Juliana knew that the pain meds were wearing off. She had meant to find Caran last night to get a top up but had forgotten once she and Kelly had got talking together. Time flew after that and now here she was, back in her room with a sore shoulder, sore head, and sore temper.

Mac snored in the next bed. The makeshift curtain he’d set up had been pulled along so that she couldn’t see him, but she could feel his presence. She sat up and tugged the curtain until she could see his face. He was sleeping soundly thank goodness, unlike her. She should have never started drinking. What the hell was she thinking? Oh, she knew exactly why she’d done it. She was avoiding coming back to the room and being in close proximity to him.

As she stared at his face, her heart ached. If only things were different they might have had a chance. With both of their problems becoming an insurmountable barrier between them, it was never going to happen.

Still, she was glad they could be friends. It was better than nothing.

Juliana heard soft footsteps outside the front of the tent. They stopped when they reached the entrance. She got out of bed and went to investigate who was outside.

“Hey,” whispered Caran. “I wasn’t sure if you were awake yet.”

“Mac’s still asleep.”

Caran nodded her head at Juliana’s shoulder. “Giving you any trouble this morning?”

“Not as bad as my hangover.” She winced as Caran narrowed her eyes in disapproval.

Then Caran chuckled. “Fine, just don’t do it again. I bought a top-up if you need it.”

“Of alcohol?” Juliana joked.

“You wish.” Caran leaned down and bought the syringe up. “Here, hold still.”

The needle pricked Juliana’s arm. She watched the cloudy liquid get pushed into her body and Caran clean up with an antiseptic wipe. She then undid the bandage to check on the wound.

“It’s looking good, you probably won’t feel it tomorrow.”

“Thanks for your help.”

Caran smiled. “No problem. Hey, they’re cooking breakfast if you’re hungry.” She cocked her chin toward the campfire area. “Better hurry before the rain starts up again.”

“Okay, thanks.” Juliana pulled on her boots and headed toward the breakfast area. Elle and Lyson were sitting together and cuddling into each other. Elle glanced up briefly as Juliana neared but then averted her gaze again. She was going to have to do something about her soon. They couldn’t continue like this, it wasn’t good for camp morale. And getting closer to Elle would mean she could keep better checks on her.

She walked over to them. Both Elle and Lyson looked up from a tablet screen. She could see that they were monitoring a drone camera. Juliana hadn’t heard a drone and she looked up to see if she could see it, but couldn’t.

“Sleep well?” asked Lyson.

“Yes, thanks.”

“How’s your snake bite?” asked Elle.

“Much better. Is there any movement in the area that we need to know about?”

Lyson shook his head. “Not yet, but given the weather, I didn’t think there would be. Can you let Mac know we need a meeting when he wakes?”

“Of course.” Juliana threw a quick smile at both of them before getting in line for scrambled eggs and toast.

She took two plates, one for herself and one for Mac, and walked back to the tent to see if he had woken.

When she ducked into the doorway, Mac was sitting up, resting his head on his hand, elbow digging into the soft cot mattress. “You didn’t have to fetch my breakfast.”

“I was getting some for myself, it wasn’t out of my way.” She handed him his plate and he sat higher, the sheet slipping down his bare chest. She looked away so she wouldn’t get caught gazing at him.

Juliana sat on her bed and Mac on his as they ate breakfast.

The silence between them was making her jumpy. “Lyson wants to have a meeting later,” she said.

“Anything wrong?”

“No, there’s been no change.”

Mac cocked his head to the side. “So we still don’t know where she is?” He raised a brow. “With the rain last night, it would have been the perfect cover to make her move, but then again, Tessa never did like getting her hair wet.” He scoffed as he took a forkful of the eggs. “Just one of the many things she doesn’t like.”

Juliana dragged her tongue over her bottom lip. “What’s next then? We can’t stay out here forever. Especially not if we’re stuck in weather like this.”

“Oh, we won’t. After I see Lyson and Ash, I’ll let everyone know what we’ll do. I need to talk to them first so they are aware of everything.”

Juliana nodded. “So you have a plan?”

Mac sighed. “Not a battle plan, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not risking anyone else getting hurt.”

Juliana narrowed her eyes. He had something up his sleeve alright, and she could read him well enough to know that she wouldn’t like it. Neither would his brothers, so before she told him that she disapproved of whatever plan he had, she’d let Ash and Lyson hear him out. If they couldn’t persuade him to stop whatever foolish idea he had, then she’d step in. “I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

He placed his empty plate on the end of the bed. “Thank you for supporting me. I know it's tough on everyone.”

“It’s fine.” Juliana swallowed. “I’ll walk out with you and take the plates back.”

Mac waited for Juliana at the threshold, opening the tent flap for her. She ducked through and stepped out onto the ground. Her boots skidded slightly from the ground. The rain had made it damp and muddy. Mac grabbed her arm to steady her.

She was about to turn to thank him when she heard a screech and flapping noise. She whirled just in time to see a large dragon flying between the peaks of two distant mountains. It was fast approaching the camp, heading directly for them.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she pulled away from Mac, the plates clattering to the ground. The dragon came closer, swooping lower and roaring, a stream of flame shooting from its giant maw. But it wasn’t aiming the fire at the camp, instead, it directed the flame high into the sky.

“Idiot,” whispered Mac. She blinked and turned to him. His brows were knotted as he glared at the dragon. “He’s going to give away our location. What was the point in coming here if he’s just going to send a great beacon into the sky above our heads? Of all the—“

“It’s Ash.” She’d seen him before as a dragon but hadn’t expected him to change while they were in camp. Something must have happened for him to think it was okay.

Ash landed in a clearing near the lake and shook his long neck, his head swaying from side to side. Mac was first to start running in his direction, with Juliana following close behind.

There had to be an explanation for this.