by Angie Fox
Galen’s expression grew stony. “I was on a mission in the sixth quadrant. Hostile territory,” he told them. “As you’ve seen, the other side is using dragons as weapons. I was under orders to acquire one.”
A murmur spread across the crowd.
“I fulfilled my mission.” Galen answered the unspoken question. “But the dragon I rescued is special. She’s also injured, which is why I brought her here.” He neglected to mention his own brush with death, or Leta’s precarious grip on humanity. “If I turn her in, our side will interrogate and kill her.”
“That’s why the investigators are here!” someone else shouted.
Galen gave a curt nod. “I’ve gone off the grid while I figure out who’s a friend and who’s not. But it looks like someone at HQ suspects. They want her bad. But if I could just buy some time. Have a place to hide. If I can get through to her and rehabilitate her, we might have the key to ending the dragon bombers for good. Then I can deliver a solution to our side.” Rather than an out-of-control weapon.
“Just tell our side not to kill her!” Fran the supply clerk shouted.
Galen shook his head. “Have you ever tried to reason with the gods?”
Obviously not. I had to appeal to their better selves, their innate sense of right and wrong. Deep down, and even half naked, they were good people. “The gods, even on our side, could kill first and ask questions later,” I reminded them. “We have a chance here to do something different. To show some mercy.” Isn’t that why we’d gotten into medicine in the first place?
The crowd had gone silent, the tension palpable.
Baldie from the cafeteria crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re asking us to commit treason.”
He was right. I felt myself flush. I hadn’t liked it one bit when Galen had dropped this in my lap back in the OR.
“I’m asking you to examine where your loyalties lie,” Galen said simply. “Are you in it for what the gods tell you to do? Or do you want more than that? You save lives. And you’re good at it. Now let’s save these shifters before they end up as cannon fodder. Let’s protect the dragon we have here in camp, so she’s not murdered in the name of army security.”
“Think about it,” I said, “If we listened to orders, we wouldn’t even be here. We wouldn’t have the rocks or the minefield.”
“A little fun is different than treason,” a nurse grumbled.
“Give me one week,” Galen said. It was more of an order than a request.
I had to admit, Galen had done wonders in the short time he’d been in camp before. He looked to Hume, whom he’d helped find his spirit. Marius had gained a new lair and the privacy he needed to keep himself sane. Even Jeffe had come out of his shell. Although we could do without him flaunting his new manicure.
Galen’s voice carried above the crowd. “Whoever is with me, say so now.” His tone demanded an answer, either way.
I found it impossible to take a deep breath as I watched the faces in the crowd. They wanted to, I could tell they were torn. Damn it. I was scared too. I was the worst person in the world to try and talk anybody into this. But when I thought about it, I realized I’d already made my decision.
I’d sacrificed my safety the minute I’d agreed to treat Galen and Leta. A lot of us had. Leta was important, not only as a living, breathing being but as the key to the suicide bombers.
“I’ve seen investigators before,” one of the guys from the motor pool called. “They will nail you to the wall. Literally.”
True enough.
The crowd murmured its assent.
“I’ve got kids to worry about,” another called.
Father climbed up next to me. “Everything carries risk. This too. We can’t let them hurt us. We can’t stand by while they hunt our friends. We have to find a nonviolent way to come together and fight this.”
“Like you did?” someone in the crowd called. There was a smattering of applause.
Father and I exchanged a look. What did I say? Nothing was a secret.
“The investigators may be terrifying, but the number two pencils prove they have a great weakness,” Father announced. “Like David facing Goliath, we can strike at that weakness and bring down the giant. We must hit them where it counts … Protocol.”
“But Father!” Shirley yelled from the back. “They’re getting new pencils in tomorrow. What do we do then?”
“Nail their hut door shut,” Nurse Hume called.
“Too obvious,” I countered. We had to make these tricks seem innocent. “This is not our usual ‘set the guest showers on fire’ mode of working. We have to innovate. Change.”
We had to elevate practical jokes and useless stupidity to a whole new level.
