GWEN

Now it's just me and the Salorian, with Vaan lurking behind me. We're outside, but the streets have gotten very quiet, and I wonder if people disappear when the Salorian appears—or if they were already scared off by the soldiers. Whatever it is, we're alone.

"Better?" the Salorian asks, and then crosses his arms, waiting.

I…guess? I take my gun off my belt and then toss it down on the table between us. "Happy?"

He gives a brief nod and then turns, glancing behind him. A moment later, the door opens. I stiffen, expecting it to be one of the guards—and that I'm caught in a trap.

Instead, it's a woman. She's about my age, with perfect skin a few shades darker than mine and a sweep of long, dark hair. She wears a pale yellow sundress that sets off her complexion, and her hair's pulled back in a high, twisted ponytail. She gives me a wary smile that seems tinged with apology.

Azar puts his hand out, and the woman puts hers in it and moves to his side.

She smells like him, Vaan tells me, and there is shock in his thoughts. She is his mate.

"Sit, my dear. It is safe now," he tells the woman. She does so, her movements delicate and elegant despite her clear discomfort at being here. I notice that Azar doesn't let go of her hand as he sits her down next to him and then takes a seat himself, flourishing his robes as he does.

I remain silent, because I don't know what to make of this. Some of the pieces drop into place, though. He wanted me to take my gun off not for his safety, but for hers.

A mate makes him vulnerable, I tell Vaan. If we can get her, we can use her against him.

You would do such a thing? My dragon sounds a little shocked. Mates are sacred.

So are brains, and he had no problem taking over yours, I reply. But we'll wait and see how things go. I clasp my hands in my lap and study the two of them. "So what's this about?"

"Business so quickly?" Azar reaches forward and plucks a bit of fruit from the bowl. Plums, ripe with the heat of summer. They look gorgeous and refreshing in the heat, and as I watch, he takes a knife and cuts into one, a fat slice practically bursting with juices as he does. My mouth waters even as he looks up. "Ah, where are my manners? Do you wish for refreshments?"

"No," I say quickly.

"Refusing hospitality? One would almost think you expect me to do you harm." His smile is thin and cold.

"Azar, stop." The woman bites her lip and glances over at the Salorian. "She doesn't have any reason to trust you. I'd think the exact same thing in her position." She takes one of the glasses—crystal, lovely and unbroken—and rubs it down with a cloth, then pours water from the pitcher into it. The pitcher itself is covered with condensation, which means the liquid inside is cold, and my thirst grows almost unbearable at the sight. It's been so long since I had an actual cold drink. This guy is subtle with his torture, but effective. As I fantasize about the drink, the woman takes a sip, her gaze on me. Then she sets the glass down on the table and pushes it toward me. "It's safe, I promise."

I hesitate anyhow.

She nods understanding, her lips curled into a tiny smile before she picks up the glass again and drinks once more. She picks up a wedge of cheese from her plate, but before she can eat it, Azar offers her a slice of fruit. She hesitates, then leans over and takes it from him with her lips.

He's feeding her. This is so not what I expected.

He is tending to his mate, Vaan agrees.

So he's showing off, then? But I don't know if that's the reason. She's here at his side, of course, but the burning looks he keeps shooting her don't seem to be the actions of someone who's just parading around a friend. He truly does look obsessed with her, and she looks…uncomfortable.

“This is Melina,” Azar says after a moment. “I am Azar.”

“We know who you are,” I tell him, then add, “Gwen. Vaan.”

His smile is unsettling. “Oh, I know Vaan.”

Asshole.

“Stop, Azar. They don't trust you," Melina murmurs to him. She seems unhappy with his reactions.

"Of course they don't. You don't trust me, either." His smile is twisted with bitterness as he carves another wedge of plum off of the one he's holding and feeds it to her. "If we are waiting to trust one another, we will be here for months."

"We just want to know what you're up to," I say.

"We? You and your drakoni lover?" He arches an eyebrow. "Or do you speak for more?"

I wonder if I should say anything. I hesitate.

"Oh, come now. I know there are more of you bonding with drakoni males. I have run into a few myself. They're certainly easier to tame that way."

