Corrus sat in the passenger seat of the car as Penum drove them home. He kept checking the mirrors for any sign of pursuit but saw none. After a few minutes of that, he stole glances at Jamie through the rearview mirror.

It hurt Corrus to admit that he hadn't noticed that Jamie had left the store until he saw Ethan come running around the corner. The little boy had stood in a panic looking left and right, obviously unsure as to what to do. Corrus approached him and read his mind without a second thought. He told Penum to stay with him and went after Jamie.

Corrus wiped his hand down his face as the residual adrenaline from the last few minutes faded. The sight of Jamie backing up as the dragon approached her had sent his heart racing. Thankfully, his dragon had stepped in and reminded him to keep calm and approach quietly. If he hadn't, Corrus might have rushed in and treated Jamie to a blood bath. One that he might not have lived to talk about.

Whether she knew it or not, Jamie had done a good job, telling Ethan to run. If she hadn't there, was a good chance the dragon would have kidnapped them both. Corrus looked at Jamie once more through the rearview mirror and his throat tightened when he saw unshed tears in her sweet brown eyes.

I should have stayed in the shop, Corrus thought.

You didn't know the guy was going to act, Penum responded mentally.

Wow, you're just going to barge into my thoughts like that? Corrus asked.

Huh. I wish it were that hard. No. You and I have such a strong link, it's more like your thoughts were pushing into my mind. You need to relax.

Corrus sighed. I know I do. I just can't help thinking about what would have happened if we hadn't gotten there in time.

But you did, Penum said.

Yeah, by breaking both their trusts by reading their minds.

Penum scoffed and looked at Corrus sideways. Sometimes you're too thoughtful. I'm sure neither of them would mind if they knew that's how you managed to rescue them. Now, onto more important business. What are we going to do?

What do you mean?

Penum smiled and shook his head. We have a human woman and her half-breed child with us. We're taking them back to base where I'm sure they'll have questions. What are we going to tell them?

Corrus shrugged. I'll come up with something before then.

Nothing you come up with will explain everything. I think you should tell her the truth.

Corrus drew a sharp breath and turned to Penum with his eyebrows raised.

"Is everything okay?" Jamie asked, her voice worried.

Corrus injected as much calm into his voice as he could. "Everything is fine,"

"Yeah. My cousin here's just thinking himself a little crazy. Don't worry. No one can harm you when you're with us. I'm just as good a fighter as my cousin Corrus, aren't I, Ethan?"

The little boy nodded vigorously as he enjoyed some of the fudge that Corrus had bought earlier. "One time he beat ten men with one hand behind his back."

Corrus turned to Penum and raised an eyebrow. His cousin may have been a lot nicer, but his tendency to blow his own trumpet by embellishing stories never ceased.

"Uh, that's right, Ethan. We're both capable of keeping you guys safe. So don't worry." Corrus turned to look at Jamie.

The young woman nodded then clutched her purse, staring outside the window. Corrus faced forward and leaned his head against the headrest. Jamie wasn't completely convinced by his army story. And once she saw a house full of giant men, she'd be even more scared. He hated to break Brevian law by revealing the shifter world to Jamie, but he had no choice.

Glad to see you're finally thinking straight, Penum said mentally.

Me, too. Which is why we're going to Emily's house instead of the base. I want to ease Jamie into all of this and Emily will help her feel more comfortable.

Penum nodded. Great move. Leave the talking to the diplomat.

Corrus smiled, careful not to chuckle. He had hoped that Emily's presence would help Jamie see that she was in no danger around the dragons before she met them all. Emily’s ability to read people and know exactly what to say would come in handy. Corrus imagined that Emily would have been able to convince Jamie to follow them to the base without resorting to mind reading.

The only problem we have now is Narchis, Corrus thought.

Yeah, he's a stickler for the rules. With Zara being gone, it might be worse.

He's just trying to do what's best for us. Either way, I'm going to fight for Jamie and Ethan. They need our help.

That they do, Penum said.

Fifteen minutes later, Corrus and Penum pulled up into Emily's driveway. She had purchased a large four-bedroom house literally down the road from the base. They were the only occupied property for a long way and it suited them just fine.

