Chapter 25
Chills blasted up the backs of Flynn’s arms. “You do? How?”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know if I can explain it. All dragons can navigate between worlds, but like Israel said, the Al-Maddeiri are better at it. It’s like…an extra sense. And when we were standing there in that room…even though we weren’t there physically, I knew where we were.”
“And?” Flynn was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like the next part.
He was right. “They’re in the Dragonlands,” she said. “Kind of. It’s a place on the edge of the old Al-Maddeiri territory, right on the…the cusp between the Dragonlands and the spirit world—and this world, I think. The place where they…overlap, I guess you’d call it. It’s inside all of them, and not in any of them. The castle they’re in was one of the old Al-Maddeiri outposts. Apparently, it wasn’t destroyed in the war. Maybe it was too remote?”
More likely, Ragnor had made sure it survived. There had been treachery within the House—the only way that their defenses could have been breached so spectacularly.
He was pretty sure they’d just found out who was responsible for that.
She turned to face him. “We have to get to them, Flynn. You heard what he said. He’s almost done with them. They can’t have much longer—maybe only hours.”
“I know.” Flynn’s mind was working overtime, and he didn’t like the way things were adding up.
Kira was watching his face. “We can’t get a team together in time, can we?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Ashley’s in the middle of a concert—they left this afternoon. I don’t think Israel will leave without her. Rachelle’s Agency contacts might help if we had more time, but they’re not going to gear up on a few minutes’ notice and head to another world, just on our say-so.”
He pinched his lip, trying to work out tactics. Small team or large? How to infiltrate unknown territory without adequate intel?
“Can you make a portal straight into the castle?” he asked.
Kira shook her head. “Markus told me all draken castles are warded against that. Too easy for thieves and assassins. There are usually permanent gates that are keyed and warded, but nobody can just make a new one. We probably can’t gate within half a mile of the place.”
He’d figured that, but he had to ask. “What about casing it from the spirit world? We could at least get the layout.”
She shook her head again. “More wards. Otherwise, dragons would be spying on each other all the time.”
Flynn huffed. “You think they’re not?”
Kira tilted her head in acknowledgement. “I guess. But not that way.” She paused, drumming her fingers on the mattress. “We’ll just have to sneak in the old-fashioned way, and hope it was built like all the other castles. Markus made me learn the basic layout.”
Flynn restrained himself from asking why the old man had made her learn tactical knowledge about places that had been destroyed. Markus must have had his reasons. And anyway, it turned out she needed the intel after all. So who was Flynn to argue?
He said slowly, “I’m thinking maybe a large team isn’t the way to go.” He turned on his side, facing her. “Think about it. If we have to approach from a distance, the more people we have, the harder it will be to hide them. A small, skilled team could slip in, take out the sorcerer, and break the two of them out. We can carry them out, if we have to—at least, we can if the dragon can shift.”
He hesitated. “If he can’t…”
He didn’t finish the sentence—he didn’t need to. If the dragon couldn’t shift and it couldn’t fly, no size team they could muster would be able to get him out.
Kira was watching him as if she were reading his mind. “You don’t want to get the crew involved in this, do you?” she asked.
Flynn shook his head. “They’re good fighters,” he said, “and I trust them with my life. But Sloan is the only one who has the kind of tactical experience we need. If he wants to come, I’ll bring him. But otherwise, no.”
He met Kira’s eyes. “They have too much to lose. I can’t ask them to face down a sorcerer.”
“They’re not going to like it,” she said.
He blew out a huge sigh. “You think I don’t fucking know that?”
She was right. They didn’t like it.
Flynn called a crew meeting and explained the situation to them—including the fact that he and Kira were planning on going in alone. When he was done, there was dead silence.
Flynn looked at each of the crew, one by one. “You know I’m not much for speeches and all this mushy shit. But I want to say this. You’re a good crew—and you mean a lot to me. Despite the fact that you’re morons.”
That would normally have gotten a few smiles, but tonight it didn’t.
