by Ruby Dixon
Relief swims through her thoughts. Thank you, babe. You can do this. If we’re smart, we can get out of this. I know we can. Emma says she’ll help me. Her mind fills with a scatter of sensations—scents, sounds, the feel of a hand, the sound of an accent—that I realize must belong to the one that has taken her. Azar. I pick through her memories, discarding the pleasure I feel at Tate’s death. Now is not the time.
Do you know who he is? she asks. This Azar?
The name is unfamiliar to me, and she has no face to go with it. The ravens say nothing, but they never do. He does not sound familiar, but perhaps that is not his drakoni name.
I’ll see what I can find out. Dakh, I know it’s hard, but I need you to stay away.
My Sasha—
No, listen to me. Her thoughts are firm. We can stay connected like this, but I don’t want you to come closer. Not until I know what’s going on.
He will hurt you, I send to her, my thoughts boiling with buried anger. Just the thought of her being in danger makes me crazed.
He will not, she tells me firmly. If he wanted to kill me, he would have done so already. They’re going to a lot of trouble to make sure that I’m here and I’m safe. They’re feeding me and letting me go to the bathroom. That means they want something. Until I figure out what it is, I want you to stay away.
A growl builds in my throat.
I’m sure you’re growling right now, but you know I’m right. If I’m not in any danger, you can’t play into their hands.
I miss you, my sweet fire. I worry over you.
I can feel her sadness, her worry. I know, babe. I’m scared, too. But we’ve got to be smart about this. If we just run around crazy-headed, we’re no better than all the dragons that attack Fort Dallas, you know? We’ve got to be strong. I love you. Just remember that.
Even if I am in your head?
I miss you when you’re not. Even when I sent you away, I regretted it. I can feel her thoughts fill with a wry, sad amusement. I really regret it now.
My heart feels as if it is being squeezed from my chest. If they harm you in any way…
It’s going to be okay, Dakh. I promise. Her thoughts are full of love. Stay where you are and talk to me, okay? Just talk. Keep me company. It’s not so miserable now that you’ve found me.
My claws dig into the concrete, but I do as she asks.
46
SASHA
It’s a long night. I try to settle in on the couch and get comfortable, but my arms ache from being pinned behind me with the cuffs. Dakh sends me a steady stream of thoughts, all of them urgent and anxious, even when he’s just more or less sending me images of where he’s at. I know he’s on the verge of losing his shit—there’s a lot of ravens in his thoughts—but he’s trying really hard. I force myself to remain calm, because I know if I panic, he’s going to come knocking on my door.
And I can’t have that. Not until I figure out what this Azar guy wants.
Sometime in the middle of the night, someone shows up, rousing me from a fitful sleep. “Hello?”
“Food for the guest.” The door rattles, but I recognize Emma’s voice “I was sent to check on you.” She shuts the door behind her, then pulls down my blindfold and smiles at me. She’s got a bottle of water, the key to the handcuffs, and a bit of beef jerky. She moves to my side and unlocks the cuffs. “They told me I can uncuff you now. Whatever they’re working on is in place.”
“A trap?” I whisper. I’m both glad I’m getting the cuffs off and wary. Azar must be up to something.
“I think so, but no one will tell me what it is. I’m supposed to hand you this, though.” She holds out a piece of paper. It’s a faded pamphlet for a hotel. This one, probably. It just confirms that I’m supposed to lure Dakh here.
Drawn by my thoughts, Dakh is instantly alert, nudging me mentally. I have to concentrate on Emma, though. I push his thoughts aside for the moment. “I told Dakh to stay away,” I tell her. “I don’t want him coming until we know what’s going on.”
“Smart. Tell him I said hi and we’re going to get you out of here.”
Dakh pushes into my mind again. Tell your friend I am glad she is there for you if I cannot be.
Will do. “He’s glad you’re with me.”
“No offense, but I wish I wasn’t. There’s some serious shit brewing, and I’m scared of what’s going to happen when it all blows up.” She shakes her head. “The other dragon guy—the captive one—is losing his mind right now. You should see him. He’s all blood and fury.” She looks miserable at the thought.
