Page 10 of Red Marked

I watch for a minute longer before I go inside by pushing a flat button on the wall.

Dr. Pryce catches sight of me and comes over to where I’m standing near the door.

“Flint.” He keeps his voice low. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” I whisper. “I wanted to check on your patient before we head out again.” I nod toward Quake, who hasn’t looked away from Archer since Pryce left his spot. “How’s he doing?”

“About as well as we can expect.” Dr. Pryce folds his arms, watching Quake over my shoulder. “He’s still quite sedated. The dose is low enough that he can engage, not enough that his dragon gets any ideas about surfacing. We’ll taper it further once he’s settled in a few days, a week perhaps.” He blows out a breath. “It’s a long road. We need to take it slow and be very sure before reintegration.”

I look past Dr. Pryce. Archer has stepped forward, her eyes on him. He just watches her, totally unreadable. She puts an apple down within his reach and steps back.

Quake still doesn’t react at all.

I pull my attention away from the feral male. This part isn’t my job, but it would be great if this actually works.

“Any word from your Council?” I ask. “About the females we saw at that mountain range yesterday?”

“Nothing yet.” Dr. Pryce checks the readout on Quake’s monitor while he talks. “The Council’s convening before lunch to discuss your findings. I’ve been told we should have something by early afternoon.”

“They’re not denying it outright, though?” I hold his gaze.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Flint.” He shakes his head. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

Quake looks our way, and for one second his eyes are on me. Our eyes lock and hold. I see intelligence. Then he catches himself and looks away fast, like he’s been caught at something.

Interesting.

He’s in there somewhere.

“I’m telling you it’s nothing,” Pryce says, drawing my attention back to him. “We would have been told if there was anything other than feral males out there. You must have been mistaken.”

It wasn’t just me, asshole!

“I know what I saw.” I keep my voice even.

“I’ll have answers for you soon. Let’s not argue until we get them.”

I want to talk back, but I press my lips together instead. Pushing harder will get me nowhere. Not right now, at any rate.

I’m still really worried. There were Draig dragons with the others. I’m sure they were two of those missing Draig females.

I know it.

Fuck!

I bite my tongue.

If I don’t hear something later today, I’m going back out there myself. I’ll call Magma, get someone from Draig who actually gives a damn and can help solve this problem.

“Stay away from that side of the island,” Pryce says, and for a second, I could swear the man read my damned mind. “You’re not authorized anywhere near that ravine. Not until we know what⁠—”

There is a loud grunt, and we both snap our heads in that direction.

Quake is looking straight at us. His gaze is steady, nothing like the blank stare from yesterday.

Pryce opens his mouth. I hold up a hand, and he stops.

“You got something to say, Quake?” His hair might be an overgrown mess, his beard too, but I definitely see intelligence shining in his eyes.