The red Dragon snorted steam, but his eyes now had a desperate glimmer. “I repeat—I don’t need any fucking team to do this.”
The Watcher’s eyes flared, and the ends of her hair lifted ever so slightly. “I say you do.”
For a moment, their eyes locked. Then, to my surprise, Havoc looked away, rubbing at his neck.
Cara nodded, as though he’d spoken. “Okay. Come separately to the gate in the forest. Just follow the path past the fence, I’ll leave the access unlocked.” She checked her watch. “But be quick. And travel light.”
The Watcher spun, and disappeared out the door.
* * *
Travel light. Right. What the frek did that mean?
I shoved a change of clothes into a pack and emerged to an empty suite—the others had already gone. My gut twisted—would Havoc meet us at the gate? Or would he take this opportunity to leave?
If he took off, I’d go to Sarti myself. Turn over every stone until I found her.
Have you ever been to Sarti?Iskar asked.
No. Emmanuel refuses to serve the market there. How about you?
Once. Swore I would never return.
The Gryphon fell silent, and as I pelted down the stairs, I didn’t press for details. The building was filled with students filing out to their special abilities classes—some were going out front, others out the back. A few took notice as I strode through them, but most ignored me.
I didn’t see any sign of Havoc, but I spotted Vali just ahead of me. The Dragona slipped through the fence and disappeared down the path, carrying a small pack.
I felt conspicuous walking to the back of the field while many students milled around the doors. When I glanced back over my shoulder, a large figure was watching me.
Tyrez.
But the big Dragon just stood there with his arms crossed. He might be an instructor, but he was also Cara’s friend.
The Elder’s decision will not be popular among the instructors here,Iskar said. If Cara hadn’t intervened, they would have protested. The entire academy would have been in chaos.
Removing Cara was a stupid move,I growled.
The Liberi Elders are now driven by questionable motives,the Gryphon admitted.They are more concerned with saving face than saving the realms.
The wrought iron gate in the back fenceline was unlocked, and I slipped through, breathing easier once the forest closed around me. I moved up to a jog, worried about Havoc—
When I rounded a bend in the path, there he was. His expression could have peeled paint off a wall, but then he always looked like that.
He wasn’t alone, although he stood apart from Cara and Vali as though he’d really like to be. Next to the Watcher stood a guy who rivaled the red Dragon shifter for size, only he had the long white hair of a Bellati. The way Havoc and Vali kept staring while trying to not stare told me they were in awe.
I couldn’t say why he made me wary, except there was only one person this could be—Nikolai. The Perditor. I’d seen him when the teams had prepped to go after the children, but not up close.
A red-scaled Dragona stood very close to Nikolai—was she his mate? Lucas was, too, I’d thought…
They form a mated triad,Iskar affirmed. With strange emphasis on the triad.
The Dragona ran her hands over a big skull in Nikolai’s hands. One look, and the demon inside me stirred to life.
“What is that?” My voice sounded strangled even to myself.
Cara turned to me. “Something found outside Isobel’s abandoned stronghold. Bess has been trying to identify it, without luck. I have older refs where we are going, so I thought I’d give them a try.”
Vali’s eyes lit up. “I love researching. I might be able to help with that.”
