Damon laughed. "You could stand on the mountain and yell."
"Helpful."
He shrugged again, more serious now. "You might have better luck running into her in town. Small towns don't keep secrets for long."
I laughed to keep from crying. "You forget, she just moved here. I wouldn't bet on a casual run-in."
Damon cocked his head, thinking. "She's got to have a routine. Kids always do. School, groceries, whatever. If you tracked the schedule…"
"Not a stalker?"
He snorted. "Just saying. If you don't want to wait, your options are slim."
I looked at the screen. My brother, all quiet confidence, suddenly seemed… almost sympathetic, like he got what was really at stake here.
Fated mates weren't really a thing in the real world, only in the storybooks. However, if a dragon chose a mate, it might as well be fate. There was no denying it, no stopping the love from coming.
Damon had lost the girl his dragon had chosen in his teens, and subsequently almost died himself of grief. Since then, he kept life at arm's length, as if he'd used up all his emotions by the time he was fifteen.
I let out a breath and slumped back in my chair, the tension finally getting the better of me. Lola, sensing my mood, hopped down and started licking her paws with deep, put-upon purrs.
Damon's voice softened. "We'll find her, Chance. It just takes time."
"Yeah." My throat felt tight, but I didn't want to say anything else. I just stared at the faces on the screen. My family, past and present, staring right back at me.
I jolted a little, remembering something from earlier. "Oh! I almost forgot. Tash buys sausage rolls from Sweet Dragon. Her,ourdaughters love them. She might come back for more."
He paused, eyebrow cocked. "Sausage rolls?"
"Yeah. The spicy ones."
Damon barked a laugh. "That tracks. You remember how Mom used to lose her mind trying to keep the fridge stocked when we were kids? Dragons and meat are like…" He wiggled his hand, searching for the word. "'Mutually assured destruction,' I think she called it."
I snorted. "You're saying dragons have a protein addiction?"
He shrugged. "I'm saying, if those twins want sausage for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you do not need a DNA test. There's a dragon in there."
I couldn't help it. I felt a stupid, stubborn kind of pride. Like maybe they'd inherited something good, not just the grit and bad temper. "Yeah. I guess that's something."
He grinned at me from the other side of the screen. "It's a lot. You should see yourself right now. All puffed up."
I waved him off, but he was right. The idea was ridiculous and also kind of awesome. Thinking abouther stirred things I hadn't felt in years, instincts I thought I'd buried. The pull toward her wasn't subtle.
He was back to business with his phone in his hand. He scrolled, then started typing a text.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Calling in a favor." He didn't look up. "I know a guy at the Department of Agriculture. Dude's a freak for water quality." He sent the text and set down the phone with a thunk. "If anyone can get contact info for the NRCS hellbender project, it's him."
The words settled in the air, nerves stretching toward the promise of an actual lead. Lola had fallen asleep on my foot, a lump of bright white fur vibrating with every snore. I didn't dare move her.
Damon shot me a look. "You gonna be okay if this actually works?"
I tried to act casual. "Why wouldn't I be?"
He grinned. "I've never seen you this nervous."
I flipped him off, and he snorted, but the phone vibrated almost before I got my hand down.
