Chapter 57 57
Annabeth's POV:
The man from the bench didn't move as I approached. Just stood there with that patient smile, his two bodyguards flanking him like statues. Up close he looked older than I remembered, lines around his eyes that made him look almost grandfatherly, which somehow made it worse.
"Miss Clarke." His voice was pleasant, conversational, like we were meeting at a coffee shop instead of a parking lot. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about our little invitation."
"I didn't forget." My hands were shaking in my pockets. I kept them there. "What do you want?"
"What we've always wanted. A conversation. Just a friendly chat about your... unique situation." He tilted his head. "You're different now than you were three weeks ago. Stronger. Someone's been training you."
That made me flinch before I could stop myself.
"Ah." He smiled wider. "I thought so. Your father, I assume? Marcus Thorne, the legendary red dragon who's been hiding in the shadows for eighteen years?" He let out a small laugh. "We've known about him for quite some time. Tracked him across three continents before he finally settled here. To watch you, of course."
My blood went cold. They knew about Marcus. They'd been tracking him.
"He's very good at staying hidden," the man continued. "But not good enough. We've had eyes on Emberdale for months. We know about your training sessions in the woods."
He paused, studying my face like he was waiting for something. I kept my expression blank, or tried to.
"A red dragon hybrid," he said, almost reverently. "The first one born in over two hundred years. Do you have any idea how valuable you are?"
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"I understand your hesitation. Really, I do. This is all very new and frightening for you. But here's the thing, Miss Clarke." He stepped closer and I had to force myself not to step back. "My patience has limits. I've given you weeks to come to terms with your situation. I've been remarkably civil, haven't I? No threats, no violence, just a polite invitation that you've chosen to ignore."
"An invitation to let you drain my blood isn't polite."
"That's a crude way of putting it." He actually looked offended. "What we offer is a partnership. Your blood, given willingly, in exchange for resources, protection, a community that understands what you are. The Order isn't some band of monsters, Miss Clarke. We're scholars. Scientists."
"By killing dragons."
"By harvesting their gifts for the betterment of humanity." He waved a hand dismissively. "But I didn't come here to debate philosophy. I came to give you a deadline."
The word hit me like a punch.
"Tomorrow at noon," he said. "Room 412 at the Meridian Hotel downtown. You come alone, you come willingly, and we have a civilized conversation about your future."
"And if I don't come?"
His smile didn't change but something in his eyes went flat. Dead.
"Then we stop being civil. We come to you, Miss Clarke. And when we do, we won't be polite about it." He paused. "Your aunt is a lovely woman. It would be a shame if she got caught in the crossfire. The same goes for your father. And for anyone else who might... get in the way."
The fire was roaring inside me, begging to be released, to burn this man and his threats to ash. But Mara was waiting in my car fifty feet away. Security cameras were everywhere. Other shoppers were walking past with their bags and their normal Saturday lives.
"Tomorrow," the man repeated. "Noon. Don't be late."
He nodded to his bodyguards and they walked away, casual as anything, three ordinary men heading to their ordinary car. Like they hadn't just threatened everyone I loved.
At least he hadn't mentioned Kaelen. Hadn't asked about a boyfriend or seemed to know anything about the golden dragons living on the other side of town. Small mercy. If the Order only knew about me and Marcus, maybe I could keep Kaelen and his siblings out of this. Maybe I could protect them the way Kaelen had been trying to protect me.
I stood there until they drove off, watching their black SUV disappear onto the main road. Then I walked back to my car on legs that felt like they belonged to someone else.
Mara was in the driver's seat with the heat on, scrolling through her phone. She looked up when I opened the passenger door.
"Did you find it? Your phone?"
It took me a second to remember the lie. "Yeah. Yeah... It fell under the table."
"Cool. Hey, you wanna grab dinner somewhere? I'm starving."
I tried to smile. "Sure. Whatever you want."
The rest of the day was a blur. Mara picked some burger place downtown and I ate without tasting anything, nodding at the right moments while she talked about only God knows what.
I kept waiting for her to notice something was wrong. But Mara just kept talking, filling the silence with her energy, probably thinking I was still messed up about Kaelen. Which I was. But that seemed almost quaint now compared to the new layer of panic sitting on top of everything else.
We got back to my house around seven. Aunt Sarah had made lasagna and I forced myself to eat two helpings while Mara and my aunt chatted about Thanksgiving plans.
"You sure you don't wanna come over tomorrow?" Mara asked me as she grabbed her jacket around nine. "My mom's making her famous pie. Well, famous in our house anyway."
"Maybe. I'll text you."
She hugged me at the door. "Feel better, okay? You've been weird all day. Like, weirder than usual weird."
"I’m just tired."
"Uh huh." She didn't believe me, I could tell. "Call me if you need to talk. About Kaelen or whatever. I'm here."
"I know. Thanks."
I watched her car pull out of the driveway, taillights disappearing around the corner, and felt something loosen in my chest. One less person to worry about. One less person the Order could use against me.
Shit... Everything was just so fucked up now.