Becca watched Nero storm into the room where the unconscious man lay, her insides churning with fear and determination and — if she was being fully honest with herself — desire. Now that the voices were a whisper and the panic of reality had eased — albeit not entirely — all that power, mental and magical, in his deliciously muscular body that she’d seen half naked, called to something primal within her. An attraction that she knew was a bad idea, but one she had nevertheless. She doubted he was attracted back and, with her making demands, was probably pissed at her. But the demands were necessary. He needed to prove his claim that he was different from the other mon— dragons.

And he had. Sort of. Clearly he hadn’t liked the idea of looking for Werner before getting the information about the hospital, and there was no guarantee he wouldn’t just kill her once she’d told him what he wanted to know — also a good reason to ignore her irrational attraction — but he had agreed to her terms. It was a surprising start. Even Raven — if Becca had heard her thoughts correctly — had been surprised at Nero’s response. Raven, however, had only been partly surprised at him storming off. Him storming away had been expected. Him not summoning a gate to leave faster? That was a surprise… and a worry.

His emotions are usually better controlled than this.

Becca bit the inside of her cheek before responding to Raven’s thoughts. At least this time she recognized it was a thought and not said out loud.

A hint of a shiver threatened to sweep through Becca, but she managed to hold herself together, not the least in part because of Raven’s magical warmth in her head. Raven’s magic had faded when Becca had been in the shower, but returned when she’d walked in on Raven and Nero talking in the kitchen. Which suggested the woman’s— damn it, dragon’s magic only worked in close proximity or line of sight. And while Becca had managed to keep the terror that was curled tight within her soul in check while showering and making demands of Nero, she had no idea how she was going to manage while looking for Werner. Which meant she had to get out there, find Werner, and return as fast as possible, or escape Nero… or something.

“You should probably eat that before it gets cold,” Raven said, pointing her fork at Becca’s plate.

“Or before Nero loses his patience and changes his mind?”

“He’s given his word. Unless you betray him, he won’t change his mind.” Although he isn’t himself right now.

“That works both ways, you know.” Trusting him and not being herself — that had to explain her attraction to him… because it certainly wasn’t his smoking hot physique… no way. A part of her still wanted to run. If she was smart, once she had a coat and boots and was out of wherever this was, she should flee. Except nothing had changed with her previous arguments against running. Nero had found her before, he could find her again, and now — if he kept his word — he was going to help her find Werner and anyone else who’d escaped Stanbury’s hospital, as well as help her free the others. Of course, had Nero agreed to help to save her friends or to kill them?

If Raven’s thoughts had been correct, none of the people the dragon had encountered who’d been imprisoned in the cave had been sane.

Except Werner and Glenn and the few others who’d stuck together from the beginning didn’t seem crazy. Or was it just because Becca was crazy and couldn’t see it in them as well?

Her fork scraped against her plate, and she realized she was done and trying to get the last of the cheesy sauce. She hadn’t even realized she’d been eating. Her body had gone through the actions while her thoughts had whirled… while, if she was being honest with herself, other people’s thoughts whirled within her as well, not just Raven’s. Thankfully, everyone’s thoughts but Raven’s were still a whisper, and she suspected Raven’s thoughts were louder because she was easing magic into Becca’s head and had created a connection between them.

But there was no telling how long the whispers would stay whispers, and while she could have gone for a second helping of dinner, it was best to take care of business first. She could fall apart after she knew everyone was safe.

“Let’s get this tracker out of me.”

“Absolutely. What’s your shoe size?”

“My shoe size? Eight.”

Raven pulled out her phone and sent a text.

A chime sounded down the hall.

“Fine,” Nero growled, and a whoosh of air swept into the kitchen.

“What was that?” Becca asked, except a part of her knew. The knowledge tickled at the back of her mind. She’d felt that wind before and knew from the monsters who’d been in her head that the wind came from the black vortex Nero — and Werner — had used to move around.

Raven pursed her lips, and the heat in Becca’s head swelled.

“Yeah, I know,” Becca said. “I know already. I just don’t want to think about it.”

“That’s fair.” Raven cleared their plates and set them in the sink. “If I’m getting the tracker out, Nero can grab you a pair of boots and a coat.”

“I’m sure he loves doing errands.” From the moment he’d started talking in her head, she’d known he was the monst— man in charge. He had more important things to worry about than chores. Which begged the question— “Why isn’t he sending the devil to go with me? Why is he going himself?”

Because D has been upset lately and is just as likely to kill you as protect you. “If that facility where he found you is being run by a dragon, he can’t afford to have second-hand information. It’s too dangerous.”

“Because?”

Raven met Becca’s gaze. “Because he’s supposed to kill you and all the others like you, regardless of your intention toward our kind.”

Becca could feel the truth in her words… and her fear.

“Dragon law demands all humans with magical abilities be killed.” Raven strode past Becca to the cabinet in the hall and pulled out a sealed medical kit.

“That seems a little extreme.” And highly prejudiced.

“Those who made the law didn’t know at the time how many humans could naturally develop a magical ability.” Or they didn’t care.

Becca shifted, a shiver threatening to sweep through her. She knew this and could have only known it because of the dragons who’d been in her body.

“We were afraid,” Raven said.

“Because we— us humans with magic had tried to kill you.”

“Yes.”

“You were left in this… state.” Spirits trapped in humans. It actually surprised her Raven wasn’t furious about that.

“Yes. When dragons fell, they didn’t realize our souls awakened powerful magic in roughly twenty percent of humans, and initially most dragons had to share a body with an occupied… vessel.”

“And that created more of the people you feared.”

“Yes, and they were dangerous, most falling soul sick and going crazy.”

“So that law was made.”

