Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

Zane

I follow behind my Samantha trying not to look as confused as I feel. Everything about this world is new and different. It feels strange having fallen asleep in one time, only to wake in another. Even when we were flying, I could see how much the landscape changed. I could see how small cities grew to impossibly large ones in the blink of an eye. It was unsettling. But, I remind myself, it always feels strange in the beginning. Then, I adapt.

We walk on a hard, pale surface that stretched through grass. Grass that is even, short, and almost impossibly green. There are more white circular buildings around us, and I wonder if all of them go below the ground. It is an unusual choice, to live in a dungeon-like way.

Eventually, we reach another odd area. The earth is black here and smooth, with white lines painted at random. On top of the black earth are metal creations that do not look like they belong here. Hell, they do not look like they belong anywhere.

One of the metal creations comes speeding toward us. I grab my Samantha and pull her back, heart racing, wondering if we are in danger. I had seen some of these creations from the sky, but they had seemed smaller and less fearsome then.

She looks back at me and smiles. “It’s only a car. You don’t have to worry. It’s like a metallic horse that can take us from one place to another very quickly.”

“A metallic horse?” It does not look like one. It looks like something evil.

The… car stops in front of us and opens on one side. A man in black clothing gets out, wearing something over his eyes that makes it impossible to see his eyes.

“Ms. Callaway, your car is ready,” the man says, and I can’t see his eyes, but I feel like he’s staring at my Samantha a little too hard.

A little rumble emanates from my chest, and my Samantha looks back at me in surprise. I can see that she is trying to figure me out, but I know my jealousy is silly. She has had many lifetimes to choose other mates, but she always ends up in our arms.

Turning back to the man, she says, “Thank you.”

But then the man hesitates. “And you’re certain Mr. Pierce approved this trip out?”

“Yes,” she says, without hesitation. “He was just in such a rush this morning with the news conference and all, he must have forgotten to inform anyone.”

He nods. “And they already went over the areas to avoid, with the recent dragon attacks?”

She flashes a pretty smile. “Yes. We’ll be staying close to base and out of trouble.”

I am pretty sure that is a lie.

He tosses her something that jingles, and she catches it. Her reflexes are as fast as any dragon’s. Maybe faster. Females always seem to be the better versions of us males.

“Also,” she says with authority in her voice. “Can you inform Granger Gable of where we’re going and that we’ll be back soon?”

He nods. “Of course.”

The man turns and walks away, but not before casting my Samantha another look. And this time, I am sure that is what he is doing. He is lucky he is not a dragon, or I would have torn his throat out for such a thing.

“Let me show you how this works,” she says to me. Then, to my pleasure, she takes my hand in her much smaller one and leads me to the car.

“This is a handle.” She indicates a groove in the metal’s surface. “If you pull on it, a door will open.” With her free hand, she pulls open the door, and it takes everything in me not to leap back.

Instead, she pulls me closer. “You’ll sit in here.” She squats down and shows me a strange seat in the metal space. “And I’ll help you buckle up.”

I stare, unsure about what to do.

She gets out of the way, then releases my hand and waves me to go in. In her eyes, I see her faith in me, so despite how much I do not want to get in this thing, I try to climb in. It is tricky. I am not quite sure where my legs and feet are supposed to be, but she guides me in and gets me sitting.

I am about to protest going in this contraption, arguing that we can certainly travel faster as dragons, but then she reaches for something beside me and leans across me. Suddenly, all I can breathe is her perfect scent. It washes over me, and I drink her in.

Dipping my head, I breathe into her hair and groan. She stiffens, and then turns to look at me. Our eyes meet. Hers are inches from mine, and I am desperate to have her. To taste her. To change her scent to be more like my own.

To be inside her.

I lean down to capture her lips with my own, and then she jerks back and hits her head on the top of the metal contraption.

“Fuck,” she groans.

“Are you safe?” I ask, reaching for her.

She pulls away, nodding. “I’m fine. I’m fine. Now, see this handle? This is what you’ll pull on when you’re ready to get out. But don’t do it while we’re driving. Okay?”

I do not care about the handle. I just care about her. “Yes.”

She closes the door and walks around to the other side. It opens too, and she climbs in next to me. I am glad. I like having her this close to me, even if her scent has me hard and frustrated, especially mixed with the fire dragons’ obvious scents. It is difficult. They can have her, but I cannot.

“Do the others really know where we are going?” I ask.

She sighs. “If I told Aydan and Evander now, they would stop me. But Granger will know probably around the time they finish the news conference, so everyone will know in case we run into trouble. It’s the best I can do.”

“Understood,” I say, feeling a little uneasy with our deception.

“Now, let’s go get my friend!”

After adjusting a few things in the car, we are suddenly speeding off. I cling to the sides of the metal contraption, heart racing. “I wish we were flying.”

She turns and grins. “Give me a minute, and we will be.”

But the thing is, I do not trust that grin of hers at all.