“PRESTON!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. I couldn’t believe that he just took off like that! I didn’t need him to fight this battle for me, and I’m getting tired of explaining that to him too.

So there I sat in Preston’s bed, naked with nothing but a sheet covering me. The rage boiling inside of me threatened to have me scale in his room, but I still couldn’t do what I needed to do. I hadn’t any idea where Mig went and scaling down anywhere else would have me just as naked as I am right now.

I CAN’T BELIEVE HE LEFT ME HERE!

Mig was mine to take care of. I’d started this mess, and I could finish it! He didn’t deserve the quick death by Preston. I needed Mig to know his demise was brought on by me!

So I threw the sheet off of me and scavenged for something, anything to throw on. Being held hostage without the ability to scale was driving me crazy. Had Preston decided to stay with me until I could scale again, it would have been much better. But no, he had to jet out of here! Always in a rush to be the Knight in Shining Armor.

I poked my head into the bathroom not remembering where Preston kept his clothes. After stepping inside and opening a few cabinet doors, it was safe to say he didn’t keep anything other than his robe in there. Heading out of the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of my back in the long mirror. A single tear dropped down my cheek as it looked much worse than it felt.

Memories of Mig’s tail slicing into my back while we were dueling fumbled around my head as I struggled to remember the exact moment he released me. The largest scar was about the size of a doorknob. It was a raised ring, black and charred around the edge with the skin a vibrant shade of black, blue and purple. Gold flecks sparkled over it as I watched a patch of my scales flash over it and then revert to my natural skin tone. Aya certainly knew what she was doing. At this rate, I’d be healed by morning without a single trace that Mig and I had even crossed paths. It also gave me a glimpse of what Preston saw and what he must have thought. I couldn’t blame him for charging out of here the way he did, but still, this wasn’t his battle to fight.

I moved toward the door near the largest window remembering that’s where he pulled the linens from. Perhaps there was something I could throw on in there. Hell, I’d even take a dirty sweatshirt out of the laundry basket if that meant I could get out of here and stop him from whatever he planned to do.

Nothing!

Another door next to that one finally revealed an array of clothes. A few pairs of jeans and a bunch of t-shirts folded across the top shelf. I grabbed one of each and tossed them on before picking up the shredded pieces of my outfit that lay across the floor. I wanted to scale and take off, but the slightest flinch of my wings breaking free sent a surge of pain coursing through my body as I’d never felt before. I understood Aya’s instructions even better. I needed to rest, but my mind wouldn’t let me.

I began pacing around the vast dining room table. I didn’t want to stay in the room, in the bed, where our scents were still mingling together. That magical experience would have been far better had he not ruined it by leaving. The sound of his door opening broke me out of my thoughts and into reality.

“You’ve got some nerve just leaving me here like this, Preston Cane!” I began shouting before the door opened completely.

Lucas and Elaina Cane held their hands up in surrender, with timid grins on their faces. I wondered if my cheeks were as red as they felt.

“I’m sorry guys,” I apologized with a huff of defeat.

“None necessary,” Lucas laughed as he moved toward the table with a long tube of paper in his hand.

Elaina smiled with joy, “So nice to see you again, Lorna. You have Preston’s clothes on this time, I see.”

“Yeah,” I blushed again, “Mine got ripped.”

“Fighting with an Onyx Skull will do that,” Lucas said as he unraveled the tube he carried in. He sat two metal daggers along the edges to hold it open. It was a map of Black Harbor and the surrounding areas. It was almost as big as the table.

“I don’t think she lost the clothes in battle,” Elaina quipped with a devious smirk.

More heat flushed to my cheeks. Just great! The mother of the man I love has only seen me half naked in her son’s robe, and again out of my clothes and wearing his stuff. Holy crap! Did I just? I mean, is Preston?

“What’s the matter, Lorna?” Elaina asked me out of earshot of her husband.

“Your son took off while we were in the middle of-,” I stopped myself from revealing too much and rephrased, “He left while we were in the middle of a conversation. He got upset about something Mig did, and I told him I’d take care of it, but he wouldn’t listen to me. He bolted out of here and told me to wait for him. I wished he didn’t take off like that.”

