Vali’s lip curled. “Pretty deep. No way you’d fight your way to him.”
“I have a visual for Rafael,” I said. “But I need to Jump right to the children. Are there any photos of this library?”
The Dragona shook her head. “Not likely.”
“Havoc might have seen it.” The deep voice came from the balcony entrance, and I met Marcus’s eyes. “He was Brock’s Dragon before the bastard gave him to Isobel.”
“If he’s seen it—” Cara straightened. “How far along is the bond between you?” she asked me.
I was hyperaware of all the eyes in the room fastened on me. And suddenly, I understood what Marcus was getting at.
I closed my eyes, and reached.
He tried to ignore me. Pushed me away.
To hell with that.
Dammit, Havoc. I need your help.
Ask someone who cares.
I gritted my teeth.Have you been in the stronghold near Rannkin? In the Hunnite Mountains, realm known as Briatic?
He didn’t answer until I imagined my mental self as a spear and shoved it into his consciousness.
Nothing in life is free.
Taking a deep breath, I persisted.I need a visual on the library in that stronghold. What will it cost me?
A pause. And then,Fang. And freedom.
First, Fang has to make her own choice. Second, it isn’t me holding you back from freedom, it's Brock and Isobel. And this is the only way to ultimately defeat them.
Silence. This was one stubborn Dragon. Our link pulsed with his rage, and something else I couldn’t quite pin down.
Then, suddenly, he blasted an image at me. Of a large room lined with bookshelves. In his memory, they were filled. But I memorized the room’s structure, not the books. Its dimensions, the location of the shelves, the double glass door, and the way they opened to a garden beyond. Finally, he showed me the garden itself, with its clusters of flowering bushes and plants, along with a metal arbor in the middle.
He pushed it to me for a few seconds, then shut it down.
I want Fang,he snarled through my mind. And then, he was gone.
I opened my eyes and met Marcus’s. They were the color of ink, and then they flashed. Outside, thunder boomed.
Cara went to him, but he backed away.
“I’m fine,” he growled, and then he spun and walked outside.
The Watcher turned back to me, and I nodded. “He gave me the visual. I know where to go.” But this was more than I could handle on my own. If I wanted to rescue Rafael and those kids, I needed serious help. “I’m going after Rafael too.”
She hesitated. “He has been immersed in Isobel’s world for a long time now.”
“I’m not leaving him there,” I insisted.
“I agree,” Cara said. “But I need you to be aware that he might not be what you think he is. I don’t know what he would do if put under pressure. Everyone has a breaking point.” Her gaze darted toward Marcus, and away again. “So I am asking you to be careful.”
“I will. But we need someone who can unlock his chains,” I said.
The Watcher tapped her chin with a small finger, before she smiled. “I have the perfect person.” She rose and went to the kitchen, pulling a piece of paper from a drawer. She scribbled something on it, handed it to Kiko, then gave her a room number.
