Are you going to fess up, or am I going to have to pry it out of you?”

I rolled my eyes as Isla fell into step with me. “What do you want to know?”

“My, aren’t we coy?” She tossed back her hair with a wry smile. “You know exactly what I’m speaking of. Or, rather, who.”

“I’m sure I don’t. I’ve never been much good at mind reading.”

“Stop it.” She gave me a playful shove as we walked side-by-side out of the tunnel and into the sunny, if cool, morning. Goosebumps rose over my skin when the crisp air made contact. A swim would be absolutely heavenly and invigorating. I could hardly wait to get to the loch.

If Isla ever allowed me to go.

“I honestly don’t know what it is you want me to share,” I said, turning to face her with a sigh. “I know you’re speaking of Klaus, but there’s nothing worth speaking about. He’s keeping us safe here. You know what he’s already told Alan and the others.”

A cloud passed over her face, breaking down her playful smile until it was more like a grimace. “Aye. I know. Alan made it his business to ensure we all know.”

“And rightfully so. We’ve all got to be on our toes.” Me, most especially, but Isla didn’t know that.

“Is that why he’s been on you like glue?” she teased.

“Alan?”

“Klaus, you daft thing. You know I meant Klaus.”

“I wouldn’t say he’s been on me like glue. We’ve been spending time together, I’ll grant you, but there’s nothing special happening.” What a lie. I was becoming rather adept at lying, I thought. I’d already avoided anyone but Klaus finding out about my missing dragon. And now this.

Although it didn’t seem like she believed me, but she wouldn’t, suspicious thing that she was. “Mmhmm. And pigs fly.”

I shrugged. “Who knows? There are advancements being made every day. Pigs might, indeed, be able to fly by now.”

“Fine, then. Don’t tell me. Keep it all to yourself. But don’t think my eye isn’t on you.”

Oh, I certainly hoped it wasn’t. Though she was merely teasing the way she’d teased for centuries, the two of us having gone back and forth on an almost daily basis, her words sent a bolt of fear to my heart. The last thing I needed was for her to keep an eye on me.

I looked to the right, then the left. Klaus would be waiting for me at the loch, which was the only reason I was willing to give her a little something with the hope that she might lay off. “All right. But you must keep it to yourself.”

Her eyes lit up. “You know I will.”

I knew no such thing, but it wasn’t worth pursuing. “I enjoy his company. I believe he enjoys mine. But we both know it will come to nothing since he’ll be leaving once it’s certain we’re safe here.”

Saying the words aloud turned my stomach to ice. It was true. He would leave, and I’d be alone again. Funny how I’d never considered myself alone before, how could I have, surrounded at all times by two dozen of my closest friends?

“That’s all?”

“That’s all,” I shrugged, almost gleeful at the sight of her disappointment. I adored her as much as I did any of the others, but she was a bit exhausting at times. Always wanting to make the business of others her own business.

“I suppose I’ll have to look elsewhere for something interesting,” she mused with a sigh.

“I suppose you will. As though there isn’t enough going on around here to keep a body interested.” I chuckled as we parted ways, steering myself in the direction of the boulder which always served as my landmark. Once I rounded it, I’d have clear sight of the loch. And of him.

I hoped having to wait for me hadn’t worried him any. He’d laugh once I told him just what had held me up, I’d already gone into great detail about her, and Leslie, and all the others during the long walks we’d taken together. He was supposed to be patrolling, and he did. It was the lion I spoke to, as he’d assured me he understood as much as a lion as he did in his human form.

He seemed pleased enough just to listen.

My heart skipped a beat when I rounded the tall, rough rock, skimming my fingers over the surface, only to sink when I saw no trace of him down below. I walked halfway down the slope, one hand raised to shield my eyes from the sun almost directly overhead.

Nothing looked even the slightest bit out of place. The water’s surface was flat and still, without so much as a ripple to tell me Klaus had been there. I scanned the bank, looking for a blanket or pair of shoes down there. Something.

I found nothing.

A tiny idea sparked in the back of my mind. What if something happened to him? What if someone had been waiting, knowing how we’d sometimes meet down at the loch for a swim? What if…

Two things stood out to me before the world went black.

One was the sharp, screaming pain at the base of my skull.

The other was a sound I heard just before the pain overtook me.

A deep roar in my mind. Like a dragon’s.