Desolation (Dragonlands Book 4) by Megg Jensen

threw an arm over her eyes to block the morning sun.
    Fi rolled over and grumbled. "I had the strangest dreams last night." She rubbed her eyes and sat up.
    "That was no dream," Donovan said. "They have found us already. I thought perhaps we would have a few days lead on them, but no. The shades have always been crafty when it comes to gathering knowledge. I should not have underestimated them. You both will need to be bled before we continue."
    "Bled?” Tressa repeated. “What do you mean, bled? Why?"
    Fi bolted upright. "Absolutely not. I won't allow it."
    Donovan and Fi stared each other down.
    "It is the only way. If we do not, you will be discovered. And killed. Not in a pleasant fashion," Donovan said.
    "Death is never pleasant," Fi said.
    "There are ways to die that are preferable than others," Donovan said. "Trust me. If you are not bled, they will discover the dragon in you. You will be captured. Tortured. You will die... eventually."
    "Can someone help me understand what you're arguing about?" There were times Tressa cursed her sheltered upbringing in Hutton's Bridge. Things others knew flew over her head. She hated being the only one who was uniformed.
    Fi sighed and sank back. "Remember when you came to the Black and we had you drink that cup of blood? It destroyed the tainted Red blood in you and strengthened the Black."
    Tressa nodded, remembering how, at first, she had refused to drink because she didn't understand the Black were trying to save her. Fortunately, she had agreed in the end.
    "Well, the opposite holds true, too. Just as adding blood will strengthen your dragon, bleeding will dampen it." Fi pointed at Donovan. "He wants us to lose part of our dragon so whatever's out there can't sniff us out. Right?"
    Donovan nodded.
    Tressa held up a hand. "Hold on. I could have avoided becoming a dragon? Give myself over to a session of bloodletting and it would be gone? Why wasn't that presented to me as an option?"
    Fi rolled her eyes. "Because you would have taken it." Tressa started to argue, but Fi cut her off. "Now that you've experienced being a dragon, is that a choice you would make? Would you really give it all up?"
    Anger swirled in Tressa’s stomach. She knew the truth—since she'd become a dragon she couldn't imagine living without that side of herself. "No."
    Fi turned to Donovan. "We won't do it. You'll be taking away our only defense. If things get bad out there, Tressa and I will need our dragon forms to save your arse."
    "If they detect a dragon, they will kill you." Donovan focused his stare on Tressa, as if he knew she was more likely to bend. "There will be no time to change. No time to defend yourself. You will be dead. Then what?"
    "I can fight," Tressa said. "I don't necessarily need my dragon form as defense." She avoided looking Fi in the eyes, knowing exactly how her friend would feel.
    "Well, I can't," Fi said, her arms hanging defeated. "I'm completely useless without my dragon. I've never been trained to fight with my hands or a weapon. You should have left me back in the Dragonlands if your plan is to take my dragon from me."
    Donovan laid a gentle hand on Fi's shoulder. "You are worth more than you know. If I had thought you would die without your dragon, I never would have brought you with me. You have trusted me so far. Will you trust me now?"
    Tressa and Fi looked at each other. They didn't have to talk, or even hear each other's thoughts, to agree. They'd come this far. It was too late to change their minds.
    "When will we get our dragons back?" Tressa asked Donovan.
    "When you return home and you are able to drink some dragon blood," he said. "Then your dragons will return. I swear this to you. No harm will come to either of you if you trust me."
    Tressa pushed up her sleeve. "Let's do this. The sooner we get done here, the sooner we can get home."
    Fi reluctantly sat next to Tressa and offered her arm. "Make the slice neat. I don't want a scar."
    Donovan walked to his pack