“Wow, aren’t you a fucking Prince Charming,” I mutter. “If this isn’t working with them, what are you doing?”

“They betrayed me,” he snarls. “They were supposed to let me go after they nabbed you. That was the exchange. Fucking bastards grabbed you and then tossed me in here with you.”

Good, I want to bite back at him. But I need more answers, and as long as he’s talking, I need to try to get them. “Where exactly is ‘here’? I can’t see anything.”

“That’s because they don’t want your dragon to find you.”

I’m startled by that. How does he know that I can communicate with Dakh telepathically? I never said anything to Tate. “What are you talking about?”

He sighs. “I don’t fucking know. They said he can see through your eyes or something.” Tate rustles again. “So if you want to call your scaly boyfriend over and have him rescue us, that’d be fantastic. And sooner better than later.”

“Why? What happens later?” I don’t point out the fact that my Dakh wouldn’t be keen on saving him, or that I can’t hear Dakh at all right now. I try to send my mind out to reach my dragon, but all I’m getting is silence, and I’m scared. What if they’ve done something to him? I want to kick myself for sending him away. My Dakh. I had the best, most wonderful partner ever, and I pushed him away because I was angry.

Never again, I vow. If my feelings get hurt or if I feel betrayed in the future, I’m going to suck it up and deal with a dragon in my head. The thought of anything happening to him is utterly unbearable, and I have to fight back more tears. My Dakh.

“Why do they want him? What do they think they can do with a dragon? A very angry, very unlikely to cooperate dragon?”

“I don’t know,” Tate is saying. “I told you, I don’t know anything.”

“You know more than I thought you did. How did you know to mask your scent?”

“All these guys do,” he tells me. “It’s a little trick they have, among others. Listen, Sasha, you need to get your dragon boyfriend here, and quick. These guys have some sort of plan, and I’m sure it’s not a good one. I—” He goes silent abruptly.

“What?” I ask. “What is it?” I tilt my head, trying to see from under the blindfold, but all I can make out is a faint line of light.

No response from Tate.

There’s a sound like a door opening.

I lift my chin, as if raising my head will somehow help me figure out what’s going on.

Footsteps. Several of them. My skin prickles with awareness, and I realize there’s a strange smell, like thick, spicy cologne. It’s not unpleasant, unlike the smell covering Tate. It’s actually familiar and comforting, though I can’t exactly place it.

“I see our newest little friend is awake,” comes a strange, smoky voice. His accent is odd and thick, as if English isn’t his native language. “Hello, Sasha.”

I sit upright, doing my best not to let my confusion show. “Who’s there?”

“No one important,” the man says with a small, amused chuckle. “How is your head?”

“It hurts,” I say guardedly.

“They really shouldn’t have hit you over the head with a bat. Humans are so very…fragile.”

That sounds awfully familiar. My skin prickles again, and I squint through the blindfold, wishing I could see. “Do I know you?”

“I’m afraid not. But I look forward to getting to know you better.”

That sounds…ominous. Most men who want to get to know a woman better only want one thing, and I’m not willing to give it. “Then can I have my hands uncuffed?”

The stranger makes a sympathetic noise. “I’m afraid not. We do need to keep you blindfolded to keep your location a mystery. I’m sure you understand, my dear.”

“Azar, we had a deal,” Tate interjects. “I’d show you where to find the dragon’s girlfriend, and in exchange, you’d let me go back to Fort Dallas.”

I mentally file the name away. Azar. Azar. I’m going to remember that.

“Yes, we had a deal,” Azar says in that curious voice of his. “And you did an admirable job of retrieving the female for us. But how can we be sure that this is the dragon’s mate? She does not look like the type to entice a gold dragon.”

“I swear she is. He attacked me—hunted me down because I had a relationship with her in the past. Trust me, it’s her.”

I snort. I can’t believe I was ever afraid of this douchebag.

Azar chuckles. “You do not agree with his statement, Sasha?”

“I just thought it was interesting how quick he is to run his mouth and sell me out,” I comment, keeping my tone light. “Thanks for that, Tate. I’m sure all of Fort Dallas will sleep better tonight knowing you’re going to be around to protect them from Big Bad Sasha.”

“Aha. So it seems I am not the only one to notice your lack of loyalty,” Azar continues in that smooth, accented tone. “And that is why you find yourself here, my friend. I truly do wish you could return to Fort Dallas, but how do I know you will not tell them all about me and my band of men? About our tactics for avoiding dragons? That would interfere with any plans I have, and I do not think I could allow that. Not after I have been so careful.”

“If you want me to beg, I’m not going to beg,” Tate says coldly.

Azar chuckles again. “No, I do not want you to beg. Rand?”

Before I can ask who Rand is, a gunshot goes off in the room, blasting my eardrums and making my head ring. I recoil in shock as something wet splatters my face.

Oh.

My.

God.

43

SASHA

“Tate?” I whisper. I can barely hear myself. My head’s still reverberating with the gunshot in such close quarters. My ears ring. Fear makes me pant, and I’m sweating with nervousness. Someone here has a gun.

Someone just got shot.

“He will not be answering,” Azar tells me.

My body grows cold. Oh my God. Tate’s…dead?

“And I do not think anyone else will be running their mouths anytime soon,” Azar continues. “It is such a dangerous thing to do, selling out people.” He moves forward, and his hand touches my face. He tilts my chin up, and even though I can’t see him, I feel scrutinized. “I do not want you to be alarmed, Sasha. You are my guest.”