“Maybe we’ll be able to save him, too. Until then, keep your perfume handy,” I caution her. “And keep a weapon on you at all times.”
“Girl, I’m the only young female in a band of two dozen nomads. You think I’m not prepared?” She pats her hip, where a suspicious-looking knife-shaped lump rests. “I can take care of me. You worry about you. They have to be planning something. I’m going to see what I can find out today. In the meantime, you lie low. Tell Dakh that it’s not clear and I’ll see what I can find out.” She glances at the door, then back at me. “I need to go before they wonder why it’s taking so long. I’ll try to be back as soon as I can.” Emma squeezes my arm. “Stay strong.”
“I will,” I whisper. “Thank you.”
She nods and then heads for the door, shutting it behind her. The guards say something, and she laughs, and I hear the click of the lock.
I get to my feet, rubbing my wrists. I try the doorknob, but it doesn’t move. I figured as much. I glance out the peephole and see that Emma’s still standing in the hallway, chatting with one of two guards. They look like they’re both carrying guns. Okay, so no going out the front door. I back away and drink from the water bottle as I move to the window and peel away the cardboard to peer out. I’m high off the ground—five, maybe six floors up. Not a ton, but nothing I’d survive if I fell. There’s no balcony, no fire escape, not even a rain gutter to climb down.
I’m stuck.
All part of Azar’s plan, I’m sure. He doesn’t want me to get out. He just wants me to get comfortable so I can call Dakh. The pamphlet, the uncuffing, the removal of the blindfold—all is so I can show Dakh just where I am.
I would come if you called, my dragon assures me. Even if it was my death.
And that’s exactly why I won’t call him.
I settle in on the couch with the jerky and take a bite, curling my legs underneath me. After a moment’s thought, I pick up the pamphlet. They’re not very sneaky, I tell Dakh.
It is as you said—they are not interested in sneaking.
Yep. They want me to scream like a terrified girl and have you come sailing in to my rescue. As much as I would love for that to happen, we’re not playing that game.
So we wait, he confirms.
We wait, I agree, studying the pamphlet again.
You recognize those images? You know where you are? he asks.
Sort of. I recognize the highway names and the hotel chain itself, but I don’t know exactly where in the city.
I could find you from the images in your mind, he tells me. From the view outside your window and from following your thoughts.
But you won’t.
I can practically feel his sigh. But I won’t.
Some time later, the door lock clicks and I sit upright on the small sofa, yawning as I wake up from my latest nap. Dakh’s thoughts are affectionate as I rouse, and I’m distracted by them. I expect to see Emma walk in, but instead, it’s a man.
A strange man.
He’s covered in long clothes from head to toe, so much that at first glance, I can’t see a bit of skin. He wears a dark hat over his head, covering his hair, and sunglasses covering his eyes. Under his hat, he wears a scarf over the lower half of his face as if to protect from dust, like cowboys did in the old Western movies when they were about to rob a train. He also wears a long duster jacket despite the fact that it’s still warm enough to feel like summer. Behin
d him follow two goons carrying rifles.
I sit up, unnerved. “You must be Azar.”
He pulls down the scarf over his face and grins at me, showing blunted, almost too-square teeth. They’re…odd. If they were once pointed like Dakh’s, he’s filed them down. Maybe he’s trying to look more human.
As if sensing my thoughts, he laughs. “You’ve figured me out. I am indeed Azar.” He bows in greeting. His voice is smoky and thick, just like I remember it. He’s also pale. Pale pale, and I can see why the others think he’s an albino. I know he’s not, though. He’s just a really, really pale gold. I’d be willing to guess that his hair and eyes are the same shade and that somewhere on his body, he’s got the scale pattern that Dakh does.
Ravens flutter in my mind. I can practically hear Dakh growling.
Calm, Dakh. Be calm.
Azar tilts his head, and his smile grows wider.
I can feel his mind, Dakh tells me. He is reaching out, trying to communicate with me.
