Calla was lounging in the sun as a dragon when Mateo returned from his walk in the woods. It felt good to stretch out in her larger form, taking in the heat and the light on her wings. The bracers had trapped her for long enough that she relished the chance to enjoy her freedom. She watched Mateo stroll back to her, unbothered by his nakedness. He rested his warm hand against her nose, ran it up to the ridge of her eye and down the long stretch of her neck. Calla rumbled her appreciation. His touch made her tingle pleasantly.

"We need to track down this client," he said. "If we can get him to retract the bounty on you, we'll be safe from the cognate. They won't pursue you without the job."

While she appreciated a plan that cut off the snake's head, their previous attempt at getting information on the client had ended in a draw. Calla stretched her head up and closed her eyes. She pulled her dragon back inside so she could speak plainly. She leaned against Mateo, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder. "We can go back to Patomas. You have a heritage there. And no one can get to either of us surrounded by the court."

Mateo yanked her back by the shoulders firmly. "If I can steal you away from the castle itself, what do you think the cognate can do in a coordinated attack? I won't risk you like that. Or anyone else."

"But the dragons—"

"Are helpless against our powyr, Calla!" His fingers gripped into her skin. "I don't know anyone there. You are my priority. I can't protect everyone at once."

Calla sighed. "What you pulled off is impressive—but don't think the kinks in our security haven't already been identified and rectified. And this is exactly why you would be useful. I'm sure you could point out improvements we can make." Besides, she needed to get him to Patomas. There weren't that many lost dragons in the world—none, in fact. His heritage had to be important and she wanted to know more. But he was right. With the cognate after them and a contract still on her head, heading home would only invite more trouble. The court was already fighting one war they couldn't win, she couldn't bring another to their doorstep.

She nodded and Mateo's grip immediately eased. He stroked her face with his thumb. Calla held his hand in hers. "What's our next step, then?"

"I couldn't get anything out of my sire, but he keeps records of all the contracts the cognate takes on. We get access to that record we'll know everything we need to know."

His determination lit a fire in her breast and Calla's resolve hardened. "Ok. How do we get in? He won't just open the door for us."

Mateo grinned at her, his cocky smile at odds with the heavy weight of their choice. "He's been training me to sneak around since I was a teenager. And now, thanks to you, my powyr is even greater than his." He leaned in and kissed her gently. His dry lips stuck to hers. Calla sighed and chose to trust in his confidence.

When he pulled back, she nodded again. "Let's get going."

* * *

It wasn't until much later that night, back at a hotel not far from the cognate, that Calla finally had a chance to reconnect with her people. Mateo replaced her cheap phone with another and she called the island to update General Takoda on her situation. She sat through an amusing reprimand that covered the last several days. Calla smiled at Mateo from across the room, realizing her last contact with the general had been when Mateo had caught up to her, crushed her phone, and demanded she go with him. So much had changed since that afternoon. She didn't regret a second of it. So what if their lives were a little more complicated? She'd found her mate. Her mate. And he was stunning.

Calla was briefed on the identity of the contact sent to retrieve her, and with her location pinpointed, she requested a visit at the hotel. She only had to wait a few minutes. The hotel was tall, at least fifteen stories up, and dotted with balconies on every side. Calla stepped out to the rail and looked up. The moon was only a sliver of light. LA provided more glow from below, which meant her visitor was unlikely to be noticed at all.

Calla spotted Lieutenant Roku's silhouette against the stars only moments before he dove from the sky. His shape was small, only human sized, but his wings flared just before he hit the hotel and with elegant grace, he stepped down from the rail to the balcony. In a cascade of powyr, he shed his wings, leaving only the imposing figure of his human self.

Calla offered her hand. "Well met, lieutenant. Your control never fails to impress." Unlike most dragons she knew, Roku could manipulate his form with a high degree of accuracy. He could shift only his claws, or just his tail, or add wings to his human shape, for instance. It made him a powyrful ally and one she'd brought quickly into the court's ranks.

Roku shook her hand solidly. He flashed her a bright smile, one that reminded Calla of a romance they'd almost had a long time ago. Roku was fit, powyrful, and his green eyes promised wicked things. They had wanted to mate and both were disappointed that it wasn't meant to be. Calla knew that whoever drove Roku into mating was bound to be robust. No one less would do for her lieutenant.

He handed her a small day bag. An ID, her bank cards, practical clothes. Everything she needed to be properly independent away from home. In exchange, she filled him in on everything she knew so far about Mateo and the cognate. His vampyr status, the way his dragon heritage had been bound until he went into Heat. Roku lifted an eyebrow at that, but wisely didn't comment. Calla wasn't inclined to cover the personal details in the middle of enemy territory. "I want to know anything you can dig up back home about a missing hatchling his age. There can't be that many. He was taken off the island, it had to be when he was an infant. He has no memory at all of his parents."

They exchanged a long look. And didn't mention the suspicion taking root in Calla's mind. The timing was too perfect… and when she looked into Mateo's bright eyes—they could be the twin of another's. Could be.

"We'll look into it," Roku said. "But you'd be better off coming home. The Pythian wants you to return."

Calla pressed her lips together. "The Pythian doesn't need to fight a second war right now. We've got a handful of vampyrs after us. And frankly, I'm still not sure how Mateo got into the castle. No one knew I was gone until the next day." She shook her head. "No. They're focused on me right now and I'm going to keep it that way. What if they went after our Delphina?"

Roku nodded, understanding. Calla put a hand on his. "I'm sorry to make you the messenger of bad news. Stall if you can. I'll stay in contact." Calla looked at Mateo through the balcony window. He was reclined on the headboard of the bed, watching something on the television. "And when this is over and we come home, I'm sure Mateo will let us turn the tide in this war with the clans. He's a warrior, Roku." She smiled at him. "Imagine having a vampyr dragon on our side. What an asset." She gestured with the small pack he'd given her. "Thanks for this."

"Not a problem, First General." Roku saluted sharply. He climbed up on the balcony rail and with a bit of a flourish, he dove off the side. Calla watched him fall several floors before his wings manifested, then he soared up into the night.