“Going,” he agreed.
She watched him for another moment, Ian’s words echoing through her mind. Let him.
Could she let him? What about all the ways it could go wrong? All the heartache that could come? She turned away.
Chalia was already crouching to let her climb up. As she reached out for her, she felt herself being pulled back. Fox turned her, his hands cupping her face until she was staring up at him. The sky had turned gray over the course of their trip, and she could see every micro-expression in his face as his eyes swept over her.
He kissed her, slow and hard. And she let him. She closed her eyes and let the scent of him envelop her with no thought of the future. When he finally let her go, she swallowed hard. She turned before he could see the tears that burned in the corners of her eyes. The present was all they had, but it didn’t feel like enough.
And for the second time, Chalia lifted into the air, Sofia’s fingers intertwined with her feathers and the taste of Fox on her lips.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
SOFIA
Sofia fell asleep somewhere between their small clearing in the forest and the dragons’ nesting grounds. She woke to a soft prod from Chalia before they landed. She didn’t know what she expected after a few days away from them, but nothing and yet everything seemed to have changed. The cave where she and the rebels had been sleeping was empty, and as they passed through the magical barrier that hid the dragons, she saw her people scattered about. Some were talking amongst themselves next to fires, while others were sitting with the dragons, silent, but likely having conversations. It seemed the tentative truce they’d built over the week had turned into something more.
Chalia landed near where Micael was running some rebels and even two of Clarita’s shapeshifters through drills. Aurelia was just up the slope having a conversation with two other dragons Sofia recognized as fellow leaders.
Chalia got her attention as Sofia pulled Micael aside, and between the two of them, explained what she and Fox had learned and the plan. Her stomach was tight as she watched Aurelia react. Ice formed at the corners of her mouth, nostrils flaring wide as Sofia explained Harlow was using the dragons’ own bones to control them.
“Evil. Vile. Disgusting.”The other dragons in the vicinity picked up on her anger and the words, the news spreading of what was being done, a ripple of horror and rage moving through the grounds until Sofia was sure every dragon knew. The air stilled, holding its breath for what would come next.
“We will destroy them all,”she said.
“I won’t stop you,” Sofia muttered. “But we need to get the bones away first.” Aurelia’s nostrils flared, and Sofia knew she was about to argue. “We don’t want your own kind attacking you and you having to attack back. It won’t be fair to fight your loved ones. If we steal the bones away, we can strike without fear of having to hurt our own. Then you can raze the entire camp to the ground.”
She wondered if Fox would hate her for making the call. This wasn’t the time to hold back and try to save lives. They’d have plenty of battles ahead where they’d face that choice.
She explained their plan, looking to Micael when it involved their own people.
“We’re missing a few of our own now,” Micael said.
“I know Maya and Victor are with Quelia now.”
“Not just them,” he said. “Clarita and Jorge left two nights ago. They went to warn the other tribes, as many as they can, of what’s happening with the wolfshifters. The Dereyans working with them is an unprecedented bad sign.”
Sofia sneered. “Apparently he’s promised them all the land north of Suvi for their use if they win this war.”
Micael bared his teeth. “I’ll have to tell the few shapeshifters that stayed behind. I doubt Clarita realized what bargain had been struck between the groups.”
“Sofia!” She turned at the sound of Javi’s voice. He was running down the mountain, boots sliding through the snow until he barreled into her, arms wrapping tight around her shoulders. She hugged him back, happy at the familiar warmth of him, though it made her ache to not hear Flor flying down the mountain after him. They’d been a trio for so long. She’d spent the last two weeks tucking the memory of Flor and leaving her behind in Suvi back into the darkest recesses of her mind.
“Where’s Fox?” Javi asked, looking around.
“You’d think you were actually worried about him,” she said with a smirk.
He rolled his eyes. “You weren’t attacked or anything?”
“No, he stayed behind to keep in contact with Ian and figure out the next steps of our plan.”
Micael looked between them and Aurelia. “I’m going to speak to Eloy and Kento. The shapeshifters should know what’s happening. We should meet at midday to plan.”
Sofia felt her body collapsing in on itself. “Can we make that evening meal? I haven’t slept since yesterday morning.”
Micael agreed, and Javi took her, volunteering to show her their new camp, a small cave system next to the peak that housed Quelia’s Womb.
Each cave was smaller, but there were seven of them all connected amongst themselves. Everyone had already claimed their spots, and Javi took her to his bedding area. He was alone in one of the caves.