That makes me panic. I don’t trust him! Don’t talk to him. What if it’s a trap?
I will shut him out. Do not worry. Dakh’s thoughts turn crisp. You are the only one I will allow myself to connect with for now. I will trust no other.
Good.
“Am I interrupting?” Azar asks.
“How can you interrupt? I’m your prisoner.” I give him my sweetest smile and fold my hands in my lap. If we’re going to start a game of nicey-nice, I can play, too.
“Ah, no. You are my guest. And as your host, I’d like to invite you to dine with me.” He extends a hand to me. “Join me, please?”
I gaze at him warily.
I do not want you alone with him, Dakh growls.
Dakh, babe, I don’t have a choice. If I say no, they’re just going to make me go. They have guns. I get to my feet, gazing pointedly at the two bodyguards. “All right.”
Azar flexes his hand at me, waiting for me to put my hand in his.
Ugh. I wonder if I can get out of this. I can feel the ravens fluttering at Dakh’s mind, his helpless rage. I suspect Azar’s doing this because he knows Dakh will hate it. “My dragon doesn’t really like it when other people touch me,” I tell him, keeping my expression innocent. “It affects his control, and I’d hate for him to lose it when he struggles so hard to keep it.”
Azar ponders this and then snaps his hand shut. His grin widens. “Yes. Control is very important. Very well, then.” He turns and nods at his guards, then strides down the hall, leaving me no choice but to follow. The two guards continue to watch me until I step forward, and then fall into step behind me. As I suspected, it was less of an invitation and more of a demand.
I pad after him down the hall. I don’t have shoes on—I was kidnapped in my bed, after all—but the floors are relatively clean and swept, and I wonder how long this gang of “nomads” has been hanging out at this hotel…or if they took it over from someone else. I don’t like to think about what might have happened to that someone else.
They lead me down several flights of stairs and into the main lobby downstairs, clean and mostly bare of furniture. There’s a set of glass doors, and the two guards rush ahead to open them for Azar, who sweeps in like he’s a king. I follow, a little amused by this. He thinks he’s hot shit.
Dakh’s thoughts are an indecipherable swirl.
Calm, babe. We know his game. He can’t surprise us.
Do not trust.
Of that, I have no worries. I do not trust Azar in the slightest, which is why I’m not making a break for it.
47
SASHA
The guards hold the doors open, and as I step through I realize we’re entering what used to be the dining room. All of the tables have been cleared away, one very large table left in the center of the room. It’s covered in white, fresh linen, and as I get closer, I realize it’s not one table but several pushed together to make it seem like one of those long feast tables from medieval times. Azar sits at one end, and I wait, uncertain where I should sit. There’s only one more chair left and it’s right beside his, but that seems a little too…cozy for me.
Azar takes his hat off and removes his scarf, tossing them on the table, and then gestures that I should sit next to him. Hmm. I move forward and pull the chair back a few feet so I’m not practically in his lap while eating. I sit, and Azar just laughs, amused by my stubbornness.
“You are very loyal to your mate,” he comments as I fold my hands in my lap and stare at him. “It is not a trait I expected.”
“Because I’m human?”
“Because I thought if a drakoni had taken a human mate, he had stolen her away.” He takes off his sunglasses, and just as I’d suspected, his eyes are completely gold. He watches me skeptically. “Or did you challenge him?”
Aha. So he knows drakoni culture and he’s not even hiding it. “I did not challenge him. And I love…my dragon.” I almost spilled his name. I need to be more careful, I realize. Azar’s invited me to breakfast to get information out of me, I think. I need to take this time to get as much out of him as I can.
You are clever, my Sasha. You can do this.
Thanks, babe. I love you. I send him a surge of affection and keep my expression placid as someone comes out of the kitchen with a plate of food.
It’s Emma, and she looks startled as she approaches Azar with his breakfast. “I-I didn’t know you had company this morning.”
“It’s all right.” He waves a hand at her. “Bring another plate for my guest, unless she’d prefer to eat from my hand.”
