid of this mess. I’ll talk to some of the omegas and see if they can come down here to clean up. But for now, get rid of them.”

I stood there in silence as it all unfolded, the air thick with blood and something darker—rage, the kind that doesn’t fade easy. I had seen Drago angry before… but this? This was something else entirely.

The first rogue dropped, skull cracked like it was nothing more than brittle bone beneath a hammer. I didn’t flinch—but I felt it. The sound echoed in my head, sharp and final. The second one didn’t even try to hide his fear. Smart… but not smart enough.

Drago wasn’t asking questions anymore. He was delivering judgment. When the blade came out, I knew it was over.

One slice. Clean. Efficient. Merciless. Then the third… he didn’t even get a chance to beg properly before Drago ended him too.

Just like that, three lives are gone. I let out a slow breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, my eyes moving from the bodies to Drago. His chest rose and fell steadily, but I could see it, the storm still raging behind his eyes. This wasn’t over for him. Not even close.

“They weren’t lying about one thing,” I finally said, my voice low, steady. “Someone’s testing us… watching us. And they’re not done.”

Drago didn’t answer right away. His jaw tightened, his grip still firm on the blade, blood dripping onto the stone floor.

“They wanted to see our strength,” I continued, stepping closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “That means this was just the beginning. Whoever sent them… they’re planning something bigger.”

That thought sat heavy in my chest. Because this wasn’t random.

This wasn’t just rogues looking for trouble. This was targeted. Calculated. And worst of all… they were bold enough to go after Levonna. I glanced at the guards as they moved in, dragging the bodies away, the metallic scent of blood only getting worse as it smeared across the floor. This place was already a nightmare, but now it felt like the start of a war.

“We need to double the patrols,” I said, more firmly now. “No weak points. No blind spots. And Levonna…” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “She doesn’t go anywhere alone. Not even for a second.”

Finally, Drago looked at me. There was something cold in his gaze now. Controlled… but dangerous. “Whoever this man is,” I added, “he’s not just curious… he’s hunting.”