Cimmeris pumped his arms as fast as he could as he struggled to catch up with Zara on their morning run. Ever since Zara went through the arter, her strength and magical abilities had continued to grow. And so Cimmeris, who wasn't a great runner to begin with, found his pride wounded as he begged Zara to stop.

"Someone's out of shape," Zara taunted as she walked circles around Cimmeris.

"Running isn't my strong suit. If we had a fire-breathing contest…" Cimmeris said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I can't breathe fire, so you've got to prove your physical prowess on the ground, C. No excuses."

Cimmeris dropped down under a tree on the pathway, leaned his head back, and folded his knees. Zara sat quietly down beside him, and he enjoyed the silence they shared. Their relationship had only grown closer as time went by and Cimmeris had started to think of her as the sister he never had.

Narchis, Zara's mate and Cimmeris' captain, hated their closeness, but he had grown to accept it with time. When the couple first got together, Cimmeris had felt the need to hang around and step in to protect Zara in case Narchis acted less than friendly. That hadn’t been necessary.

Something about the arter had brought the couple closer. There was the fact that they could read each other's minds, which probably helped, but Cimmeris saw Narchis-the-ice-man melt and, in his place, Narchis-the-considerate-leader had emerged. Cimmeris laughed to himself. Narchis may have been nicer, but his jealousy remained.

"What's so funny?" Zara asked.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about you and Narchis. You two are always glued at the hip. Does he know you're out here with me?"

Zara sighed. "He does, and we've been working on his jealousy. Narchis is so much more mellow and open. I don't know why the jealous side of him hasn't budged."

Cimmeris flipped his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes and posed. "It's ’cause I'm so devastatingly handsome."

Zara shoved him, then ran her hands through his hair, messing it up.

"Hey, stop," Cimmeris said, leaning away from her.

"What? Have someone you want to impress?"

"No. I just don't like you messing with my hair."

Zara smiled indulgently at Cimmeris and smoothed his hair down. "It's gotten so long. Are you going to keep it like this?"

"No. I'm getting tired of taking care of it. Veilios is going to give me a trim later today."

"Aww. I liked your hair."

Cimmeris turned sharply to Zara. "But you've given me so much grief about it!"

Zara shrugged. "I'm just being an annoying sister."

"Little sister," Cimmeris corrected. "I may be young for a dragon, but I'm thirty."

"Well, good for you. It doesn't change the fact that I get to tease you."

"Don't forget that I can do it, too," Cimmeris said with an evil grin, remembering the time that he’d flown out onto Zara's running path, hidden behind a tree, and scared the living daylights out of her.

Zara scowled. "You need to stop reliving that day. That was really mean of you."

"Why? Because you peed your—"

Zara's finger pressed against Cimmeris' lips, silencing him. "Don't say it. I thought we agreed never to bring it up?"

"We did, but when I see you slipping up, I've got to keep you in line."

Zara rolled her eyes, then rested her head on Cimmeris' shoulder. "I'm glad I have you, C."

Cimmeris and Zara had referred to each other as brother and sister in private. They both had barely any family to speak of and had grown up fending for themselves. Cimmeris, with the responsibility of being a soldier at the young age of fourteen, and Zara, taking care of her mother as a teenager.

They rarely spoke of what they meant to each other, so Zara's comment warmed Cimmeris' heart, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm glad I have you, too," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Zara disentangled herself and frowned. "Jeez, that was overly emotional."

Cimmeris laughed and shook his head. Zara may have been hopelessly in love with Narchis, but her fierce exterior remained.

"You need to get in touch with your feelings, Z."

"I am in touch with them. I just don't like overdoing things. When are you going to get a girlfriend? All this thoughtful energy needs to be redirected."

Cimmeris' face drooped. "I don't know that I ever will find someone. I've never felt that strong a connection to anyone."

"Never? Not even when you were a kid?"

Cimmeris' mind floated to a scene from sixteen years prior. He stood at the top of a hill with a girl by his side, giggling as they threw rocks as close to the vineyard beneath them as they could. Emily's big brown eyes sparkled as she beat him once more, and Cimmeris' heart stepped on the gas as he remembered how his fingers tingled with the need to reach out and touch her pretty round face.

