He was remaining in the forest to give his mates eyes on what transpired from the outside. The wagon began to move, bumping and rocking until it hit the much smoother road. Even then, potholes continually jostled us into each other.
As it pushed Breana into me, I didn’t mind one bit. My entire body zinged, every sense on full alert. We were heading into deadly danger, and yet—I was nervous about the upcoming mission, but also filled with a fierce kind of anticipation. Almostjoy.
Maybe there were reasons other than just my size that I’d been a Legion Dragon.
We weren’t an easy load to shift. When Grunt… well… grunted, I worried that we might be too much for the little critter. But then the wagon made strange little surges, as though we were being pushed.
Riley whispered, “Dani’s helping.”
I remembered, then, what Cara had told me—Dani was a Mover. She could push things around with her mind, and was now helping Grunt move us along the bumpy road.
For those of us crammed beneath the tarp, time seemed to stand still. Riley was tense as a board beside me, and she whispered, “Havoc says Dragons are in the sky, watching us.”
Getting us into the lake resort without setting off alarms had required careful thought. It seemed we’d been right to be so cautious.
Tyrez had sketched us the layout of this place. Most Dragon residences were carved into the sides of mountains, but this one had been built in a valley between them. It was a three-story structure on a hill overlooking the forest and a pristine, glacial lake.
To take advantage of the spectacular landscape, there were many exterior windows, but all were heavily barred.
I went over Tyrez’s drawings in my mind. The building formed a large square around a spacious open-air central courtyard. For security reasons, all the landing ledges and access halls opened into the courtyard rather than to the outside. And the top-level private quarters had no interior hallway links to the remainder of the building—you accessed them from stairs or elevators that opened into the courtyard itself.
For someone on foot, the resort only had one entrance and exit. It fed into a short promenade framed by the main entrance’s grandiose arches.
A particularly large pothole shoved Breana almost into my lap and shattered my reverie.Whoa!Having Breana pressedagainst me played with my self-control. Her sweet scent swirled around me in the enclosed space and I fought my urge to put my arms around her and pull her close. To keep her safe, no matter what was to come.
My body’s reaction was far less chivalrous and had little to do with mere cuddling. By the time the wagon jolted to a halt, I was in a bit of a state. Or rather, a lot of a state.
But we were here for a reason, and others counted on us to stay focused—my mother, my sisters, my nephew. And my son.
The urgency of their situation spoke to me, but their labels were just that. I had no memory of them. How could I not remember my own son? Did it truly speak to the damage done to my brain—or had there been no connection to begin with?
Had I been the type of person who didn’t care about others?
I didn’t know.
When we stopped, it was a relief to shut down my thoughts, close my eyes, and listen. We must have reached the resort gate…
A deep, young, and definitely unfriendly voice demanded, “Why are you here?”
“We’re delivering some mead and herbs to the kitchen,” Nettie answered.
“Didn’t receive notice you were coming.” Another voice, equally young. Were these really the guards defending the external gate?
“Not my fault someone screwed up,” Nettie said. “We’ve been traveling for hours, so I’m not turning back now. They claimed they need these supplies, with the Matriarch here.”
That was a gamble. Was the Matriarch really here, or had the visions been incorrect?
“The family returned from the ceremony over an hour ago,” the first voice said. “So your contact was certainly on the ball.”
Clever Nettie. Now we had confirmation the Matriarch was here. The diminutive gardener had a future as a spy.
“You won’t have any help to unload, though,” the guard continued. “We’re short staffed. The coronation party has pulled most of our people from here.”
“Well, this stuff is for her,” Nettie said. “And I’ve got a pile to unload, on top of a long trip home, so let me pass.”
“The captain was pretty clear no one was to enter,” the second voice sounded not only young, but unsure.
“Maybe we should inspect the wagon,” the first one suggested.
