Jess sat in a chair she had pulled up next to Becca’s bed. She held an eReader in hand and read down the page before flicking her gaze up to Becca’s and then back to her story. As far as I knew, Becca was still as sick today as she had been after her initial treatment. She had stabilized early on, but her recovery had stalled past that.
“She asked for permission earlier,” Burdock said from behind me. “Told me she read a study about how people in comas can hear their loved ones talking to them, and it helps them hold on. Gives them an anchor to follow back to consciousness.”
“I wasn’t aware they knew each other.”
“Oh, they don’t. Jess volunteered at the senior care center before we moved to Brentwood. The companionship was good for the residents, and for her. I made rounds there weekly, and she always beat me there.”
“She’s good people.”
“I agree.” He nudged me away from the window before we interrupted them. “I assume you’re here to pester me on Sloane’s behalf.”
“I was looking for Jess, actually, since she disappeared from Sloane’s room before I woke this morning.” I winced and confessed, “You were next on my list.”
“I’ll need to interview Sloane now that she’s awake. We’re trying to determine how and when she was exposed, but she wasn’t lucid enough to answer questions the last time we spoke. I’m not hoping for much. She seems to have lost a chunk of her memory after exposure, which is a known side effect for non-dragons who ingest dragonsbane.”
“What about the enforcers?”
“They weren’t dosed heavily enough to experience more than a sedative effect, but I’ll be calling them in a bit to check on them. None of them recall seeing anything or anyone unusual. They remember running on the trail and then they were in the clinic.”
“Maybe rest and time will fill in the blanks.”
“I heard you’re going out tonight.”
Everyone and their momma had, as near as I could tell. But maybe it felt that way to me, since I had never had an inner circle. Let alone one this size.
“No one has finalized it with me yet, but I hope so. There’s been so much chaos?—”
“That’s what worries me.” He hesitated. “Has it occurred to you that if you can track Sartori through your bond that he can do the same?” He rubbed his face. “You haven’t had a moment of peace to try and hunt him through that connection, and it’s possible that’s no coincidence.”
“Have you shared these concerns with Rían?”
“We discussed it last night when he stopped by with Goldie. He’s aware of my reservations, but I know it’s also the best hope we’ve got of finding Sartori before he escalates further. We’ve been lucky so far, comparatively, but luck always runs out.”
“I don’t take this on lightly.” I exhaled. “I’m aware Carmichael could track me as easily as I can find him. Easier, I’m sure, since he’s an experienced alpha who knows more about pack bonds than I ever will. But I don’t think he’s going to risk hunting me in Brentwood. Not personally.” I puffed out my cheeks. “Once I leave the town, that’s when he’s more likely to strike.” I reflected on what he told me, and chills dappled my arms. “There’s a possibility his plan has been to drive me out of town, to force me to take a chance and put myself in danger.”
“Rían came to the same conclusion.”
And yet he hadn’t attempted to stop me. He wouldn’t have let me go in blind to his concerns, so I felt certain he had a talk planned for my future, but still. That he hadn’t swooped in last night and carried me away after he and Burdock hit on more unsettling possibilities reminded me why I wanted to stand by Rían. He might not like what I had planned, but he would support me, and he would give me enough resources to ensure the best chance for success.
I was so used to being shut down at every turn, I had become indifferent to the pack and the lives of its members. There had been no point in putting myself out there. I understood now that had always been Carmichael’s plan. To keep me weak, isolated, to prevent me from looking outside myself.
Heat flashed behind my breastbone, startling me into remembering my dragon rested closer to the surface than ever, and she wasn’t happy about the turn of my thoughts. The barrier between the two halves of myself was thinning, and beneath that topmost layer I sensed grief, remorse, and a fury that burned so hot it could scorch the Earth.
Had smoke not curled out of my nostrils, I might have convinced myself I was imagining things, but no. It was as plain as the button nose on Goldie’s face. My dragon hated Carmichael. She hated him so much it caused her to thrashwithin me, seeking an outlet, desperate to protect me now as she hadn’t been able to back then.
But a dragon was an extension of their human half. Did that meanIwas really mad I hadn’t been able to protect myself, and I was letting my new power take the blame? Or was it possible…?
“Don’t get too worked up.” Burdock fanned away the smoke. “Things won’t always be so hectic.”
Clan history made me doubt that was true. As long as there were dragons, there would be those who sought to destroy or possess them. We might enjoy long periods of peace, but we would never be safe like other packs, clans, and prides.
“Can I ask you something?” I bit my bottom lip. “About the relationship between a dragon and its…er…”
“You want to know if your dragon is a part of your consciousness or if it possesses its own.” He grinned at my surprise. “All young dragons ask the same questions, and you’re no different. It’s normal to be curious and to seek a greater understanding of the new presence within you.”
“Oh good.”
“For instance, Rían asked if he would still get in trouble if his dragon stole cookies from his cousin.”