Penny Henriksen in operations spoke up. “I think I accidentally left a box of pens in my pocket. I hope their uniforms don’t go through laundry with mine. Regulation dictates they can’t be seen in public without standard uniforms.”
“I’m worried their forms are going to get lost,” said Sheila Parsley, from supply.
“I hate it when the VIP shower gets a flying leech infestation,” one of the maintenance workers announced. Thank the stars he’d put his pants back on.
“We may be running critically low on leech repellent,” I added. “Hey, supply! What’s the estimate on when we can get some in?”
“Eight years!” he called.
They were starting to laugh, I realized on an exhale. They were actually getting excited as they talked about the possibilities.
I was too.
Galen had been right—this camp did stick together. But we’d never pulled off anything this big before.
Matt Shively, a linebreaker of a man from supply, found his own small rock to stand on. “We can set up an extra tent. Out of the way. Keep it off the registry.”
The clerks below him started yelling out suggestions. “Yeah, yeah. And a uniform. Furniture…”
“I’ll do ID,” Lazio called.
“I’ll do legal ID,” Shirley countered, then caught herself. “Well, close enough.”
Lazio stood in the middle of the mechanics. “We can do it. We can own these assholes.”
The crowd began clapping.
We could. I glanced at Galen, then said as loudly as my voice would let me, “We can take this camp’s need to perform stupid and outrageous pranks and use it for the good of mankind.”
People were high-fiving and cheering now.
“Do we want to do some kind of central command?” I called down to Lazio, not sure at all where this was headed.
He winked. “The less you know, the better.”
Oh, yeah, that was really great for a control freak like me. I glanced at Galen. “This could go so wrong so fast.”
“Have a little faith,” he said, looking a little too confident for my taste.
This was going to be like the minefield, plus the sea monster breeding disaster with a heaping pile of chaos thrown on top. And to make it worse, it wasn’t like we were sneaking in a kitten and feeding it under the bed. No. We had to hide a fricking dragon.
Something had to give.
Still, if we could hold it together long enough for Marc to stabilize Leta and for Galen to find a port in the storm for both of them, we just might pull this one off.
chapter thirteen
I managed to keep my head on straight until the meeting degenerated into chitchat, pats on the back, and lengthy discussions of how great it was to have Galen back, if only for a little while.
I slipped out and headed up the path, toward the minefield.
“Yo!” Rodger called from behind me. I kept walking and he jogged to catch up, falling into a long-legged stride beside me. His torch bobbed with every step.
Why did I keep forgetting to bring a torch?
“You didn’t say good-bye,” Rodger huffed next to me.
I was done being polite. “I’m not your girlfriend.”
“No, but you’re Galen’s—”
“Rodger!”
“Never mind,” he said, as if I were the one being unreasonable. “I know when to shut up.”
No he didn’t.
I could see my nosy friend out of the corner of my eye. Watching me.
He sighed. “Why do you always have to make things so hard?”
Me? “That’s rich.” Things would be perfectly easy if people would just leave me alone. “I’m not the one waltzing into camp with a dangerous fugitive. I’m not the one who thought it was a good idea to come clean to everyone from deputy supply to mess hall table washer.” Yes, I’d agreed to it. But now, I felt so exposed.
Rodger balked. “It could work.”
We took a left, through the darkened maze of the minefield. I stared straight ahead, keeping my eyes on the path. Nighttime shadows seemed to come alive in the desert.
“Okay,” Rodger mused. “Yes. I admit it. Somebody in camp will screw up eventually. But we only need to pull this off for a week, and then he’ll be gone.”
Yes, he would.
Rodger kept at it. “I think it’s good that people know what’s going on. Teaming up like this will keep the investigators off our backs longer.”
“Maybe,” I said. It was as much as he was going to get out of me at the moment.
Of course Galen could draw people together, and, sure, he was willing to blindly trust in the universe, but I knew firsthand what it was like to be screwed over.
I puffed out a breath of air, and saw it form a cloud in front of me. “I just want Galen to find a safe approach, and be able to handle Leta so they can both leave.”
