Fire surrounded him and he couldn’t see anything through the flames. This was not red and orange and gold—the cleansing, beautiful warm waves that were the heart of a dragon.
These were dark and shadowed flames that flickered green and purple. It burned him and made his skin sizzle. When he tried to shift, he found he could not and struggled. The dark bands wrapped around his wings and tried to burn them off. He screamed and thrashed, desperate to be free.
Somewhere nearby, he heard Livvy’s voice. She didn’t sound like she had come to save him. He wondered if it was possible for a mate to truly hurt their partner. Again, he tried to shift. Only when he hit the floor of the hotel room did he realize it was only a nightmare.
He lay on the floor, panting. He was relieved that he hadn’t actually shifted in his sleep. He would have destroyed the hotel room. They must have some kind of failsafe in their minds to stop them from shifting unconsciously because as far as he knew there had never been an incident.
He sat up slowly, looking toward the bed.
“Livvy? I’m sorry if I woke you…”
The bed was empty. Radoo blinked a few times, not able to believe his eyes. A quick scan around the room told him that not only was she not here, but her clothes were gone as well.
He rushed to the bathroom and she was not there. His heart started to pound into his throat as he dashed the other way, slamming open the door. When he didn’t see her immediately, he ran laps around the carpark, looking for her in the surrounding streets.
She’s gone, you fool! he yelled at himself. He really should have known better than to leave her alone.
He paused in the middle of the carpark and unfurled his wings, shifting in a fluid rush. He powered up into the sky and flew low over the town, seeking out every shadow and corner with his sharp eyes.
Not a trace. He lifted up higher and saw nothing of value—a little bit of traffic leaving the town, some toward the mountain and some toward the city. Unless he went down there and checked every single vehicle, he couldn’t know if she was there or not.
He was desperate enough to do that, but he knew it was a complete breach of people’s rights and one of the key reasons the resistance existed. He really felt he had the right to stop every single one of these people and search their cars.
He roared with frustration and turned in the sky, his shadow flashing across the buildings below. He turned toward the city and powered toward it with long strokes of his wings. Within only a few seconds he saw the skyline come into clarity and it would only take him minutes to cover the distance.
He was aware that he was flying into the worst situation that had unfolded since their arrival on the planet. He knew that both Preor and humans would have demands on him, but he also knew he wouldn’t comply. He cared about the situation, but he cared more for his mate. He understood intimately what had happened to the other Preor and he would fly out of here at the slightest suggestion of Livvy’s location.
He spiraled down to the roof of the tower, shifting, and heading for the main doors. He managed to find a coat hanging on a rack to cover himself and then jogged down the stairs toward the main rooms. As he approached, he could hear the rumble of many voices having a heated discussion.
He stood in the doorway for a second, evaluating the room. Sasha, Whelon, Ellie and Hannah were there with Brukr and Ivoth. Between them all was poor Choler, his big yellow wings drooping as he tried to listen to everyone at once. He looked up as Radoo entered the room.
“Radoo!” he exclaimed. He hurried over and grabbed Radoo’s hand, relief making his features sag. The poor guy couldn’t even smile.
“How’s Amryn?” Radoo asked. Choler nodded, giving him a tight smile.
“He’s here and he’s okay. Whelon’s got him heavily sedated.”
“He’ll live,” Whelon said. “But he will be scarred for life.”
“What happened to you?” Brukr asked angrily. “We needed you and you fucking disappeared!”
“I found my mate,” Radoo said softly. “Now I’ve lost her, and I need help to find her. The Knowing sickness—”
“We all have the utmost respect for your situation,” Whelon said. “She should be fine for a day or so. Sasha and I were apart far longer than that. We need you to finish signing in the understudies up on the ship and to work with officials down here as the new war master.”
“No,” Radoo said, firmly. This will not go well. “We have to find her because… because she’s in the resistance.”
The room went deadly silent. He heard a faint chitter and Ellie’s hair lifted from her neck, evidence of Charlie being affected by the stress in the room.
“Did I hear that right?” Ivoth asked.
“Yes,” Radoo said, owning it. “She set the bombs. She didn’t know they were fully explosive, but she has military skills. If she gets back to the resistance with her knowledge—”
“Sweet Syh,” Ivoth breathed. “She could take us all out, with the Knowing coursing through her!”
Radoo nodded. “I must find her.”
The silence still hung on the room. No one wanted to be the first to ask Radoo how he felt about this. Radoo saw Ellie reach for Ivoth’s hand and Whelon pulled Sasha close. He felt sad but also angry that he could not do the same with his mate. They were taking comfort in each other because the idea of being at odds was unthinkable.
Yet here I am, living in it, Radoo thought. He knew he would have to work through this situation and try to accept the great distances between them, but right now the only thing that mattered was finding her.
“What do you suggest we do?” Brukr asked. “I can’t leave the tower. I’ve got Preor coming down from the ship.”
“What’s happening with Penelope?” Radoo asked.
“Lily’s up there working on her. Dawn figured out a natural killer for the beetles, a plant extract. The infestation is slowly being dealt with and she should be online again soon,” Choler replied. Radoo nodded.
“I have to get back into the sky,” Radoo said. “All of you know I have to go and look for her. It’s truly the only thing I can focus on. Apparently, the worst of the resistance group, the guys who set the bombs, could still be in the city, too.”
Around the room wings rustled as the Preor thought about finding the scum who did this. Brukr clenched his fists and fluttered his wings, frowning.
“It’s okay,” Hannah said gently. “We’ll get them.”
“What do I do?” Choler’s voice was plaintive but only because he had suddenly found Radoo’s duties piled on top of him. Radoo managed a small smile.
“We’ll create a new rank for you. He-who-gets-the-shit-jobs.” He laughed.
“Sounds like a position we should have had a while ago,” Ivoth muttered.
“Choler,” Radoo said seriously. “Just recruit some guys. Plenty here already help organize the classes and Choosings. They will be perfectly capable of taking up managerial duties.”
Choler nodded and went straight over to the phone. When he started calling up Preor warriors, Radoo realized he was so caught up in the jobs that were running away from him that he had literally forgotten the problems the others were now addressing.
“I’ll organize a small group to fly over and sweep the streets,” Brukr said. “We can look for those guys who might still be here. You have a description, Radoo?”
“Yes, I do. From what I’ve learned so far, there could be members of the resistance anywhere. We’ll have to start screening everyone.” Radoo tried to imagine the enormity of this task but couldn’t even begin.
Great, now I’m seeing enemies everywhere.
“Let’s move,” Ivoth said, firmly. “Get some guys together, Radoo, and fly back out there. We need to find these guys and their weapons.”
Radoo nodded and everyone split to attend their separate duties. The anxiety he had been carrying eased but not by much.
He desperately wanted to find his mate, but he didn’t know what would happen once he did. He didn’t think they’d be flying happily into the sunset, and he felt cold and tense with desperation as he tried to imagine the rest of his life like this—fighting the intense physical connection between them because their hearts could not change.