Chapter 40
Grim
I pace back and forth in the living room. My dragon claws at me. He wants out. Wants to fly. Wants to find the old male and make sure he’s safe. Falkor has been gone for forty whole minutes already, and it feels like a fucking lifetime.
Wren is sitting on the edge of the sofa. She showered and changed after Falkor left. It’s clear to see that she’s just as concerned. She keeps glancing at the window, then at the clock on the wall, then back at the window. Her leg bounces up and down in a nervous rhythm.
I regret letting Falkor go. It was selfish and the wrong thing to do. I knew it the second he walked out that door, but I let him go anyway because I’m a fucking coward.
“He’ll be okay,” Wren says, her voice small but firm. She’s trying to convince herself as much as me. “Falkor may be old, but he’s still very capable. More capable than people think.”
I grunt. She’s right, but it doesn’t help the way I feel.
“He’ll think on his feet,” she continues, standing up and moving toward me. Her hand reaches out, hovering near my arm before pulling back. “He’ll get out of any situation. Chances are good they won’t suspect a thing and that he’ll come back with the information you need.”
I want to believe her. I really fucking do.
But I’ve seen too much. Know too much about how quickly things can go wrong. How one small mistake can cost you everything.
I run my hand through my hair, tugging at the ends. “If anything happens to him—”
“It won’t,” Wren interrupts. “Have faith, Grim.”
Faith. Right. That’s worked out so well for me in the past.
I nod and try to give her what I hope is a smile.
I resume my pacing, my dragon getting more agitated with each passing second.
Wren moves to the window, peering out through the curtains. Her body is tense, every muscle coiled.
Another few agonizing minutes tick by.
I heave a sigh of relief when Falkor pulls up outside.
Wren spins to face me.
“I told you,” she says, and a smile breaks across her face.
I smile back. Relief crashes through me. I brace my hand against the back of the sofa, taking a deep breath.
Thank fuck.
The garage door creaks open, then closes. Footsteps on the concrete. The door to the house opens, and Falkor steps inside.
I’m moving before I can think, crossing the room in three long strides. I pull the old male into a quick, fierce hug before stepping back.
“You’re okay,” I say, my voice gruff with emotion.
“Of course I’m okay.” Falkor pats my arm, his eyes crinkling around the edges. “I told you I would be.”
Wren rushes over, and Falkor opens his arms to embrace her, too.
As they release one another, he looks over at me, and I see disappointment clouding his features.
My gut clenches.
“What happened?” I ask, keeping my voice level even though I want to grab him by the shoulders and shake the information out of him. “Were you able to get in?”
Falkor sighs, moving past us into the living room. He lowers himself into his armchair. Wren and I follow, perching on the sofa across from him.
“I made it through a checkpoint on the way there,” he begins, folding his hands in his lap. “There was a guard checking IDs, but I had my old letter saying I was overdue, so he waved me through without much fuss.”
I nod.
“Then I got to the parking area for the Vaccination Center,” Falkor continues. “There was a guard stationed at the entrance. He had an iPad, checking everyone before they could enter.”
My jaw tightens. “And?”
“He looked me up on the system.” Falkor’s mouth twists. “He told me I’d already been vaccinated. Told me I wasn’t due for another year.”
Shit.
“What did you say?” Wren leans forward, her eyes locked on Falkor.
“I acted like I couldn’t remember going.” Falkor shrugs. “I put on my best confused old man routine. Told him I had this letter saying I was overdue, that I didn’t recall getting my shot.”
“Did he buy it?” I ask.
“He assured me I’d had my vaccination.” Falkor pulls the crumpled letter from his pocket, smoothing it out on his knee. “He told me the letter I had was old, and that everything was in order. That I could go back home. So I wasn’t granted access to the grounds.”
Fuck!
Wren sighs, and when I look at her, I can see the worry etched on her face.
“I’m sorry you wasted your time, Falkor.” She licks her lips. “Looks like you’re still going to have to go in blind.” She looks at me. “I don’t like it.”
“Not so quick,” Falkor says, and there’s a glint in his eye. “While the guard was looking me up on the system, I had a chance to check things out. My eyes are still pretty good for an old guy.”
Hope flares in my chest. “You got intel?”
“You’d better believe it,” Falkor confirms. He leans forward, pointing to the coffee table as if he’s drawing an invisible map.
“The temporary vaccination center is in the parking lot. As suspected, that’s where most of the activity is.
There were at least six guards stationed there, maybe more inside the tent structure they’ve set up. ”
I nod, committing every word to memory.
“The main building,” Falkor continues, “has two guards at the front entrance. Big males. Armed. They weren’t moving around much, just standing watch.”
“What about the sides? The back?” I ask.
“There’s at least one guard doing a circuit around the perimeter. I suspect there may be more. I wasn’t able to observe long enough to get more information on patrols.”
“And the storage facility?” I ask.