"Is that why you and Melina are together, then? So you can be tamed?"

Melina chugs water from her cup, glancing away. Azar's nostrils flare and both of them look hugely uncomfortable. I realize a moment later that Melina doesn't want to be here. Or rather…if she does, she's not wanting me to know that. Is she ashamed of hooking up with the enemy? Doing it for the common good? Maybe that's it. She's sacrificing herself for the others in Fort Dallas.

Maybe she’s trapped in an entirely different way and is with Azar because someone has to keep him under control. I feel a wave of sympathy for her and give her an understanding smile. "Sorry, that was crappy of me."

"It was a magnificent deflection, however," Azar acknowledges, putting down the fruit and wiping his hands with a napkin. "So, don't tell me how many of you there are, then. I can guess. Enough of you that you needed a committee to send a representative, and few enough that you can't take my fort on your own." He looks over at Melina and she stares out at her surroundings, ignoring him. He turns back to me. "You're not one of the locals, though, are you? I remember your drakoni friend's mind. He's a strong one."

I feel a tremor of apprehension. Is he going to keep lobbing questions at me until I break down and answer? "Just tell me what you're up to and we can finish this meeting."

Do not let him rattle you, my mate. He has not probed again. He will not touch my thoughts while you are here, and I am with you. I feel his big body shift behind me, his head lower so he can watch the Salorian with an angry, intent gaze. Let him say the wrong word and I will tear him limb from limb.

And then what? I ask. What happens to the dragons he's holding hostage?

They will be free.

Free and right over the city. It'll be a bloodbath—and we're inside it. For now we have to wait, love. It's a chess game between us and we just need to think one move ahead. I send him a visual of a chess board so he can understand what I'm referring to.

They might be better off dead than under his control, Vaan says stubbornly.

Yes, well, I don't want to be the one that makes that distinction for them. I won't be.

"What I am up to," Azar echoes in that same flat voice. "Is that what you two are discussing so intently right now?" He arches an eyebrow at me, a very human characteristic that makes my hackles rise.

I force a smile to my lips. "Are we here to snipe at each other, or are we going to discuss why you felt it was so urgent to call a truce?"

"Let's quit dancing around it and just tell them, Azar," Melina says. "They're not comfortable here and I don't blame them. I know you wanted to make this a big thing, but let's skip the food and drink and niceties and get down to brass tacks. Just tell them. Please."

He studies Melina for a long moment, and then his jaw tightens. "Fine." His gaze flicks back to where I sit with Vaan directly behind me. "You ask why I seek a truce? It is because we will survive what is coming if we all work together. An army is stronger than a series of individuals. That is why."

I put up a hand. "First of all, you already have an army here, and that's something we need to talk about. You can't just snag as many dragons—drakoni—as you want."

"Can't I? I am Salorian. They are born to serve me."

"That's not how it works in this world. People can't own other people!"

"Really?" He sneers. "Tell that to all the puling, sniveling humans who are happy to live under my thumb in exchange for safety. Tell my men who hand out food that these people do not belong fully to me. They would rather sleep as slaves than take a risk on their freedom."

"Just because you can do it doesn't make it right!"

Melina looks away, gazing at nothing. Her mouth is a thin line and I can tell this is probably a conversation she's had with Azar many times before, all to no avail.

"How else would you propose I defend myself?" Azar narrows his eyes at me.

"Defend yourself? From what? No one's attacking you! No one's ever attacked you first." I spread my hands wide. "If you've ever been harassed or attacked, it's because it's retaliation. People are just trying to survive. That includes your people, too! The drakoni are lost—"

"The drakoni are not my people," Azar says in a cold, cold voice. He gets to his feet, chair scraping behind him.

"Please," Melina says, jumping up and putting her hands on his arm. "Wait. Please."

To my surprise, he actually waits. The look he gives Melina is full of longing, and my heart squeezes despite myself. This is a man that's miserable, I realize. He's desperately in love with Melina, and I don't think it's returned.

"You said you would try," she tells him in a soft voice. "It can't go on like this. Please." And she rubs her thumb on his arm.

