Cimmeris ran toward the unusual cluster of trees a mile away from the prison, happy that Emily had stopped punching his back. The action didn't hurt him physically; all dragons were trained for pain tolerance in case of capture. It hurt emotionally. The fact that he had upset Emily so much for her to act out of character bothered him.

Once he got behind the tree line, he placed Emily down gently, hoping that they could talk. The way she shoved away from him made his throat tighten. Even though he was just coming to terms with the fact that his childhood friend had come back into his life, he couldn't fight his old instincts to make Emily happy. The one thing Cimmeris had hated as a child, above all else, was seeing the usually happy Emily upset.

He took a cautious step toward Emily, who stood with her back turned to him and her hands on her hips.

"Em, I—" Cimmeris started.

"I need a minute," she said, her voice thick.

Cimmeris sighed and moved away, waiting for the rest of the team to return. Once they all arrived, Emily turned to face them.

"Who’s in charge here?"

Penum pointed at Narchis, who smiled. "Technically, I am, but we all work as a team."

Emily nodded. "Fine. We need to go back inside. My friend's in there, and she's injured."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Narchis said. "Our instructions were to retrieve you. No one else."

"And you're okay with that? Are you telling me that you're okay with leaving helpless women in the hands of a bunch of rapists and perverts?"

Veilios stepped forward when Narchis shut his eyes, his patience wearing thin. As kind as Narchis was, logic won out for him most of the time, and he had no words for Emily, who appealed to more than just reason.

Veilios' voice gentled. "Look, Emily, what we do isn't easy. Brevia simply doesn't have the resources to wage war on every single front."

"I get that, but I'm asking the five of you, who seem very capable to me, to help me go back in there and get my friend. Come on; you've got to want to help her out."

All five dragons looked away, and Cimmeris clenched his fist, hoping that Emily would see sense and let her idea go. If it were just him and her, then he would have been tempted to go back in so that she could have peace of mind. But there were so many shifters in there, and more on the way. Cimmeris would never forgive himself if anything happened to Emily on his watch.

"I'm sorry we can't go back in, Em," Cimmeris said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

Emily walked up to him and lifted her beautiful face to his. Her brown eyes were wide with emotion as she took Cimmeris' hand in hers.

"Please help me get her back. I can't leave her in there. It's killing me."

Cimmeris looked down at their hands, amazed at the electrical shock that had just shot up his arm. Emily's hands were smooth, and they fit perfectly within his. Cimmeris wanted to pull her close and tell her that he'd find a way to save her friend, but he knew that would be an empty promise. Protocols existed for a reason, and risking several people's lives to save one would be a foolish choice.

"If it were just me, and there were fewer guards, I would, but they've got reinforcements coming. We got called here on short notice. We're good fighters, but none of us is operating at full capacity. I just went for a long run this morning."

Emily let go of Cimmeris' hand and folded her arms. "So you're telling me that my friend, who's been raped on a daily basis, by the way, is going to have to stay in the hands of her abusers because you're a little tired?"

The words stung and Cimmeris' nostrils flared as he tried to keep his anger in check. Why couldn't Emily understand that he was doing this for her? That it was all for her. He'd convinced Colonel Soros to step in a lot sooner than she otherwise might have.

Before Cimmeris could let Emily know just how much he'd already stuck his neck out for her, the sound of several vehicles and dozens of heavy footsteps passed near the cluster of trees.

"They're already here," Penum hissed.

"Move out," Narchis commanded. He and the other dragons pulled their shirts off, except for Cimmeris.

"Will you fly with me?" he asked, knowing full well that Emily was not his biggest fan at that moment. Emily sighed and rubbed her eyes with her fingers, an action she used to carry out to hide oncoming tears when they were younger.

"Yeah, I'll fly with you," she said, her voice small. Cimmeris pulled his shirt off, tucked it into his waistband and held his arms in front of him. Emily walked into them, and he lifted her up. Once she was comfortable, he followed the other dragons out of the cluster of trees and ran, lifting his wings and soaring under the hot sun.

"Are you okay?" he asked Emily.

She nodded, tucking her head against his neck. Cimmeris' lips parted as he struggled to draw breath into his lungs. Emily fitted so perfectly against him. He did his best to keep his mind focused on the journey back home, but he couldn't help but appreciate how good her body felt in his hands. The ugly prison uniform she wore had hidden it from his view earlier.

Growing up, Emily had been a scrawny kid. Beautiful, but she'd really blossomed since Cimmeris last saw her. Now that the worst of the danger had passed, Cimmeris allowed his mind to dwell on the vision that he held in his arms.

Long, wavy brown hair glittered in the sun, and Cimmeris imagined running his hands through it after a night of passionate lovemaking. Emily's generous curves had his manhood stirring as he imagined caressing each one languidly, before dipping his head to take each nipple—

"Am I too heavy?"

Cimmeris drew a sharp breath, shocked out of his daydreaming. "What?"

"Am I too heavy?" Emily asked pulling her head back to look into Cimmeris' eyes. The intimacy of the moment had Cimmeris darting his eyes down to her lips. A small patch of sweat rested above the pouty lips, and he wanted to lean forward and lick it off.

Gods, who knew hot, steamy sex with curvy women would be my thing, he thought.

"You're not too heavy. Why do you ask?"

"We're lagging behind," Emily said, tucking her head back against Cimmeris’ cheek, no doubt to protect herself from the scorching sun.

"Oh, well I did say I was a little tired. I'll pick up the pace."

Emily nodded against him. "I just want to get as far away from here as possible."

