Rio
That explosion was way too close, tearing my hand from Lara’s and throwing me to the ground. I get up, rush back to where the little female struggles to her feet and pull her up, ignoring the way she grips at my hand frantically. We don’t have time to waste; we’re already calling it close as it is. We need to be at the docks in two minutes if we’re to make the portal in time. If we miss it, we’re fucked.
Lara hasn’t realized it's me, the guard who always seems to be where she is, the one she calls Phillip, and not her playful, blond-haired, green-eyed mate. When she does discover it, I’m sure she’ll be livid, and I don’t relish in the violence she’ll likely unleash on me. Anger is usually the emotion people lead with when they discover it was me under the glamor and not the person I was disguised as. It’s not as though many have lived beyond my reveal, though. It’s far too dangerous for them to know of my abilities and live to tell the tale. It’s safer to kill them.
But I can’t kill Lara.
I won’t.
Not to mention she’s not the most stable, not that I blame her. Stelliceda One is a dangerous prison, and the inmates were never going to leave a former agent alone, despite the brutal reputation she swiftly built. When she gets angry, there’s hell to pay, and it doesn’t matter who’s standing in her way. I think she’ll be particularly angry when she realizes it’s me because I’m the one who’s insisted on locking her up in solitary these past three years, so my presence isn’t associated with anything good.
I couldn’t stomach the idea of any of the other guards bringing her to the tunnels where they could have a field day with her. None of the guards watching the trapdoor would’ve helped her if she’d needed it, and I refused to put her at risk even if I hated leaving her in the damned darkness as often as I did. It was only marginally better when I realized she enjoyed it down there. It broke her, the darkness and solitude, but in a way, it made her stronger, more formidable.
But now isn’t the time for this shit. We have a portal to get to.
“Where’s Kelvin?” she pants as we sprint for the shipbuilding slipways that have long since been abandoned.
The two slipways are on the northwest side of the island, and while there are buildings south of the ramps and one to the east, it’s still our best option for escape. Hardly anyone ever comes out this way, and if they do, it’s for some drinks and smokes.
“He’s meeting us at the slipway.”
At least that isn’t a lie. What I don’t tell her though is that her other mate, Max, will be there too, which will no doubt be confusing as fuck. So long as we can push her into the portal, we can deal with the fallout on Drakolia, the planet of dragons. It’s the safest place for us, because even the agents hesitate to encroach upon the beasts’ territory. They’re vicious and highly aggressive, and they possess a certain natural resistance to magic, making most agents powerless against them. Unfortunately, this means it’s just as dangerous for us to be there, but it’s a risk we have no choice but to take.
Anywhere else and we’ll be hunted and captured quickly, and we still have work to do and people to kill.
We round the corner and race down the empty boat ramp completely covered in slippery algae just as I hear shouts from behind us. Kelvin appears out of the darkness first, and I can practically feel Lara’s beaming smile, but I ignore the flare of jealousy that we have no time for. Max is the next to step out of the shadows, and that’s when Lara falters, but I don’t let her stop; I just keep pulling her closer to the water's edge, where we will need to cut the implant out before Kelvin portals us out of here.
“I know you have questions, but we don’t have time. Hold her Rio.” Kelvin quickly, but gently, turns her around before he’s even done speaking. He guides her to her knees, and I’m forced to release her hand. Max brushes her hair away from her nape, and I sink to my own knees to hold her tight against the coming pain we can’t avoid.
They cut into her swiftly, and her cry of pain makes all of us flinch as if we’re feeling the agony of the scalpel ourselves. Max digs into the cut with the forceps and Lara’s fingers dig into my arm, her nails cutting into my skin and drawing blood, but it’s nothing compared to the pain I’m sure she’s dealing with. Thank fuck she’s not fighting us; I wouldn’t relish having to hold her down and making this more difficult than it needs to be.
“Got it,” Max breathes before tossing the implant and the forceps into the water. A cloth is pressed to Lara’s head, and next thing I know, we’re dragged through a portal and spit out into the rugged wilderness the dragon shifters call home.
“Don’t move yet, Lara,” Max says. “I need to stitch this up.”
He doesn’t waste time, and three stitches later, she’s patched up and climbing to her feet, though she wobbles a little before leveling a glare on us all. When she keeps glancing between me and Max, that’s when I realize I’m still wearing his face. With a grimace, I lose the glamor and don my natural appearance in front of her for the first time in three years. Her jaw drops, and I see a flash of recognition as our connection flares to life.
I knew she was my soulmate from the very first moment I saw her, but that connection was muted due to the glamor I was wearing. I have no doubt she sensed something, but I don’t think it would have been strong enough for her to identify what it was. That meant that for the last three years I had to watch her ignore the bond between us, and it hurt. It wasn’t like I could tell her, though—not without risking everything I was working toward. Her freedom was more important than our connection, and I could deal with any pain if it meant she was safely away from Stelliceda One.
And now here we are. After two years of planning, she’s finally free.
“You—” She cuts herself off with a scowl and a shake of her head. “That hurt.” She gingerly touches the wound on her head just as Kelvin passes over a small pouch. She smiles widely and hugs it to her chest before pulling out a small vial and downing it. The tension in her face instantly eases.
The guys did say she never separates from her bag if she can help it. As a Virgo, she’s got a strong connection to earth, and that means her potion-making skills are stellar. I wonder if she still feels that connection to the plants on Drakolia, or if her abilities only work on Earth. I guess we’ll see since we’re not planning to leave this planet for some time, if ever.
The sunlight chooses that moment to shine through the canopy of the massive forest we’re in, lighting Lara up and making her look like a goddess, and I guess in a way, she is. She was celestially blessed upon her birth, same as the three of us, but she’s in an entire league of her own. Her white hair and piercing blue eyes are shining with an otherworldly glow, making her beauty ten times as prominent. Even her tattoo sleeves seem to be glowing. The dragon on her left looks like it’s being bathed in real flames while the goblin on the right is surrounded by purple starlight.
Fuck, she’s perfect, and soon she’ll be mine. I never thought I’d find my bonded, and I certainly never expected to have two brothers because of it, but I’m not complaining. If it means I get to spend the rest of my extended life with Lara, then I’ll take it. Besides, Kelvin and Max aren’t all that bad for Zodiacs.
“Do you have the supplies?” I ask after noticing their empty hands.
Max smirks. “Brought them here earlier and buried them in a tree cavity. It’s on the way to the castle.”
I nod and turn back to find Lara, my little mate, staring at me with barely concealed wonder. There’s fury in her bright baby blues, but I’m choosing to ignore it for now. I’m surprised she hasn’t leapt at my throat for my deception, so I’m not complaining. It may come later, though, so I’ll make sure to be on my guard despite the fact that soulmates can’t physically harm each other intentionally. Doesn’t hurt to be cautious regardless because Lara is the type of person to attempt violence even if it’s futile when she’s angry.
Looking around the massive forest, apprehension starts to worm its way into my gut.
Kelvin managed to secure a meeting with the king of dragons two weeks ago, and for some reason, he wasn't killed on sight. I still don't understand how it happened or why, but we’re a little limited on options, now that the agency is actively hunting us. Dragons aren't known for their hospitality, and that makes me nervous. This could be a huge death trap we’re about to walk into, but it’s a risk we have to take. I’m confident that between the four of us, we can figure out a way to survive this meeting.
At least I fucking hope so.
Fuck, we’re really leaving things up to fate here.