His eyes flicker and then he straightens his robes. "Fine." He puts his hand out and remains utterly still until Melina puts her hand back in his. Then he sits down once more.

Melina sits, too. The look she gives me is pleading. "I know you don't agree with his methods. I don't either. But please listen to what he has to say, all right? It really is important."

Vaan? I automatically reach for my dragon's thoughts, because we're in this together.

We are here. We might as well listen. His breath whuffs on my back. I have to admit I am finding it amusing to see a Salorian brought low by a mate. They do not normally take them.

Then how do they have children? Actually, you know what, I don't even want to know, because now I'm picturing Azar having sex and I don't want to. I shake my head as if to clear it.

"There is a threat," Melina reassures me. She glances between me and Azar repeatedly. "It sounds hard to believe, but years ago, if you would have asked me if the world was going to be destroyed by dragons, I would have laughed at you. So just hear us out, all right?"

I don't miss that “us” in there, and neither does Azar. He gives her another fiercely possessive look and his hand tightens on hers. "I prefer to keep a low profile in this new world of yours," he says, speaking to me once more. "I have read many of your books and studied many of your films. In all of this, I have learned that mankind does not appreciate intelligence or power." He gives me a sardonic look of amusement. "They value pretty things instead. So if I am to survive, it is far wiser for me to live quietly. The drakoni I have captured are a necessity."

Necessity my ass. "Because…?"

He glances at Melina, then continues. "Salorians are very sensitive to other minds. We can control and touch other consciousnesses from a very long distance. I believe you know this to be true, seeing as how your friend and I"—he nods at Vaan—"first met when you were some ways away from here. I have touched his mind, and I have touched…others."

"Others?" I prompt. "Other drakoni? Other Salorians?"

"Others…through the gate." His face looks grave, without the mocking arrogance, and that sends a chill through my spine. He gestures at the sky—blue and intense with the heat of the cloudless day. "When your foolish people ripped a hole in the sky, they tore us from our world into yours. Well, it seems that whatever door is there is still open, and we are not the only ones aware of it."

I blink at him, trying to take this in. "So what, more people from other worlds are coming through?"

"Ah, humans. You think whatever comes through will be human? Will think like you do? So very arrogant." He shakes his head and falls silent.

Melina leans forward, her gaze intent on me. "Azar has dreams. He wakes up from them speaking strange, gibberish tongues and they will not let him rest. Whatever it is that's trying to come through, it's not human. Not at all."

"So…aliens."

She makes an exasperated sound. "You think I brought you here because he's afraid of little green men?"

So she brought us here? Interesting. Vaan’s curiosity pings.

I caught that, too, I tell Vaan. "I still haven't exactly figured out why you have brought us here."

"Because something big is coming through that gate. It's a massive, open wound to other dimensions, and sooner or later, something's going to get curious enough to come through. If it's what is plaguing Azar at night, we're all in trouble." Melina's expression is intense. "This is no longer a you and me problem or a Fort Dallas problem. This is an everyone problem."

Azar touches his pale, pale brow, and I notice for the first time that there are shadows under his colorless eyes. "I can extend my powers a fair distance. More, if there are friendly minds to latch onto, or minds I have touched in the past. Somewhere back in our world, your friend was once invaded by Salorians, which is why he's so very easy to tap into."

Foul mind-eater. Vaan growls a low warning, but when I reach up, he drops his enormous muzzle against my hand.

"The greater the distance, the more of a strain it is for me to keep them tied to me. It's why you were able to free your drakoni from my grip so easily."

I smile, because we both know that he tried to snag Vaan just a short time ago and failed. "Get to the point."

"The mind that has touched mine from the other side is…like nothing I have felt before." He rubs his brow, as if it aches even now to think about it. "It is beyond strong and powerful, and it does not think like humans or drakoni or even Salorians. And even from this great a distance, it is staggeringly strong. If it gets here, it could destroy what is left of this world. The drakoni are already fragile in mind. If whatever has been reaching out to me crashes through that gate into this world, it could turn them into gibbering, mindless corpses."

I feel a sick clench in my gut. "But the drakoni who've been turned back—"

"The ones with mates, you ask? So selfless, willing to sacrifice the rest of the world as long as she gets her man." Azar's mouth twists in a smirk as he picks up Melina's glass of water and drinks from it.