“Another plate is great,” I say politely. I don’t even look at Emma. I can’t.
“Sure. Right away,” Emma says, and rushes back into the kitchen.
I study Azar as he picks at a bit of canned fruit on his plate. He’s eating a wealth of food for anyone in the After—a bowl of fruit cocktail, pancakes, and a bit of fresh meat. Whoever these nomads are, they aren’t starving. Azar looks healthy enough—he’s tall, but he’s not as thickly built as Dakh, who seems to be nothing but muscles and bronze skin. I study the differences between them, noting how Azar has hidden his drakoni features. His eyes are drakoni gold, of course, but I never see a hint of black fleck through them. Whatever makes the other dragons mad, he’s got this under control. The horns that Dakh has at his brow are missing on Azar, though there’s a hint of scarring on his forehead hidden by faint tattoos. His thick, pale hair has been cropped short, and his “talons” have been cut into blunt, thick nails. If you ignored his coloring and his eyes, he might be human.
“You watch me closely,” he comments.
“Just noticing how you’re able to hide in plain sight.”
He grins. “I cannot fool you, can I?”
“I knew what you were the moment you introduced yourself.”
His eyes gleam, and the charming smile on his face seems a little more strained. “Go on. How did I give myself away?”
I’m silent as Emma returns with a second plate of food. She sets it in front of me without a word and then hustles away again, and then it’s just me and Azar once more. I reach for a fork.
Azar puts a hand over mine, stopping me. “How did I give myself away?” he repeats, each word enunciated slowly.
There’s no mistaking the menace in his tone, or the demand. I feel a skitter of fear. Dakh growls inside my head, and I know I have to remain calm. I lick my lips and slide my hand out from under his. “Your scent. You smell like a dragon.”
He relaxes, leaning back in his chair once more. “Is that all? Easily fixed.” He seems pleased once more and gestures at my plate. “Eat your food.”
My appetite has soured, but I’ve learned that you eat whatever is put before you. I pick up my fork and take a bite. I’m silent, waiting for Azar to lead into what he really wants from me. There’s a reason he has me here with him. He seems like the type that is quite proud of himself, and I hope that means he’s going to run his mouth a bit and tell me more about him and this s
ituation. Knowledge is power, and if he’s going to pump me for information, I’m going to do the same to him.
“I’d prefer that the others don’t find out about my true nature,” Azar says casually as he bites into a grape. “They don’t know the truth of who I am and prefer to see me as a strange human instead of the enemy.”
I shrug. “There’s no incentive for me to tell anyone anything.”
“Precisely. And I would so hate for you to have an accident when I feel we can work together.”
And there’s a threat. Lovely. My skin prickles with alarm, but I force myself to remain calm, cutting my pancakes. “Work together?”
“Yes. It’s clear to me that you’re not like the others. You’re clever. You’d be surprised at how rare such a thing is in this human world.”
I ignore the vague insult and decide to spin things on him. “You’re not like the others, either.”
He’s intrigued, I can tell. He pauses in his picking at the fruit and gazes at me. “Do go on.”
“You speak really good English, for one. And you’re not crazy. As far as I can tell, you don’t have a mate to anchor your thoughts, so clearly whatever it is in this world that makes the others insane doesn’t affect you. I’m rather curious as to how that’s possible.” I decide to lay it all out on the table so he can see how much I do know. “My dragon won’t speak aloud, and he hasn’t shown the slightest inclination to learn my language. He’s also not interested in blending in, but you seem to have that under control. It’s just interesting to me how very different you are.”
“Why wouldn’t we be different?” The arrogance practically oozes from his thoughts.
“You’re drakoni, too, aren’t you?”
Azar’s lip curls slightly. “Not like your mate.”
That makes me pause. “There’s more than one type of drakoni?”
“And are there not many kinds of humans?”
“Actually, no, I thought there was only one kind.”
“You have humans who wear uniforms in your little fort, do you not? There are leaders, and then there are followers. There are fighters, and there are the ones who stay at home and rear the young.”