Page 7 of Never Underestimate a Dragonling

With a wary expression, he silently groaned when several security officers, including the chief of security from earlier, cautiously made their way into the room behind him. With a serious expression, the prince crossed his arms and fixed his gaze on the children. A whistle of awe escaped the woman's lips as she studied the trapped men with a fascinated expression.

"This is amazing, Amber. I have got to know how you did this," she said.

"I didn't have time to test it, so I'm glad it didn't rip them apart. That would have been gross," Amber replied.

"And the webbing?" Cara asked.

"That's mine. It's my new Spider Blaster 5000. I built it so Leo and I could jump out of the treehouse," James answered.

Gallad swallowed and turned his attention to Trelon when he cleared his throat. "Your mom leaves you kids with the security guards for one afternoon…"

"Before you get mad, we had a good reason," Jade protested.

"Yeah! They were trying to steal your new cloaking device, only they stole Mom's bubble paint blaster instead," Amber explained innocently. "We couldn't let them get away with that!"

James pointed to the men. "Yep, and we stopped them. They never stood a chance."

"Well, I bet they never underestimate a dragonling again! I'm so proud of you guys," Cara said with a laugh, hugging James.

Trelon shook his head, his dragon chuckling in the back of his mind. "Well, I'm glad you're all safe… but next time, maybe let the adults handle it?"

Cara laughed, hugging her children. "Looks like the Spider Blaster 5000 and the gravity equalizer worked like a charm. I think we should add those as an attraction in the new Halloween section of the amusement park."

"Really? That would be awesome," James exclaimed with an excited grin.

Trelon sighed but couldn't hide his smile. "Yeah, it would be."

Gallad couldn't believe his eyes as the group exited the hologram room, their excited chatter filling the air. Only when the doors closed and the room became silent did he realize the unsettling truth—they had been left behind. Helplessly hanging in the air, he could feel the stickiness of the webs clinging to him. The thought of dying here, alongside Hobbins and Polk, sent a shiver down his spine. It seemed like they were all on the same wavelength because Hobbins let out a deep sigh before breaking the silence.

"It could be worse. We could be facing your sister," Hobbins said.

"Shut up, Hobbins. Just… shut up," he muttered, closing his eyes as his dreams of fabulous riches burst thanks to some meddling dragonlings.