His gaze swept the room, looking at each one of them, and then finally at Tank. “I’ve set things up so that the business and the territory go to you, if anything ever happens to me. Israel can transfer the territory magic. I know you’ll protect the crew with your life, and be a good alpha to them.”
Still no one spoke. Flynn added, “We leave as soon as we can get geared up. So…I guess that’s all.”
No one moved. Finally, Xander spoke up. “That was a really nice speech,” he said. “Kinda made me all fuzzy inside. I think I speak for us all when I say, ‘Fuck that shit.’”
Flynn opened his mouth, scowling, and Tank shook his head. “You don’t really think we’ll let you go off and do this alone, do you?”
Jasmin snarled. “What part of ‘We’ll back you in anything’ did you not understand?”
Flynn said, “This isn’t your fight. You all have mates. Families, some of you. Lissa is pregnant. Do you really think I went through all this trouble to make you into a crew just to get you killed?”
“Crews fight for each other,” Caitlyn said. “We’re family. You’re our family.”
Flynn shook his head. “You all aren’t the fucked-up shifters you used to be. You’ve settled down. You have mates, and cubs coming. You don’t need me.”
“The hell we don’t,” Xander said fiercely. “You’re the only alpha who’s ever been able to handle my shit. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead.”
Tank said, “You fought for me and Lissa. For all the rest of us. You’ve always been there for us.”
They were making it too hard for him. Kira said, “It’s not that we don’t appreciate it. But this is a ninja stealth assault. It needs a small team, and specialized skills.”
Sloan was exchanging glances with Caitlyn, silent communication going on. She gave him a nod. “We’re going,” he said. “I have all the ninja skills you need, plus sniper and explosives training.”
“I’m going too,” Caitlyn added. “I can fly—and I’m Intelligence trained. You don’t know anything about that place—the layout or the defenses. I can help.”
“You could get crisped by evil sorcerer fire, too,” Flynn snapped.
“So could you, hotshot.” Caitlyn narrowed her eyes and hardened her mouth. “This is my determined look. Nobody can stand against the determined look.”
“They can’t.” Sloan shook his head. “She followed me around for six weeks just so she could keep me from falling off a cliff.”
“You fell off cliffs anyway. I fucking had to mate you to make you stop. But I did it.” She turned to Flynn. “And you’re not going without us.”
“Then the rest of us are coming too,” Xander said stubbornly.
“The rest of you are not coming. You especially. You have a kid.”
Xander opened his mouth again, and Flynn resorted to yelling. “I’m the alpha, for fuck’s sake.” Dominance rolled out into the room. “Why won’t any of you ever fucking do what I say?”
Xander narrowed his eyes, opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking thoughtful.
The rest of the crew, still grumbling, helped them prepare. Food, gear, weapons. Kira noticed that Xander pulled Sloan aside for a private conversation at one point, and wondered what that was about.
Kira whistled when saw the stash of weapons and military gear Flynn kept in a secret room under the floorboards in the dining room. Handguns, rifles, machine guns, grenades, explosives, body armor—even a grenade launcher.
“Damn,” she said. “I want that.”
“Who doesn’t?” Xander said.
When they were all geared up, it was time to say goodbye. Kira, surprisingly, got hugs from most of the crew. Flynn got hugs and cat-kisses, and claps on the shoulder.
Xander was the only one who refused. “I’m not kissing you,” he said to Flynn, his face still sulky. Kira saw Flynn hesitate, but finally he gave Xander a short nod. “Because we’re not saying goodbye.” He tossed Flynn a sheathed knife. “It’s my favorite,” he said. “Don’t lose it. I want that back.”
Flynn nodded again, a small smile curling the corner of his mouth.
Xander did hug Caitlyn, and smacked Sloan on the shoulder.
Kira gave Xander a big hug, and he shook himself like a wet cat. “Mushy dragons,” he muttered.
They all trooped out to the front yard, and then Kira made a rift in space. They stepped through, and they were gone.