Emily worked at her house and slept with Cimmeris at the base. The arrangement meant that she did a lot of cooking, with the team’s help in basic tasks. So the Shadow Squad had never been better nourished or more spoiled.

Corrus asked Jamie and Ethan to stay in the car with Penum while he went in and briefed Emily. After a brief conversation, where Emily's main concern was Jamie and Ethan, Corrus invited them into the house. Emily smiled and welcomed everyone into her living room. Ethan stood behind Jamie's legs, unexpectedly shy.

"And who might this handsome man be?" Emily asked, crouching down to greet Ethan.

Jamie chuckled as Ethan blushed. "He's never this shy. I think he thinks you're pretty."

Ethan frowned and blushed even more, burying his face into Jamie's legs.

"Well, I think he's handsome and brave. I'm sure a boy like him wouldn't have a problem meeting someone new."

Ethan's ears perked up at the words and he stepped out beside Jamie. "I'm Ethan."

"Hi, Ethan. I'm Emily and you and your mom are going to spend some time at my house. Do you like playing games? I've got some on my tablet in my office."

Ethan nodded and looked up to his mom for approval. Jamie nodded and Ethan followed Emily into her office, which was right next to the living room. Corrus watched Ethan settle, then turned to Jamie.

"Please, sit down."

Jamie smiled and sat at the edge of her seat, her eyes glued to the open office door.

"Emily's a great person. You and Ethan will be safe with her."

Jamie's head snapped up. "Where are you going?"

The fact that she might feel a little safer with Corrus around warmed his heart. Then he remembered that he'd violated her privacy by reading her mind, and the warm feeling left.

"I'm going to talk to my boss. Our base is literally down the road. I'll be gone for half an hour, tops. Then I'll tell you what the plan is, okay?"

Jamie released a shaky breath. "Okay. You really are in the army, right?"

"That's right. Although, there's more I need to tell you about that. Just stay put and relax. Emily will take care of you until I get back."

Jamie nodded but she didn't lean back into the couch. Corrus wished there was more he could do to get her to relax, but all of it involved touching her and he was sure that would not be welcomed.

"Come on," Penum said, no doubt sensing his indecisiveness.

Corrus followed him out and they made the three-minute walk to the base in silence. Penum kept glancing at him, but Corrus wouldn't respond. The last thing he wanted to do was have a conversation about his over-the-top concern for Jamie after only having met her hours ago.

When they walked into the house, Corrus found the rest of the team assembled in the living room.

"Hey, guys," Cimmeris greeted, always the first to break any tension.

"Hi, Cimmeris."

Narchis had no time for pleasantries. He folded his arms. "Report."

Corrus sat down, after his cousin did. "Uh, I'm not sure how much Penum told you."

Veilios spoke up. "He told us that you found a half-breed child and that there was a dragon sitting outside. You were meant to look into things."

Corrus rubbed the back of his neck. He'd expected Penum to do what he used to do and spill the beans, that way he'd have an easier fight on his hands. But now, Emily had changed Penum far too much and he’d actually kept his mouth shut about his suspicion that the dragon was Gleonite and that he might be after the child.

"Uh, yes. Well, we hung around and a situation arose. The dragon, who I think is Gleonite, tried to kidnap the woman and child. We intervened and brought them back with us. They're at Emily's house as we speak."

Narchis shook his head. "Why would you bring her here when we don't have solid proof?"

"She was in danger." Corrus paused and tried to keep the emotion out of his voice. "A dragon attacked a human and her child, don't tell me we were supposed to stand by and do nothing."

"I have no problem with you helping, but you exposed her to the shifter world. And you compromised our base by bringing her here."

Penum scooted forward in his seat. "With all due respect, she was about to be exposed to the shifter world anyway."

"But it's not our place to do it. Besides, how do we know this dragon is Gleonite?"

Corrus chewed the inside of his cheek. Narchis was asking all the questions he had asked himself and finding holes in his motivation, just as he had. When all was said and done, he felt the need to protect Jamie and he was going to do that with or without his team's help.