“When Preston has his mind set on something…” she began but was cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

Preston walked in. His eyes mimicked the same surprised expression I had when I saw his parents walk through the door.

“When Preston has his mind set on something, what?” he asked with an awkward glance between the three of us.

“I was only going to tell her that you do what you want,” Elaina finished.

“What are you two doing down here?” he asked them.

Lucas didn’t bother looking up from the map before pointing down to it, “Needed the table. I think we should section the city off and let each clan run it as they see fit. Like different districts.”

Preston sighed, “No Dad. I have it figured out.”

“No!” I interrupted pulling him to the side, “What you need to figure out is how you’re going to get me a brand-new set of clothes, and how to stop me from choking the life out of you for not listening to me! What happened?!”

“I spoke to Skinner, but I couldn’t find Mig. He must have known there’d be someone looking for him after doing that to you,” he mumbled.

“I’m old, not deaf,” Lucas interjected, “What did Skinner have to say? And what did Mig do to you, Lorna?”

“We got into a slight altercation,” I admitted through clenched teeth, “But I promise you, just like I told Preston, I’m going to deal with Mig on my own. I don’t need any help!”

“I’d listen to her,” Elaina sided with me as she moved next to her husband. She touched something on the map that frustrated him but whispered something in his ear that instantly calmed him.

“Yes,” Lucas chimed in, “Listen to her, Preston. So what did Skinner have to say?”

“He knows about Grady’s plans, or at least he’s heard bits and pieces. This is why I don’t like pets in this building. They hear things that they’re not supposed to. I know it had to be an Anthro relaying information because no other Sapphire speaks to Skinner or any other Onyx Skull for that matter.”

“Which is exactly why I believe my idea of dividing up the city will work for everyone. It will give Grady the piece of land for Sapphires he wants, and it lets the other clans do as they want with whoever they want without interference from the other,” Lucas explained.

I’ve seen Preston stand up to that massive brute Jax, and some other Scalers for me, but what was unfolding in front of me would be a real test of his character. Preston had never failed before, and he didn’t know as he slammed his hands on the table.

The map rattled as he shouted, “Enough Dad! You don’t want this job. You never wanted it, and while I don’t either, I see a better solution that works for everyone. Drawing lines through the city isn’t going to work because we cross lines every day. What about the Anthros? The ones still living here who are scurrying around for their lives aren’t going to care about any boundaries we draw up. I’ve refined the Heads of Clans idea. I know you don’t like Skinner, but I can trust him. At least that’s the deal we made. It’s a good deal, Dad. And Lorna…”

He turned to me with those big blue eyes burning bright, “Skinner’s going to hand Mig over to us, to you, to be a part of this plan. I’m listening to you, Lorna. I could have easily scaled and searched for him, but I need all of this to work out, so you have enough.”

“So, I have enough?” I stared at him, confused, “Enough of what? What are you talking about Preston?”

“If I can make Black Harbor safe for you, Argos will be okay with you living down here and letting me love you. I want to make this a place that’s enough for you to stay; to stay with me. With every clan of Scaler in this city on my side, no one will ever try to hurt you. They will all know exactly who you are and more importantly, who you are to me.”

I finally let out a breath that I’d been holding as he walked toward me.

“Preston, you’re more than enough for me, especially knowing that you’re willing to do all of this for us, for every Scaler in the city. You’re doing more than anyone of us deserves. I guess I have to get better at choosing my battles, huh?” I told him fighting back the tears. I didn’t know why they were trying to fall, but I kept talking, “I have to know and accept that you will always fight for me or by my side. I can’t stop that, and from now on I’ll stop trying to.”

“Good,” he said kissing me delicately on the lips, “But just because I’m always going to be there for you doesn’t mean I always have to fight for you. You should prepare for when Skinner finds Mig for us. He’s not going to go down easy, and Lorna?”

“Yeah, Preston?”

“I will not hesitate to kill him if you don’t put him down first,” he told me.

I knew that to be true, so I had to get ready. Mig was going to die.