There is only silence. Not even the ravens dare to speak up.
Furious, I launch myself from the field of flowers and take to the air once more. I will not stop until her mind touches mine again. She exists. I just have to find out where she is and save her.
And I will take great pleasure in destroying the ones who have stolen her from me.
I use the long ribbons of hard concrete—Sasha calls them “highways”—as markers. Once I have coasted as far along a highway as I can, I turn back and go in another direction. They continue on for what seems like forever, but I remain close to the ruins of Old Dallas. She is here. Somewhere. I do not want to think what will happen if whoever has stolen her takes her farther away while I sleep and I lose the thread of her mind entirely.
I will not sleep until I find her once more.
SASHA, I call out as I turn in another direction, swooping low to follow along another highway.
Dakh?
The thought is faint but beautiful. HERE, I call to her, as forcefully as I can. I AM HERE. WHERE ARE YOU? I alight atop a building so I can concentrate on sending her my thoughts as clearly as possible. Tell me where you are and I will come for you!
I…I don’t know where I’m at. The people that took me, they’re keeping me blindfolded. I’m in an old hotel, but there are dozens of those all over the city, Dakh.
Ravens flutter in the edges of my vision, and anger burns. They think to keep her from me? From her mate? From her protector? They will burn. I will find out which building, I vow. I will follow your scent—
They’ve sprayed me with the scent-masking perfumes, Dakh. They don’t want you to find me yet. They’re up to something. You can’t come for me. It’s too dangerous.
I do not care if it is dangerous. You are mine to protect.
Dakh, no. Stop and listen to me, all right? Please.
Even though it is the most difficult thing I have ever done, I force myself to stop, to pay attention. The ravens circle about, waiting, but I push them back. My Sasha is the most important thing right now. Nothing else matters. Speak, and tell me why I cannot come for you.
There’s something weird going on here, she tells me. Emma’s here. Tate was here, too, but they killed him. He’s the one who told them where to find me.
Who is it that has you? Which humans? Are you at the hive? My legs tense, and I am ready to spring into the air once more.
No, I’m not. I don’t know where they have me. Someplace hidden. They don’t want you to find me. Or rather, they do, but not right away. I think they’re setting a trap and it’s not ready yet. That’s why they’re keeping me blindfolded and masking my scent. They want to wait, and then they want me to bring you in.
So I can destroy them? I put flame behind the thoughts.
That’s just it—I think they want to capture you. They’ve got another dragon they’re holding captive, Dakh. And their leader? I think…I think he’s drakoni. His name is Azar, and he’s pretending to be human. He smells like a drakoni, and his skin is hot, but he sounds like any other human, and he’s not crazy. It’s so weird—
Rage boils through me. I let out a massive rush of flame and crisp a nearby tree. She has felt his skin? He has touched you? He will DIE.
Not like that, babe. I promise. Please, please listen. You can hear me, right? Concentrate on my voice. Calm down. Think about me. Calm. You can’t lose your shit, babe. I need you to be focused. I need us to be in this together. I need to be able to count on you. Can you stay calm for me?
I growl low in my throat. Every instinct I have tells me that I must go and rescue my mate. That I should ignore her words and follow her scent and mind until I track her down. I can flame every building from here to the ocean. I will find her. I am strong enough to defeat any other dragon.
But there is an anxious note in her thoughts that keeps me from charging forward. She is truly worried for me.
Of course I’m worried. They’re setting a trap for you. It’ll destroy me if you get hurt, Dakh. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me from losing it.
Her rising panic makes me realize that what she says is true. They have my mate. They took her deliberately in a ploy to attack me. They know how I will lose control if she is in danger, and they are counting on that. Even though it goes against everything that I am—and everything the ravens caw in my ears—I must listen. This is…difficult. I will try.
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.