His phone vibrated and pulled him out of the daydream.

"Hello."

"I need you back here," Narchis said. "Colonel Soros wants to see us both."

Cimmeris stared at the phone, trying to figure out why Colonel Soros might want to see him. He hadn't done anything off the books in a long while, and he had no family to speak of, so it couldn’t be news of a death.

"We've got to go back," Cimmeris said, standing up.

Zara groaned. "But the weather's perfect."

"Fine. Suit yourself. But if I get moved to another team without getting to say goodbye, you'll have to live with that all your life."

Zara stood up quickly. "Are you in trouble?"

"I don't know," Cimmeris said, shrugging. "Colonel Soros wants to see Narchis and me."

"Let's go back," Zara said, stretching her legs, ready to run again.

"Uh, let's fly."

Zara laughed. "How are you so fit, yet unable to run?"

"I can run, just not for long distances. In case you haven't noticed, this body was built for battle, not marathon running."

"Whatever you say."

Cimmeris stuck his tongue out, then pulled his shirt off. The house was close so he only needed to half shift. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, and brown scales covered his back as large brown wings with golden tips sprouted from his body, glowing in the sun.

"You really should find a mate. You may be like a brother to me, but it’s a shame that such a beautiful body is wasted on me."

Cimmeris laughed, then handed his shirt to Zara. She held it, then jumped up and let Cimmeris carry her. Once he caught her securely, he took off on a short run, then flapped his wings and soared. Like many dragons, flying cleared his mind and gave him a shot of happiness. He drew his head back and looked into Zara's eyes.

"Don't get any ideas, buddy," she said.

"Never. I just wish you could fly."

Zara nodded somberly. "Me, too. But there are lots of other things I can do. I want to focus on that."

Cimmeris nodded, then angled his wings as he slowed down their flight, landing gently on the large lawn in front of the mansion that served as the Shadow Squad's base.

"Wish me luck," he said, putting his shirt on.

Zara crossed her fingers, and Cimmeris ran into the house. Once there, he found Narchis waiting for him with folded arms.

"Why did you carry Zara?"

"Did you want me to leave her all alone so far from the base?"

Narchis huffed then turned around. "Colonel Soros is waiting," he said over his shoulder.

Cimmeris followed silently as he ran his fingers through his hair, doing his best to arrange it. He only saw the boss during team briefings. While he'd never spoken to her one on one, he knew that she was a fair leader. Whatever her reasons for calling him to the office, he hoped that he'd get to keep his job. The Shadow Squad and Zara had become his family.

Cimmeris walked in, and saluted when he saw Narchis do the same. Colonel Soros, whose image was projected on the giant screen, looked to be writing something down. Cimmeris turned to Narchis, who shrugged.

"Why were you so late in reporting here, Cimmeris? Is your daily frolic through the woods so important that you deserted your base?" Colonel Soros said.

Cimmeris parted his lips, unsure of how to respond. As far as he knew, team members were allowed to leave the base for leisurely activity once in a while. Had Colonel Soros been keeping track of their movements? And if she hadn't, who had informed her of the team's daily routines?

Cimmeris turned to Narchis, and narrowed his eyes when he saw the smirk on his face. It was one thing for Narchis to want Cimmeris to stay away from Zara, but trumping up false charges against him was a low blow. Before Cimmeris could respond, both Colonel Soros and Narchis burst out laughing.

A fake smile graced Cimmeris' face, and Narchis slapped his back. "We're kidding. Thank you for indulging me, dip."

Colonel Soros' face flinched, and Narchis cleared his throat as he straightened. Cimmeris had never paid much attention to the way Narchis and Colonel Soros interacted, but it looked like they had history, and a line had just been crossed.

"Cimmeris, I called you in here with Narchis because we have a situation, and I need your team's help."

Cimmeris straightened, all thoughts about getting in trouble and Colonel Soros' relationship with Narchis were fading.

"A Brevian diplomat was captured and taken into Gleonite hands. She's in one of their largest prisons just outside of Tuscany, and we need to retrieve her as soon as possible."

"Do the Gleonites know her identity?" Narchis asked.

"Unfortunately, they do. One of the prison guards identified her from a visit she made to Gleon years ago."

Narchis nodded. "When can we leave?"