I glare at him, because that comment hit far closer to the mark than I wanted it to. "It was just a question."

Melina looks grave. "I know it sounds crazy, but I've felt these things in my head, too, through him. They're like…demons or something. Or just one big demon. I don't know. All I know is that if it comes through, I think we're all fucked. I don't think anyone's going to last for long. We need to be ready to attack it, or we need to figure out how to close the gate."

"Close the gate?" I shake my head, incredulous. "We don't even know how they freaking opened it. No one does, or they wouldn't have done it. How the hell are we supposed to close it?"

"That's the problem," she says, and her worried expression matches mine. "And that's why we need to be ready if something comes through. Because until we figure out how we—or if we even can—close it, we're all vulnerable."

My mouth goes completely dry.

I will protect you, love. Nothing will harm you as long as I am breathing.

Yeah, but that's part of the thing I'm worried about, I tell him. If what they're saying is true…

Salorians lie to please themselves.

I know. I believe you. But this one's scared, too. And he took a mate, which you say they never do. And what if he's not wrong? What if we're going to be sitting ducks out here for whatever monster's lurking on the other side? "When?" I ask, because I feel like I have to say something.

Melina looks over at Azar again. "We don't know for sure. It could be tomorrow. It could be ten years from now. We don't know for sure, but Azar feels it might be soon…and we should work together…just in case."

I shake my head. I'm still not entirely sure what my role is here, or Vaan's. "What do you need from us?"

Melina speaks. "Truce—Salorians and dragon-riders both. I know there's got to be several of you by now. We hear the rumors. We see the riders pass over from time to time." She touches Azar's arm, as if prompting him.

"Truce," he agrees sourly. "We will both work together to defeat this menace and then retreat to our respective lairs and live out the rest of our days in human squalor." He gives me another thin-lipped smile. "Or go back through the portal to our own worlds, if we can. I still like that idea best."

"You're not sending a dragon to the fucking Rift, Azar." Melina pushes his hand away and her expression becomes brittle. Remote. "We've talked about this."

He just sighs and shakes his head slightly. "Imagine having a toolbox and not being able to use all your tools to their fullest capacity."

Melina gets up and leaves, storming away in a flutter of yellow sundress.

Azar remains behind, his expression distant and cold. "My mate feels we should all work together to take on this threat. Sometimes we do not see eye to eye." He takes another drink, frowning. "But we still want the truce. I do not want to waste resources fighting your little friends when I could be preparing for whatever is going to be coming through."

"Because you're already stretched too thin," I guess, and his silence tells me everything I need to know. "You're having trouble keeping hold of all the playing pieces you have right now, so you're being forced to seek outside assistance to cover your ass."

Azar remains silent, glaring daggers in my direction. After a long moment, he says, "One does what one must to survive. I am sure you understand such things."

Oh, I do. I learned the hard way that it doesn't make it right, though.

"Are you interested in a truce or not?"

Are we?

I will follow your lead, my mate. You know your people better than I do. I have no wish to save any of them, but I know you feel differently.

I keep my expression carefully blank, though it's not easy. I just…what if he's right? What if something world-ending is about to come through that portal? It could be the truth.

Or it could all be a lie.

I know. I pretend to consider things and tilt my head back. In the distance, I catch the gleam of scales of one of Azar's captive dragons. But if we can do something to help these guys, and help Melina get free of him…I want to do that. No one should be forced to serve this asshole. I can't leave her here with him.

Because she reminds you of your sister.

Melina's older, of course, but I see the same helplessness in her expression that I saw in Dee's when she had to leave with the Brothers of Ash. It's the slow death of hope, and it tears at me. Yeah, that's part of it. The dragons are equally important, though, because that could be you up there.

Never. Not with my mate at my side. Your thoughts anchor me. But I will support you in this. We will do our best to save them and bring them back to the others with us.

Thank you, Vaan. I love you so much. I focus on Azar after sending another wave of gratitude and love toward my dragon. "You want us to work with you? You have to make a few concessions."

