“Easy, mate,” Matt said from beside me. “She means you no harm.”
I knew it. But I had no control over my emotions—my beast had clawed that away from me.
The Watcher seemed to understand. At least, she lowered her hands and shot Cody a look.
The Sabre turned to our team. “Job well done, everyone. Now we need to fade back into the woodwork, or Amadeus will know what we’ve been up to.”
Tyrez nodded, his wings sprouting from his back as he glanced at Dani. “We’ll go up,” he suggested. “Nice night for leaning on a cloud.”
“I’ll join you,” Aria said, her face already lengthening.
Tyrez’s gaze slid from me to Cara. “We’ll be close,” he said, as he embraced his beast.
I barely heard him, my focus on soaring. To fly. To be free...
Lucas gestured to me. “The collars will have to be cut, but you’ll need me for that last manacle.” His gaze dropped to the cuff and dangling chain. “If he’ll let me do it.”
With all the chaos roaring through my head, I couldn’t reply.
Cody turned to Maddy and her Dires. “You guys did an incredible job. If you could give us twenty before coming into the building, then get some food and rest. We’ll take it from here.”
The female Dire nodded. She looked exhausted.
Mari swayed from foot to foot. “I’ll go for a stroll around the field before coming in.” She rubbed a big hand over her face. “I could use some chocolate.”
“Save some for me,” Anna said, but her voice broke on the last word. She walked close to the ogress and put a hand on her arm. “Thank you, Mari.”
The broad face offered a tremulous smile. “We’re a team.”
Anna nodded. “Yes. We are.”
Team. I wasn’t part of any team. I was having enough problems with the scaly alter ego I’d been born with. It screamed to be let loose.
The faces still yammered at me, demanding retribution for lives cut so short...
Cara turned away from us, marching swiftly along the path. “Bring him,” she said.
We’d come through the forest gate. It was still dark, and the academy stood quiet before us as we followed the Watcher. Matt and Anna walked on either side of me, and Cody and Lucas came up behind.
Cara had us hold position near the rear entry doors for a moment before we climbed the stairs to the third floor without bumping into anyone. Courtesy, I was sure, of the Watcher’s ability to sense life essences.
The female Sabre awaited us in Cara’s quarters, and she had Anna’s dog with her. Even the animal sensed I was on the edge. She wagged her tail uncertainly, and bypassed me to plant her paws on Anna.
The Sabre embraced her mate, her hands tracing the new slices on his skin. As he climbed into the sweatpants she handed him, I managed a brief burst of appreciation for what they’d all risked.
Worth it to free Matt. Not so sure about me.
Cara pulled a chair away from the table. “Sit,” she ordered me.
I barely heard her through the clamoring voices in my head. “I—can’t,” I stammered. Every fiber of me wanted to explode into Dragon form. My shoulders ached not from being suspended, but from my arms hanging in a normal position. My wings itched to re-emerge, and my entire body trembled.
Sitting just wasn’t a possibility.
“Wow. He’s ready to blow,” the female Sabre assessed.
“It will be okay,” Cara stated, pulling Kitani into the kitchen. “Let’s make some tea.”
I got the feeling it was to clear more room for me than to satisfy anyone’s urge to sip a herbal concoction. Lucas plunked his pack on the table and dug out two compact devices. “Laser cutters,” he said. “They’re the only way to get those collars off. It would be faster for me to pick the manacle, though.” His weird green-rimmed eyes regarded me. “Will you let me do that?”