"I don't know that the dragon is from Gleon. And I don't know that he wanted the boy specifically. I'll have to talk to Jamie about that to get more information. What we do know is that her son is a half-breed, and that Gleon has been hunting them. I put two and two together and acted in accordance. I want to keep Jamie and her son safe and I'm willing to do that without the team's help."

Cimmeris raised his hands. "Whoa. Let's not jump to conclusions. Narchis is just asking questions. Aren't you, Narchis?"

The captain nodded. "Look, I'm just scared that this might be a set-up of some sort. You have been going into town on the same day for weeks now."

Veilios nodded. "That's possible, but it's unlikely that Gleon would use a male half-breed and a dragon in this operation. Both of them are few and far between in their ranks."

"That's true," Corrus said. "I think that this dragon wants something and he wanted it bad enough to try kidnap Jamie and Ethan. All I want to do is keep them safe until we figure out what it is he wanted."

Narchis unfolded his arms. "Okay. Fair enough. I'll have a conversation with Colonel Soros, then get back to you."

Corrus' eyebrows shot up. "Don't!"

"Excuse me?" Narchis squinted as he waited for Corrus to explain himself.

"She might ask us to drop the case. You are right, the facts aren't clear. Or she might send Jamie and Ethan to a protection program."

Narchis tilted his head. "Isn't their safety the most important thing?"

Corrus huffed. "She may have family. We can't just send her away when we don't know all the facts."

"Isn't that something that Jamie should decide?" Narchis challenged.

Corrus felt his scales begin to cover his back as his frustration grew. All he wanted was to keep Jamie safe and happy. Involving colonel Soros would take those interests out of the decision-making process. As fair and just as Colonel Soros was, her first loyalty was to Brevian interests. And Corrus feared that Brevian interests might dictate that Jamie and Ethan be sent into a protection program for the rest of their lives.

"You both have valid points," Penum said, stepping in. "Why don't we talk this through a little more. Veilios, what are your thoughts?"

Corrus wanted to hug Penum and give him a sloppy kiss right then and there. He'd diffused a tense situation with the finesse of a diplomat.

Thank you, Penum said mentally.

Corrus turned to him and scowled, putting up his mental barriers once more. One time when they were younger, Penum had read his mind and told the girl he had a crush on everything Corrus actually thought and felt about her, embarrassing him like he'd never been embarrassed before.

"I agree with Corrus," Veilios said. "If we take this to Colonel Soros half-baked, the outcome would likely not be favorable to Jamie, and we might get in trouble for interfering where we shouldn't have."

Cimmeris nodded. "That's right. I say we do our own investigating and keep this quiet. Once we know more, we can present our information to Colonel Soros. Perhaps even with the dragon captured."

"Uh, maybe hold off on the capture part. That brings international politics into play," Veilios advised. "Let's gather more information while keeping the woman and child safe. After that, all the involved parties can have a conversation and decide the way forward."

Narchis shrugged. "It's obvious I have a lot more faith in Colonel Soros than any of you do, but then again I've worked with her for years. Fine. Here's the plan. We'll treat Jamie and her son as assets until we find out more. I'm not in the mood to argue, so let's table this until after lunch. I'm starving."

Corrus nodded, then left to go talk to Jamie. Penum ran up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"You really stood up to Narchis back there. You must really care about Jamie."

Corrus stopped, then faced his cousin. He saw no malice or glint in his eyes that would suggest a gag, so he merely shrugged.

"Like I've said all day, she's a young woman with a child. Of course I care. Don't you?"

"I do and, for the record, you have my support no matter how this plays out. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

Corrus cocked his head. "What do you mean? I'm helping a young family. What's there to be careful about?"

Penum threw his head back and laughed. "You're helping a very hot young mother who has a sweet kid. Tell me the sight of her didn't get your heart racing?"

Corrus cleared his throat. "Some of us can be professional."

"I'm going to let that comment slide and help you by taking the first watch. We can draw up a rotation after lunch."

"Thanks." Corrus felt his heart pound as the image of Jamie bent over rushed to the front of his mind for the third time that morning. He clenched his fists.

No crushing on the asset, Corrus told himself.