“Four hours or so, and before you ask— No. I didn’t tell anyone I found you. I’m no snitch.”
With a great amount of effort, I wedged my feet under me. “Thanks for that.”
“Mind if I ask why we ran away?” She folded her legs in front of her. “So that I have my story straight.”
Failure. Failure. Failure.
The condescending voice chanting the word into my pounding head belonged to Carmichael.
“I could have killed Rían today.” I wobbled toward the kitchen. “Liam was right?—”
“Iknewthis was his fault.” Her eyes glinted golden. “What did he say to you?”
“Nothing I wasn’t already thinking.” I pressed a hand to my stomach. “Want a snack?”
Sloane wrapped around me from behind, pinning my arms down by my sides.
“No one blames you for what happened today. The almost drowning part was unfortunate, but the rest? It’s part of the learning curve. You did exactly what Fayne taught you, right? The only difference was you paired up with Rían. That means if anyone is to blame, it’s on her.”
One lesson. That was all I’d had with her. That hardly made me a pro. The blame belonged to me alone.
Latent wolf. Fledging dragon. The designation didn’t matter. I was a walking disaster either way.
“Next time, we’ll bring a spotter.” I swallowed hard. “If there is a next time.”
“You can’t be afraid of your potential.” She rested her chin on my shoulder. “And, if you ever want to round the bases with your giraffe, you can’t be afraid of being alone with him. Unless you’re into the voyeur thing.”
“Uh, no.” I shuddered at the idea. “People have watched me every second of my life and reported back on what they’ve seen. I would never invite that into my bedroom.”
“Bedroom?” She snickered into my ear. “Does that mean you would invite it in other places?”
“Pervert.” I exhaled, shrugging her off me. “Too bad the phones are still down. I want to check on Rían, but I don’t want to go through Liam first.”
“That reminds me. I heard the blackout is lifting in three days. Nothing official, but that’s what the rest of the clan seems to believe. You can ask Rían about it when you see him.”
Three days until the lines of communication between Brentwood and the rest of the world came online.
“Our time here doesn’t seem real, in a way, but that’s all about to change.”
“You sound too sad for your own good. We’re going to visit Rían.” She gripped my hand. “Right now.”
A token protest was all the defense I could mount against her declaration as I let her guide me out onto the sidewalk. She aimed me toward his house rather than the urgent care center, so that was good.
The gout of flames painting the sky crimson over our heads, not so much.
Rían wasnothappy.
“That is a whole lot of dragon.” Sloane stopped to gawk. “How can he even get airborne?”
“He shouldn’t be flying in his condition.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “I need to get his attention.”
“He’s probably flipping out because he can’t find you, but you can’t take all the blame all the time.” She turned a slow circle, searching for I wasn’t sure what. “I’m the one who concealed your trail, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I do feel sorry for Rían getting caught in the middle of this, but Liam needs the taste slapped out of his mouth for dumping his panic in your lap then blaming you for it.”
Things were so black and white for Sloane. I wished I could go through life with such clarity.
“We need to get his attention.” I went into problem-solving mode. “Then we can get him to land.”
“The park is the only place with enough room for him to touch down without demolishing a city block.”