“Yes, and the Asar Nergal was formed.” Raven set the medical kit on the table and pulled a chair to Becca’s side. “A handful of centuries later, Nero took over leadership, because he realized the law was making him kill innocent children who were naturally developing earth magic, and he started hiding them instead. Dragon society wasn’t ready to accept humans with natural magical abilities. The Great Scourge, that’s what we call what happened, was still too raw.” Even after two thousand years, it’s still raw.

Becca glanced at the room where Nero had been, with the young man in the bed. The other dragons feared him. They didn’t know Nero was the dugga, but they feared that position. Dragon law was absolute. If any one of those dragons had known Nero was protecting mages instead of killing them, he’d be sentenced to death— no, that wasn’t right. He’d be sentenced to rebirth, something akin to death, without a second thought — and she wasn’t going to think too hard about what that rebirth thing was. It wasn’t important to the conversation.

“So he risks everything to save humans, defying his own peoples’ law.”

“And if the dragon who runs that facility learns he’s the dugga, Nero could be challenged for his position—” Or politically forced out of his position. “—and then everything he’s built here would be in danger.” They would kill our kids and rebirth every dragon involved.

“I can see why he wanted to kill me.” When they’d been connected, his thoughts had told her that. She endangered everyone he held dear. And yet his thoughts had changed the moment he’d tried to kill her. She’d become a part of that everyone even though he didn’t know her. It had scared the crap out of him.

And it scared the crap out of her.

She’d been alone since leaving the army. Her grandmother was gone, she had no other family — Lord only knew why she’d moved back into her grandmother’s house in Toronto. All her friends were either dead, deployed, or living closer to Petawawa. To be a part of an everyone again—

The loneliness of those months back made her heart ache, and made her terrified of how much she needed to be part of a unit again. Military or family. It didn’t matter.

But Stanbury had known Becca was psychically connected to the dugga, which made her a target. Which in turn made him and his family a target. Nero had been in her head while she was being questioned. He had to know she’d been pressed for information about him. It was actually a wonder he hadn’t killed her, and even more of one that he’d agreed to her terms and was going to let her leave wherever they were.

Raven peeled back the top of the medical tray, revealing an incision kit complete with surgical blade, gauze, self-adhesive bandages, and sterile wipes. “Let’s get this tracker out. Shift to the side on the chair, so I can get to your back and expose your right shoulder.”

Becca unzipped her hoodie and slid it and the strap of her tank-top off her shoulder, revealing the rose and thorn tattoo licking the bottom of her neck, dipping across her collar bone and curling down her biceps and shoulder blade. The ink swept in and around her scars, the jagged ones from the shrapnel from the explosion and the rounder one from the sniper’s bullet.

“This is lovely,” Raven said. But those scars. She’s seen things.

“I got it for my grandmother. She raised me and died while I was on my second tour in Afghanistan.” Becca wasn’t going to acknowledge Raven’s other thought. Yeah, she’d seen things, but the worst of it hadn’t been in Afghanistan and hadn’t left a physical scar.

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I.” Her grandmother hadn’t wanted her to go back, but Becca hadn’t been able to retire. There were too many people who needed help and friends who were going back who she wanted to protect. She’d thought her whole life had been with the army. So she’d gone and had been unconscious in an army hospital in Germany when her grandmother had taken ill and died.

“I think I see something.” Raven ran cold fingers over Becca’s shoulder, drawing a shiver. “And I certainly feel it. Just under the skin here. Hand me the scalpel and grab a piece of gauze.”

Becca handed her the knife and picked up the gauze.

“Take a breath in.”

She did.

“And out.”

The blade pinched the back of her shoulder, and Raven took the gauze. “Got it. Want to unwrap a bandage?” She pressed the gauze to Raven’s back and set the scalpel and tracker on the table. “It wasn’t deep, so you shouldn’t need stitches.” She took the unwrapped bandage. “Which is good because I’m terrible at stitches.”

“Dragon healing and all that.” The words jumped out before Becca realized what she was saying. It came from one of her captor’s memories. Dragon’s souls had magic that healed them at an accelerated rate. It also stopped their bodies from aging, making them immortal.

Another shiver threatened to rush over her, and she drew in another breath, steadying herself before Raven eased more warmth into her head.

“You got it?” Raven asked. She’s so strong. Maybe she can do this.

“I’m okay. Been through worse.” Becca shrugged her scarred and tattooed shoulder. Although she wasn’t sure whether how her last tour had ended was really worse than what had happened in the cave.

A black vortex formed on the wall beside them and with a whoosh, Nero stepped into the kitchenette. He wore a winter jacket and held a pair of boots and another jacket. His gaze landed on her as if instinctively drawn to her, and a hint of something heated in his eyes. It drew another shiver within Becca, but one of craving, not of fear.

Jeez. What was wrong with her?

The terror threatening to overwhelm her should have frozen her libido, not turned her on. But that fear wasn’t why she was drawn to him. It also had nothing to do with the fact that she’d been pretty much celibate for a year… years, if the memory from the cave was right. No, it was the knowledge that his core value to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves resonated with her. She’d become a soldier because people were being terrorized. He was defying his people’s law because he couldn’t murder innocent children. And — the memory of him in the shower flashed into her mind’s eye — she just had to face it, he was sexy as hell.

To think, less than an hour ago he’d tried to kill her, but that made perfect sense. What didn’t make sense was why he’d let her live. No matter what she’d told Raven, her odds of staying sane were slim. Even with the other woman’s magical help, she could feel her mind trembling, on the verge of splintering.

The only thing she could do was hold it together long enough to contact Werner and free the others. After that… well, she had no idea what would happen after that, but in the very least, she couldn’t allow herself to endanger other people.