“Tate’s absolutely an asshole,” Claudia tells me. “There’s no changing that. The militia are creeps. But there’s a lot of people stuck there with no hope, and there are young kids and families that deserve better.”

She’s right, but that’s too simple a view. “How would we help them? They’d be terrified of the dragons.”

“I don’t know.” She flicks the water off her hands. “Maybe we could fly in supplies. Or help chase off the reds when they attack. Something. I’m not sure what yet. I just know that if I turn my back on all of humanity, I’ll feel like I’m as responsible as the militia is for how shitty things are.”

“I guess.” I dry my hands on a small towel she has on the sink and then pat my face dry. The girl that stares at me from the broken mirror is a completely different Sasha from a month ago. The hollow, haunted look is gone. The dirty, hunted girl from before who felt like she had no hope is a thing of the past. And maybe it’s selfish of me, but maybe I don’t feel much like helping those who wouldn’t help me. Maybe I just want to stick with my friends for now. “It’ll take some time to wrap my brain around the thought of sticking around instead of going to the dang beach.”

She laughs. “Well, just think about it. Nothing has to be decided overnight. And I don’t have any plans yet myself. Just ideas.” She crosses her arms and glances over at me. “I just don’t want to sit by and do nothing, you know? Not when this is the world I’m bringing my kid into. If I have a chance to make it better, I want to.”

“Mmm.” I’m not entirely convinced. “I’ll talk with Dakh and see how he feels.”

You know my answer already. I want what you want.

“All right.” Claudia opens the door and glances back at me as she heads out to the main room. “You know, it always surprises me that you and Dakh get along so well.”

“Really? Why is that?” It seems a curious thing.

She shrugs. “I just wasn’t sure what to think when he grabbed you from midair. I’m glad it all turned out okay.”

What?

39

SASHA

I feel like I’m in a slow-motion vacuum. All of the air has been sucked out of the room. Every second, every breath, stretches for an eternity.

I just wasn’t sure what to think when he grabbed you from midair.

She saw that? Claudia saw that?

She knew Dakh had me?

I mean, of course she knew he had me. I’m shocked to think that she didn’t bother to try to help me escape him, though, if she saw he was the one that grabbed me.

Come to think of it, she’s never asked how I ended up with Dakh. It was as if she already knew…

Sasha?

I ignore Dakh’s alarmed thoughts and try to calm my own frantic ones. “What do you mean?” I’m amazed at how even my voice sounds, how cool. “You saw Dakh snatch me when I fell? When you were attacking Fort Dallas?”

Her expression changes—first surprise, then guilt. She realizes what she’s said. And I realize it, too. All this time, she’s been so careful, so delicately trying to make sure that I’m happy, I’m really happy, when she knew she’d abandoned me to Dakh all this time.

She knew, and because I’m okay with him now, everything’s all better.

My Sasha, why are you so upset?

Was this part of the plan? I demand of him. All along? Was it that they were going to snatch me just to hand me off to you? It was never a rescue for me, was it?

I do not know what she planned, but I know I made it quite clear to Kael that I wanted a human mate. You fell into my claws and I knew you were mine.

And they knew it, too, didn’t they?

Kael connected his mind with mine and tried to convince me to bring you back. I did not.

So they knew. They knew all along that I was with him, and they left me. I feel staggered. Shocked. Hurt.

Betrayed.

I’ve been betrayed by everyone. Claudia’s ready to charge out and save Fort Dallas, but she couldn’t be bothered to try to save me when I was scared and alone?

It’s the icing on the cake, and I’m done.

Claudia looks upset. “Sasha—”

I raise a hand. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.” My voice breaks. “You left me.”

“I didn’t know what to do!”

“You did! You had a choice, and you left me—let a dragon carry me off because you wanted to rescue your sister. You knew what Dakh wanted. Was there ever a plan to rescue me?”

“It was a risk,” she says softly. “But I thought you would be safer with him than with Tate—”

“Oh, well, I’m so glad you decided my future for me,” I snap at her. “Next time how about you let me have a little say in it?” I storm past her, snatching my goggles off of a patio table. I feel used. I feel so, so betrayed.

I feel so stupid.

How did I ever think these people cared about me? That they were my friends? Of course Claudia put her sister above me. Of course she never came after me. Not if she knew I’d be just fine and dandy being cuddled by a dragon. And stupid me, I never stopped to question any of it. I just worried over Claudia and Amy like they were my friends and I wasn’t being stabbed in the back.

I march to Dakh’s side and grab the straps, hauling myself onto his back. Take me home.

“Sasha—” Claudia begins again.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” I bark out at her. “Not right now!”

She is upset, Dakh tells me. Kael is angry that she is upset.

You can tell Kael to shove it up his ass, I send back, seething. Let him just try and eat me. He’d get nothing but a mouthful of salt because I am so, so bitter right now.

He will never harm you, Dakh tells me vehemently. I would never let him close enough. And buckle in and I will take you away.

It feels like forever to fix all the straps correctly, and all the while, Claudia just stares up at me with hurt eyes. I can feel her gaze boring into me, and I don’t care. I just focus on fumbling each buckle into place. When they’re all finally in the right spots, I put my hands on the handlebars and stare straight ahead. I’m ready. Go.

You are upset? Dakh asks, a strange note in his thoughts. Because you are my mate?