Darial glides lower, circling, then tucks in his wings and vanishes from the line of sight behind one of the penthouse spires.
There are two others. Male. They’re not guarding Aura. They're sitting on couches and laughing, with food and wine, like they’re celebrating.
My vision flashes red.
Ronyn growls beside me. “They think we won’t come for her.”
“They don’t know that Ahya could direct us. They thought they committed the perfect crime. Snatch Aura without being seen. Keep her magic suppressed so it couldn’t call to us and so they could exact their will.”
Darial’s voice sharpens.I still don’t see her.
I flex my fists as I scan the building, watching how the light reflects off the glass. Where is Aura in that vast space?
Keep looking,I hiss.
Silence hums in our bond.
Darial breathes deep.Give me five more minutes. I’ll try to scale along the lower levels. If I can get closer, I might find where they’re holding her.
I exhale slowly, drawing heat into my chest and holding it like vengeance. Behind me, Ronyn crouches, scanning the sky. “He could return,” he warns.
You may not have much time, Darial,I say through ourmental bond.Find her while you can.
Darial slips lower, clinging to the façade like smoke as he edges toward the north wall of glass.
Inside that tower, our mate waits.
And our unborn hatchlings.
We cannot fail to retrieve her.
33
RONYN
I can see her.Darial’s voice is a whisper in my mind.
I hold my breath, waiting for him to continue.
She appears asleep or unconscious, wrapped in something heavy and covered with scales.
My stomach sinks. Kelan tenses.
Describe it,Kelan growls, fists tightening.
It shimmers, dark on dark.He pauses, considering.It looks like your skin, Kelan, like a piece shed from you.
Darial’s tone is dark with realization.I think they’re using a cloak made from your dragon skin, Kelan. That would explain why her magic’s bound. Even your shed skin carries your ability to bind magic.
Kelan snarls, his teeth lengthening in his human mouth as heat radiates from him. His voice is furious.They used my scales against my mate.
My anger mirrors his. The idea of our mate silenced beneath Kelan’s discarded scales evokes a primal response. Our bodies should protect her, not harm or subdue her.
But isn’t that what we did to her? We bound her magic and took away her strength.
I’m going to try to melt the window. Slowly. With controlled flame. If I do it right, it’ll soften enough to bend, and I’ll be able to make an opening large enough to get inside.
Kelan and I shift forward on our haunches.
