“I found the others just a few miles north of here,”she said excitedly, coming to land behind them.
Sofia stood, moving toward the dragon and leaving Fox behind. The air around him turned cold, and he shivered.
“We should head out. There’ll be a fire and food waiting for us, hopefully,” she said, jumping on Chalia before Fox could respond.
He stood, nodding, even as the knot of dread tied itself tightly in his stomach. The resistance was waiting.
And all he had to offer them was failure.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
FOX
Once they were both on, Sofia tucked against his chest, Chalia launched into the trees. Fox expected her to fly up and above the tree line, but as soon as they reached the upper foliage, she shot forward, and he felt a branch snap at his hairline, scraping along his temple.
“King’s balls,” he said, ducking and pressing closer to Sofia.
“Watch your head,” Sofia said. He could hear the smile in her voice.
Fox spoke as they flew, explaining everything that had happened since his last update with Ian. In turn, Sofia explained how she’d discovered where the dragons were and what had happened since she’d found out about the bomb. He couldn’t help but tighten his arm around her waist as she explained getting caught and being brought to Harlow. Dread pooled in his stomach as he remembered the last time Harlow had had her at his mercy. The chief commander hadn’t used the whip against her, not the way his own father had, but there had been something worse in the way Harlow had looked at her, not as a human, but as something to be devoured.
“Are you purposefully trying to suffocate me?” Sofia asked.
Fox realized only then how tightly he was holding her. He missed havingher in his arms.
It was a stupid thought—as if he’d ever truly had her to hold as his own for more than a day or two in the forest. Reluctantly, he loosened his arms from around her waist. She let out a soft breath. Probably in relief.
“We’re almost there,”Chalia said, her voice in his head.
“You ready?” Sofia asked, as if he had any other option.
“Promise you won’t let them spear me through before I have a chance to speak?”
“I can promise they won’t kill you. Is that enough?”
He squeezed her waist, allowing himself another small moment before pulling away and taking a deep breath.
A few minutes later, Chalia landed at the edge of a ragged camp. He recognized a few of the faces that looked up at them, but there were a few strangers as well. And then he saw Clarita, and the blood drained from his face. The leader of the shapeshifters watched them land with sharp eyes, and Fox dropped his gaze.
“Clarita is here,” he said, the words coming out as a rasp.
“Shit,” Sofia said softly. “I forgot she’d be with them.”
She turned in her seat, looking Fox up and down, highlighting his already keen awareness of his king’s men’s leathers. The major badge pinned to his chest was a punctuation to the visual.
“Sofia!” an older man Fox recognized as their leader stepped forward—Micael, he remembered vaguely. A deep scar bisected his face, and he looked so much older than the last time Fox had seen him.
He’ddone that. Perhaps not directly, but he was responsible for every new scar these people bore. The man’s eyes flashed to his, as if he knew what he was thinking.
“Andyou.”
You.Fox was getting used to being referred to as that.
Sofia jumped down first, placing an arm on the man’s shoulder. “Micael, we have updates. A lot of updates. Someone should add wood to the fire.”
“Should we tie him up?” he said, eyeing Fox as he slipped from Chalia’s back.
Fox pressed himself against the scaled dragon, not stepping forward. Would he just let them tie him up?
