They will not harm her, he assures me. They shoot for you and for me. I should flame them all. His thoughts are filled with frustrated anger. But I will not fly close enough for them to get a chance to shoot you. We will go. Our revenge will come another day.

“All right,” I say softly, glancing down at the world below as we fly higher and higher into the air. It’s so dark that I can’t see Emma, and I hope desperately that she’s okay.

She made her choice, but it doesn’t mean I’m okay with it.

50

DAKH

There is no joy quite like the fierce pleasure of Sasha’s small weight on my back. She dozes in the saddle, slumped over the handlebars, and I hunch my shoulders higher protectively so she will not fall if her straps fail her.

Your mate is well? Kael asks. She suffered no injuries?

She is healthy. I thank you and your mate for your help.

I would have had to tie my mate down to prevent her from coming after yours once she heard she was taken. Kael’s thoughts are full of dark amusement and then grow sober. I do not like the thought of this…Azar. I remember Salorians, but only vaguely, and the memories I have are…not pleasant.

Neither are mine. But he cannot control us here. Do not touch your mind to his and you will remain free of him.

And if there are others?

Then we will deal with them. For now, I am going to focus on my mate and take her home.

Agreed. It is a problem for another day. He changes the angle of his wings in the sky, veering toward his nest. Do you wish to bring your mate to our nest for the evening? It is much closer.

I want her home and in our bed. She will want to visit your mate soon, I suspect, to talk.

I understand. Be well, my friend, and say if you need anything.

You have my thanks, Kael. It feels strange to have a friend again after so long. Before tonight, Kael and I had a wary sort of truce—awareness of each other, but our memories are clouded and it is hard to trust. After this battle, though, and his help in retrieving my mate? I would trust him with my life, and would gladly go to war at his side once more.

I wheel about in the sky, heading toward the store that is our home as my Sasha sleeps on. She is exhausted, her thoughts numb with sleep, but I can smell her and feel her, and it is enough for now. It calms the wildness that threatens to spill out of my thoughts once more. It pushes the ravens back and reminds me that I am drakoni. A warrior and a protector. I am not like the Salorians, who use and scheme. Like Kael, my memories of them are sharp with distaste as well. I want this Azar’s blood pouring down my throat, but I must choose my Sasha’s safety tonight.

She is the only thing that matters.

Eventually, our nest comes into sight, and I land as gently as possible. She rouses from her sleep, and with gentle coaxing and mental nudges, manages to unstrap herself and slide off my side. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles. “I think it’s all catching up with me.”

Rest, I tell her. I have you. I shift to my two-legged form and catch my mate before she falls over, kicking aside the saddle and its multitude of straps. I will retrieve it when she is safely tucked into her blankets.

I carry my Sasha through the store, my nostrils flaring with the stale scent of the intruders. The reminder makes my belly burn with anger once more. We need a new nest, I think. A better one. I have destroyed much of this one with my rampage in my urgency to find her. Shelves have been knocked down, carts are everywhere, and the doors are broken.

Not only that, but the strangers that stole her know this place. We cannot stay here.

Tonight, she will rest in her bed, and tomorrow we will pack up all the things she wants and search for a new home. One with high walls and no doors, one that no one can snatch my precious mate from.

But that is for tomorrow.

My Sasha sleeps heavily.

I do not. I only watch her, making sure that she is safe and protected. I have no need for sleep, not now. Not with my mind aflutter with thoughts. It seems that as a layer of madness peels away, things grow more and more complicated. My world was simple when there was nothing of the past and my only focus was feeding my mate.

But now there are Salorians here, in this strange land. I do not recall much of them, but just knowing they exist leaves a bad taste in my mouth. They are masters of trickery who can overwhelm a mind with a simple mental touch. I remember them as our overlords in the old land…and I remember hating it. I remember the oppression we lived under, the burning anger.

Perhaps we are more free in this terrible land than we were in our old home, with its beautiful red deserts and golden mountains.

Even so, if there is one Salorian here in the human world, there will be others. And if we do not want to fall under their rule again, we must work together—all drakoni with their minds intact—to ensure that we are safe.

Both our people and our human mates.

I hold my mate close and breathe in her scent. As I do, I notice it is…different. Subtle, but changed. It is warmer now, the spice of our mating fires deeper. I know what this means. She carries my young.

My heart surges with joy, and I clutch her tightly to me. My sweet fire. My Sasha.

“Mmm. You’re squeezing a little tight, babe.” She doesn’t open her eyes, just sighs and presses her nose against my chest. “You okay?”

I am just…thinking. I stroke her cheek. I will not tell her just yet, I think. She has had enough to stress over lately.

“Thinking about the baby?” she asks with a yawn.

I am surprised. How did you know?

“You were thinking a little hard about the change in my scent just now.” Her smile is wry. “Are you happy?”

I rub my thumb across her soft, soft skin. Beyond happy. The thought of your body full of my young fills me with joy. But you…

“I like the thought, too,” she says shyly. “I wasn’t sure at first, but I think I’d like to be a family.” Her smile is sweet.

I touch her stomach reverently. It will be a while yet.

“I’m in no rush. It gives us plenty of time to figure out where we’re going.”

I am surprised to hear her say such a thing. You wish to leave?

“Part of me wants to get as far away from everyone as possible. Just get on your back and keep going, as far as the ocean and never turn back.” She yawns. “Maybe we can find a private island away from everyone else.”