“Clear magic is difficult if you’re not naturally attuned to it,” Ryu consoled me. “Keeptrying.”
I tried again and again. Nothing was working. I grunted in frustration. After how easily the earth magic had come to me, not being able to do this was infuriating - especially when it was much moreimportant.
“Let’s take a break,” Ryu suggested. He offered me a cup of green tea, which I took without a fuss. After my incident a few days ago, I didn't want to push my luck. If I did, Dante would gocrazy.
“So, tell me,” Ryu began, arching a brow. “Why are you so eager to create barriers all of asudden?”
I met his gaze. “Can I answer your question with anotherquestion?”
“You already did.” Ryu laughed. “Butsure.”
I worked up the courage to say the name, which felt like a curse on my tongue. “Do you know about an omeganamedLoni?”
But no recognition flashed across Ryu’s face. He shook his head. “I’mafraidnot.”
I thought so. If he wanted to remain anonymous in the book, then I doubted he went by the same nameanymore.
“What about any other omegas from Stoneheart pack?” I asked. “Or any injured wolf shifters that appeared inCinderhollow?”
Ryu hummed in thought. “Can you narrow down the timeline a bit more? Even injured wolf shifters is a bitvague.”
“I don’t know the details,” I admitted. “Maybe… ten, fifteen years ago? Twenty? He must have been in really rough shape,though.”
I thought about what he must have been through compared to my own experience with the raiders. At least I had Dante to save me before anything happened. I still didn’t know the full storybehindLoni.
Ryu brought his hand to his chin in thought. He was quiet for a few moments, thinking deeply. Finally something flickered across his gaze. He looked up at mehopefully.
“I think I might know who you’re talkingabout.”
* * *
Partof me felt guilty and suspicious for skulking around Cinderhollow on the search for a missing man who obviously didn’t want to be found while my mate was at home, assuming I was safely in school with myteacher.
I will tell him, I thought. Just as soon as I know Loni is aliveforsure.
Ryu shifted into his dragon form as we hit the streets. Unlike Dante’s powerful upright form, Ryu was a long serpentine dragon without wings. Whiskers flowed from his almost canine snout and a stream of fur crestedhisback.
“Hop on,” he said. “We’ll need to fly to get there as fast as possible. If this is even the rightplace.”
I carefully got on Ryu’s back, clutching his mane tightly, and he took off into the sky. My stomach lurched at first but the sick feeling went away quickly. I’d gotten used to all theflying.
“How do you fly without wings?” Iaskedhim.
“East Asian dragons are generally good at air magic,” he explained. “We control the currents around our bodies, so we don’t need wings to stayairborne.”
We landed soon on a dark, narrow strip of wood about fifty feet high that led to the front door of a sketchy-looking bar. It was built into the mountainside and was surrounded by stalactites that hovered close totheroof.
I got off Ryu’s back and heshifted.
“Don’t worry. This place isn’t as scary as it looks,” hereassuredme.
I wasn’t so sure about that. The dark, dingy atmosphere as we entered the front door didn’t seem verywelcoming.
Shifters were milling about on old rickety tables. The scent of alcohol was thick in the air. I wrinkled my nose. To my relief, nobody paid usmuchmind.
I followed Ryu to the front counter where a man stood with his back turned to us. He was slightly taller than me withchoppyhair.
“Scar?” Ryuasked.