Azar drums his fingers on the table. "Go on."

"You want our help, right? I assume that means no attacks on Fort Dallas, and we agree to let each other live in peace."

"Correct. Since your friends do not wish for me to contact their dragons in any way, I would assume that one of you would live here in Fort Dallas and act as a go-between for as long as this threat plagues us both."

What he says makes sense, unfortunately. "And you won't try to take over whoever stays behind?'

"I would not." He watches me and adds, "Before you think to ask, I will not release the dragons I have ahold of now, either."

I suspected that much. Of course, it doesn't mean that we can't work on getting them free anyhow, as safely as possible. If we just so happen to find their mates and free them…well, there's not much Azar can do. And if someone's here in the city, they can work on that directly instead of from afar. "No new dragons, then."

"Agreed," he says swiftly.

You are right. He cannot control much more, Vaan says, his thoughts full of wonder. That is why he agrees so quickly. If he takes on too many he risks losing control of all of them.

Interesting. I'm going to press the advantage, then. "If we send someone to stay, you have to let Melina go."

Azar's expression grows thunderous, and I can practically feel his rage bleeding into the air. "Never."

"You can't keep a woman captive and expect us to work with you. I can't do anything about the dragons, but I can do something about the woman." At least for starters.

His eyes narrow and his shoulders are so tense that he looks as if he could snap. He gets to his feet slowly, hands pressing on the table top. "She belongs to me. This is not up for discussion."

"No deal."

Furious, Azar grabs the table and flips it over, sending the crystal glasses to the ground. They shatter in a million pieces and fruit rolls all over the place. Such a waste. "She. Is. Mine!" He bares his teeth and for a moment, I see the dragon in him, the side he claims he doesn't have. Bullshit.

He will not let her go, any more than I would let you go.

But if she's miserable, I can't leave her here! I can't! I think of Dee and my stomach clenches sickeningly. If I can help her, I have to.

Overhead, the dragons bugle with rage, and I hear distant screams. Is he losing his control?

Before I can say anything else, the door opens and Melina comes out, her expression worried. She flicks her gaze over us, then moves to Azar's side and I see sadness and concern there as she reaches out to touch his arm. "Azar," she murmurs. "Calm yourself. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

He puts a hand out, and when she slips her fingers into his, he grips them tightly, his head down, body strained.

The dragons quiet, and Melina looks over at us again. "I heard your question. I know it may not look like it, but I'm here of my own free will." Her hand lightly caresses Azar's. "And I won't leave his side."

"Even though he's evil?" I can't help but ask.

Melina's smile is small and sad even as she continues to touch Azar's fingers, tracing them over and over again with her own. "Your dragon was one of those that destroyed this world. Is he without redemption?"

"That was different. He was mindless with rage and madness. He's not like that anymore. You’re shacking up with a Salorian."

Melina only smiles again. I can't tell if she's being a martyr or if she genuinely cares for him. Or if she's being mind-controlled as well. Either way, I hate that she's choosing to stay.

We can help her if we are here, Vaan tells me. We can help all of them.

It sounds like you want us to be the go-between. I'm surprised that he's so readily volunteering us, but then again, I've been thinking the same thing. In my mind, it's always been us.

I feel the same. The others will not risk their mates.

I don't want to risk mine! I retort.

Vaan rumbles, and I can feel the amusement roll through him. You are not risking me. Has he not tried to infect me three times now and three times you have pushed him aside? We are perhaps the only ones safe from his attempts. Who better than us to determine if what he says is truth? If it is, then we are needed. If it is not…we are still needed, but to help the others break free from his control.

And what about you and me? Can you live here in this fort? Or will it tear you apart?

I have been here today and it is not so bad. It smells, but I focus on you. We will demand a nest as far away from the others as we can, and when it grows to be too much, we will journey out for a time. Visit the others in their nests nearby. I can manage it. What of you, though? You will be leaving your human hive behind, and your family.

I will. I think achingly of how Dee's going to take it. She won't be happy…but Amy will be there for her, and Andrea, and even Mara. We're needed more here, I think.

I think so, too. It is settled, then.

I nod and turn to face Azar and Melina. "Let's talk."