“It has its own guard. He was posted right outside the door. Again, I couldn’t see the back of the buildings, but I’m sure there would be guards posted there too.”
“Are there—?” I start to ask, but stop when multiple vehicles pull up outside. There is the screeching of tires and the rumbling of engines.
My dragon roars to life, his presence flooding through me with such force that my vision sharpens.
Falkor’s head snaps toward the window. He moves faster than I’ve seen him move all week, rushing to peek out through the curtains.
The color drains from his face in an instant. He goes ashen.
“No…no…no,” he mumbles.
“What is it?” I’m on my feet, moving toward him.
“Mainland Security,” Falkor whispers, his voice shaking. “They’re outside. They’re surrounding the place as we speak.”
Fuck.
A loudspeaker crackles to life.
“THIS IS MAINLAND SECURITY. THE BUILDING IS SURROUNDED. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP AND SURRENDER.”
Wren gasps, her hand going to her mouth.
“Oh no,” Falkor says, turning to face us. His eyes are wide with guilt and fear. “It’s all my fault. They must have realized I was lying. I must have given myself away somehow.”
“It isn’t your fault,” I tell him, my voice hard. My mind is racing. “I think they may have recognized the car.” I look over at Wren.
Her breath hitches. “From when we were almost caught,” she says, understanding dawning in her eyes. “When we had to make that U-turn.”
I nod. “Officer Douchebag must have recognized you in hindsight, Wren. There aren’t that many old-school light-blue Camrys out there.” The pieces click together in my head. “They followed the car, hoping it would lead to us.”
“I didn’t notice I was being tailed,” Falkor says, his voice thick with regret. “I’m so very sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” I repeat. “You did—”
The loudspeaker crackles again. “THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO COMPLY. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD.”
“What are we going to do?” Wren asks in a shrill voice. “If we give ourselves up, they’ll shoot us.”
“More than likely,” I agree, my jaw clenching. “We need to hurry. I’m going to shift.”
“No,” Falkor says, shaking his head. “You can’t. Your beast will—”
“My beast will listen to Wren.”
Falkor stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “How? It won’t work. It—”
I turn to Wren, taking her hands in mine.
“Listen to me very carefully,” I say, holding her gaze. “I’m going to shift, and you are going to mind-bond with my dragon. It will happen instantly.”
She frowns. “What are you talking about?” Her voice trembles. She tries to pull her hands away, but I hold on tighter. “I don’t understand. I can’t—”
“That’s why your head hurt so badly when I shifted before. My beast was trying to mind-bond with you, but you wouldn’t allow it. You kept him out.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “That can’t be.”
“That’s why you were able to control him,” I press on. “He listened because he wanted to bond with you.”
Understanding dawns in her eyes, followed quickly by something that looks like betrayal. She pulls her hands free.
“And you knew this all along?” Her voice goes quiet.
Guilt twists in my gut. “Wren—”
“I’m not allergic to dragons,” she says, and she actually snorts, sounding angry. “Of course I’m not.” She rolls her eyes. She schools her emotions.
I’ve hurt her, but there’s no time to fix it.
“We’ll talk about it later,” I say. “Right now, you need to listen to me. I’ll shift, and you’ll mind-bond with him. You won’t be able to keep him out this time.”
“Why not?” she demands.
My throat tightens. “Because we’ve had sex.”
Her face goes pale.
“You’ll bond,” I continue, “and you’ll be able to control him. You’ll need to tell him what to do. We need to get Falkor to safety first. Tell him to go to Eldra’s house. Then we need to get to the Vaccination Center, and we need to do it quickly. You will be able to control him. Trust me on that.”
She snorts again. “Trust you. Right.” Her eyes are hard now. Her mouth pressed into a thin white line. “I don’t want to be bonded to your dragon,” Wren says. She’s pissed at me, and I fucking get it.
“We don’t have a choice here,” I tell her, my voice rough with desperation. “Please, Wren.”
“What happens when I break the bond?” Her jaw clenches. “When I go back to the Mainland?”
“Nothing,” I force myself to say. “You’ll be fine.”
Because the truth is, she will be fine. It’s me who won’t survive long-term. I’m not sure I’ll make it through another broken bond, but it isn’t about me right now.
I have to save Wren. I’ll give up anything to make sure she’s okay.
Even if it means being broken to the point of no return. I’ll do it.
The sound of glass breaking cuts through my thoughts. A window, somewhere toward the back of the house.
“Please, Wren. It’s now or never. Once we have the evidence, take us to the meeting spot. You know the one. Put this in your pocket.” I hand her the burner phone. “Keep it safe.”
I’m speaking fast now, words tumbling over each other. My dragon is roaring inside me, demanding release. My skin feels too tight. My bones ache with the need to shift.
“Fine! Yes. Do it!” she growls, looking angry. Her eyes are narrowed.
I step back, giving myself room.
Then I shift.
The transformation tears through me in an instant. My dragon surges to the surface with a roar that shakes the house.