"Hopefully soon, but I need a little more intel before we jump in. This isn't a clear-cut case."

Narchis nodded, and Cimmeris tilted his head. "Uh, not to sound rude, but why am I here?"

"The woman gave your name for all ransom contact. She claimed you were her husband, which I assume is a lie."

"I've never had a mate."

Colonel Soros nodded. "I thought as much. Now I need to know why she asked for you. She obviously used your name to draw us into this faster. The diplomat's name is Emily Aalin."

Cimmeris blanched, and he blew out a series of short breaths, trying to regain control of his body, which was going into overdrive. He felt his palms go sweaty as his heart jackknifed in his chest.

Just calm down. There's no use in losing control, Cimmeris thought. His dragon stirred within him, the mention of Emily peaking its interest.

"I take it you know her?" Narchis said, taking a step closer.

Cimmeris nodded, then swallowed thickly, raising his head to look at Colonel Soros. The time to fall apart and dissect all the emotions waging war within him would come later, but standing in a briefing with Colonel Soros was not the place for it.

"She's a family friend. I lived with her and her family for some years."

"Hmm. So definitely someone you know. Do you know why Emily might have come to Earth? I can't find anything through the official channels about why she might be here, which tells me she's here illeg—"

"I'm sure she has a good reason," Cimmeris cut in. Emily was a good person. That was the one thing he had no doubts about in life. All through their childhood, she'd treated him as her equal, encouraging him at every turn. There wasn't a single bad bone in her body.

"Are you vouching for her?"

"I am."

Colonel Soros leaned back in her office chair. "Look, I brought you in here to help me decide what to do. Emily went to Earth unsanctioned and got captured. Officially, Brevia has no responsibility for her. Based on the little I know, she seems like a loyal Brevian. Whatever her reasons, I don't believe they are nefarious. But people change. You know her better than I do," Colonel Soros said, leaning forward once more.

She folded her arms and looked Cimmeris in the eye. "Can you vouch for her intentions? Are you that sure of her loyalty that you're willing to stake your team's safety on it? If anything goes wrong, Brevia will have to disown you."

Cimmeris clenched his fist, hating the weight that Colonel Soros had put on his shoulders. He was a good soldier, and he loved his work, but he had turned down the opportunity for promotion several times before. Not because he was lazy, but because the idea of being directly responsible for more lives made him sick. And here, Colonel Soros was putting him in the exact situation he didn't want.

"I'm sure," he said, his voice strong. "I've known Emily and her family for years. Whatever her reasons for coming, they're noble."

"There you have it, Narchis," Colonel Soros said shifting her gaze to him. "Emily Aalin is to be treated as an asset. I'm keeping this off official channels until we secure her and learn exactly what's going on."

"We'll leave immediately," Narchis said, saluting.

"It's best that you do. She's been in their hands for over a month."

"A month?" Cimmeris spat. "How did you let this happen?"

Narchis cast a warning look in his direction, and Cimmeris remembered himself. He clenched his jaw and took a deep breath.

"I apologize for my outburst."

"Thank you," Colonel Soros said. "I know this is personal for you, so I'm going to explain myself, even though I don't have to."

Cimmeris felt his cheeks redden and he looked down.

"After we rescued Zara, the Gleonites got confirmation that we had a spy among them. Ever since then, information has traveled slowly along their communication chain. They're hoping to catch the spy. I've planted a second spy in, and her clearance is higher than the first. That was the only reason we were able to get the information now."

"Thank you for letting us know," Narchis said when Cimmeris failed to respond. "We'll take our leave."

Cimmeris looked up and saluted before leaving the office.

"I've never seen you lose your cool."

"You're never been around to witness it," Cimmeris snapped.

"And there's my answer. You must really care about Emily."

Cimmeris drew a deep breath and nodded. Narchis placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're gonna get her back, and I'm even going to let you choose our strategy."

Cimmeris' brown eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Really. It's like Colonel Soros said; this is personal. If she's like family to you, then I want you to be comfortable with whatever we do. We'll back you up."

"Thank you. I want us to go in hot. She's already been in there too long, and I don't know what state she's in."

Narchis nodded. "Then that's what we'll do. Round up the guys. We're going to bring Emily home."