Kami shook his head. “I told you, no eating.”
“But I haven’t had anything in so long.”
Kami tilted his head, but it was Mercury who spoke up. “I know how that feels. I was locked in a tower with nothing but canned fish for years and years, decades. If you come with us, we can try to take your hoard, and we’ll make sure you get plenty of food. As long as you give Kami the stone he needs.” He waggled his eyebrows encouragingly when the dragon looked at him. “He’s a stone singer. He wouldn’t ask for greed. He’s asking because somebody needs the stone for their heartstone.”
The dragon sighed, his back rising and falling with the force of it. “My heartstone was destroyed, and there’s no way to get out of here. I’ve tried and tried.”
Mercury smiled, trying to be helpful or something along those lines. “We might have a way. Are you willing to help Kami get his stone?”
“I’m willing to help you get a new heartstone, too,” Kami said. “I’m really good at matching up stones with dragons.”
“And there’s food and freedom where we’re taking you.” Mercury held the other dragon’s eyes, the hunger and sorrow there so big. “No one deserves to be trapped in a cage. We’re supposed to be free and flying and fed and a bunch of other F-words that are probably inappropriate in this situation.”
Kami looked at him. “Did you really just bring up fucking in this situation?”
He turned to stare at Kami. “Well I didn’t say it. I’m not even a hundred percent sure I thought it.” Mercury shrugged, patting his belly a little bit. “I’m pregnant, and so I?—”
The big dragon gaped. “You’re pregnant? Now I absolutely can’t eat you, thanks.”
Mercury rolled his eyes. “So come with us. I promise I know where home is, and I know a safe place, but we just have to get there.”
“I will trade the stone you want if you can do that.” The dragon bent his head. “I am Dannol.”
“Hey, Dannol, it’s nice to meet you. We’re going to have to figure this out.” He tried to grin, and he hoped he didn’t look as scared as he felt. He focused on Kami. “Okay, so I’m going to be really tired when we do this, so if you could imagine us close to Talon, that would be great.”
He’d never actually tried to move two dragons and a hoard before. He wasn’t sure it was going to work.
“You should give Kami the stone first, just in case I can’t get your hoard here. There. Wherever. Home. I’ve never tried to move a non-dragon.”
Kami grinned. “I know you can do it, Mercury. I have faith in you.”
Dannol looked at them both. “You promised this would work.”
“Well, I promise I can get you and Kami home. I just told you I don’t know about the other. But I’m trying!” And he was a little bit scared, and he wanted to go home right now.
He knew Talon had to be frightened, worried, concerned, and all sorts of other words. Reno was going to be hot, too.
One way or the other, it was time to go home.
“Let’s do this.”
“Okay. Give me your hand, Dannol,” Kami said. “And clear your mind.”
Dannol did, so Mercury took Kami’s hand and put his other hand on the pile of treasure.
“Now, Kami.”
“Mercury, I want you take me and Dannol and all this stuff home.”
He closed his eyes and focused on the slide, and then the world went cold and dark and empty for what felt like forever. It took his breath, took his senses, and soon, it was going to take his consciousness.
Mercury just hoped they got where they were going.
Chapter
Eighteen
They were still trying to figure out where Kami and his damn mate had disappeared to—he thought it was the keep where Mercury’s former lover had taken him somehow—when the alarm went up from the residential area.