"I can do that," Cimmeris said, flapping his wings faster. A couple of minutes later, he spotted their entry/exit point at the foot of a large hill. Slowing down, Cimmeris landed as gently as he could. Releasing Emily made his chest tighten, but he had no reason to keep holding her. Emily was a strong woman who didn't need his comfort. If he wanted to touch her, he needed to come up with another excuse.

"Is the portal secure?" Narchis asked Veilios.

"It is."

"Okay, you and Corrus go first. Then Cimmeris and Emily. Penum and I will follow."

Veilios nodded and stepped through. When it was their turn to go, Emily turned to Cimmeris with a little bit of a smile, and his heart somersaulted.

"Do you still hate portals?" Cimmeris asked.

"I do. You'd think I'd be used to them with all the traveling I do, but I just haven't adjusted. I usually have a small drink before going through, but now..."

Cimmeris took Emily's hand and smiled down at her. "It's okay. Come on. The last one through's a loser."

Emily threw her head back and laughed. A sound that Cimmeris didn't even know he’d missed until he heard it. Now he remembered why he always wanted to keep Emily happy. Her laugh was lovely, and her face lit up like nothing else he'd ever seen.

Gorgeous. Just gorgeous, Cimmeris thought.

He took the first step through the portal, tightening his grip on Emily's hand as they went through. The dizziness came and went quicker than usual. Cimmeris assumed that his adrenaline had helped him deal with it. But then again, it could be the fact that Emily had always been his good luck charm.

Cimmeris was ten when his mother died. Up until that point, he'd spent a lot of time with Emily while his mother worked as a cook in the house. Emily's parents had always seen him as their child's playmate and nothing more.

Then, when his mother died, Cimmeris was placed in an awkward position. He'd never known his father, and his mother had never mentioned anything about relatives. In short, he was all alone.

After Emily's father broke the news to him, he ran into one of the wine cellars and hid, unable to stop the tears that streamed down his face. Emily came in and held him, actually crying along with him, before she promised Cimmeris that she would get her parents to let him live with them.

Cimmeris had thought that the words were sweet but hollow, but Emily had fought tooth and nail, threatening to run away if they didn't let him move in with them. Her parents caved, and Cimmeris found his second home.

Emily had calmed the storm in Cimmeris' life twenty years ago, and it looked like she still had the same ability now.

Once out of the portal, Cimmeris released Emily's hand and smiled shyly at her. "That wasn't so bad."

"No, it wasn't. Thank you."

Cimmeris nodded, and they walked side by side to the house. Once at the doorway, he gestured for her to go in first, and she rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you've become a showboater?"

"Only for you," Zara called, running up to hug Emily. "Oh, my god! I'm so excited to have another woman in the house."

Emily chuckled and turned to Cimmeris with a quizzical look. "Uh, hi. Nice to meet you, too."

"This is Zara,” Cimmeris said, leading the women into the living room. "She's Narchis' mate."

"And I've been stuck in a house with five dragons for months with no female presence," Zara whined.

"Aah. I can see why you're excited to see me."

"We're going to have so much fun together. Your hair is so pretty, even after a month in jail. I'm not that into beauty and stuff, but I'd like to know your secret, just in case I decide to have a dress-up day," Zara said, linking arms with Emily.

"I'm afraid it’s genetics. There's not much in the way of beauty products in jail."

"I can imagine. I was only in one of those for a day and was knocked out for most of it. What type of shifter are you?"

"I'm a mage."

Zara gasped. "Does that mean you can teach me how to use my magic?"

A throat cleared loudly behind them, and all three turned to face a jealous Narchis. "Don't you care that I'm back home in one piece?"

Zara rolled her eyes and walked to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Of course I do. I just didn't want to be rude to our guest."

"Mm-hmm."

"Come on, Narchis," Veilios said, walking into the living room. "Emily's like a new toy. Let Zara play."

"Finally, someone who gets it. Thanks, Vay,"

Cimmeris smiled at the scene before him. Zara's face was excited, and the tender look on Emily's face told him that she saw Zara as a potential fun younger sister. The idea of the two most important women in his life being friends warmed Cimmeris' heart.

"So, Zara, what exactly would you like to learn about magic?" Emily asked, and Zara burst into an excited monologue about her newfound abilities and the accidents she'd had recently.

A pat on the back shifted Cimmeris' attention. "You did a good job by getting her out of there when you did," Veilios said.

Cimmeris sighed. "I know, but she was so mad at me."

"It looks like she's over it now. The friendship between her and Zara will bring a lot of good energy to the house, I think."

"I don't think Narchis agrees," Cimmeris said, and both dragons burst out laughing at the sour look on Narchis' face.

"What's going on?" Corrus asked, walking in with Penum at his back.

"Can't you sense it?" Penum said, sniffing the air. "It's female energy. Too bad one of them is off limits."

Cimmeris thrust his shoulders back and clenched his fist. "They're both off limits," he said, his voice level.

"Are you sure about that? ’Cause I thought we had a little chemistry going back there when I pulled my shirt off."

"It's all in your head," Corrus teased, and he and Veilios laughed. Cimmeris didn't. Instead, he focused on controlling his breathing, which had become shallow, as unusual anger rose up within him.

Cimmeris was always the life of the party and the easy-going one, but something about the thought of Penum even laying a finger on Emily had his better nature retreating and his dragon taking over.

Narchis clapped his hands. "All right. Party's over. Colonel Soros will want to debrief. Emily and Cimmeris, please follow me."