Rodger held the torch high while I squeezed between two wrecked Jeeps. “You need to give the guy a break.”
“I never should have told you anything,” I said, avoiding broken windshield glass.
Rodger shoved through after me. “Why does it have to be all or nothing with you?”
I wanted to tip him straight into a wrecked cannon cart. “Because that’s the way love works.” Even Mister “I married the right girl and now I run through daisy patches” had to see that. I stared up at the red moon. I was right. I knew I was right.
Maybe that was my problem with Marc. I couldn’t love him deeply enough. And when that happens, you have to let go.
Of course, I had to let Galen go as well. So maybe my theory was all bullshit.
“Okay,” Rodger said, as if that settled it.
“What do you mean?” I asked, suspicious all of a sudden.
He nudged me along. “You’ve made your decision.”
“Ha.” I was nothing if not decisive.
“If you want to be miserable, that’s up to you.”
Suddenly, it wasn’t as much fun to win.
I wrapped my arms around me, feeling the chill of the night. To hell with it. I didn’t need Rodger’s approval. Or Galen’s. Or anyone else’s.
I was used to being alone. I’d proven time and time again that I could count on myself. It would just have to be enough.
* * *
The next day, I sat brushing my hair after a shower. Rodger huddled on his bed, reading letters from his kids. And Marc was outside, pounding on our door.
“Petra!” He was going to put a hole through the mesh screen if he wasn’t careful. He had dark circles under his eyes, and a wild look about him. His uniform was ripped at the neck. “Come with me. Now. I’ve got a problem with Leta.”
Worse than before? “What happened?” I opened the door, but he didn’t come in. He smelled like he’d been sleeping in the minefield.
He raked a hand through his hair. It spilled out in wild spikes. “I’ve been up all night. She’s fighting me.” His eyes caught mine. “This could get ugly.”
Of all the … “How am I supposed to help with a dragon?”
His jaw flexed. “I may need medical assistance.” He turned and began walking as if he’d expected me to follow.
Oh, great. We were about to get violent. At least Marc planned ahead.
“Damn,” Rodger said as I grabbed my medical kit. “I got your shift.”
“Thanks, buddy.” I banged out the door after Marc.
I had to jog to catch up with him as he wove in and out of the maze of officers’ tents. Even then, it was tough to keep up. “What happened last night?” I asked.
His jaw was bruised, his body drawn tight. It looked as if he hadn’t slept in a week. “I took her out past the helipad. She knows she needs me, but still she fought me every step of the way.”
I focused on the dusty path that wound through the low-slung tents. “Did you battle it out, or did you…?” I suddenly didn’t want to know the answer. I thought I could be mature about this, but no, I was jealous as hell. It was completely selfish and illogical because I didn’t have a right to him anymore. Still, I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t ask him if he’d fucked her.
“No,” he said, stark aggression hardening his features. “She nearly took my head off. She’s not accepting me as her alpha. She’s on the edge of the cliff and I’ve got to get her to back down.”
Good luck with that. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to teach her control,” he gritted out.
Shit. The stark reality of it sank in. He was a dragon. She was a dragon. This was going to get nasty.
We needed more help. “What about Galen?” I hated to bring him into this after everything that had happened, but—
“He’s already on the way.”
“Good.” I shifted my medical kit from one sweaty hand to the other. I was glad Marc could see beyond what had happened with Galen.
The three of us together at least had a fighting chance. I hoped.
For better or worse, Marc and I tended to approach things the same way. It made us good partners. Bad lovers.
But I wasn’t going to dwell on that right now.
Not with Marc practically snarling next to me.
Up ahead, Galen stood in the shadows between the OR and Kosta’s office. He looked completely edible in a rust-red helicopter flight suit. Nice cover.
The pilot scenario might have even helped him blend in, if it weren’t for the raw masculinity that made me take a second look. And a third.
Galen stood, shoulders back, his gaze lingering on me. “You ready?” He reached into the shadow of the tent next to him and pulled out a weapons belt, complete with a long sword.
“Way to be inconspicuous,” I said as he buckled it on.
He drew the thick leather straps tight. “The inspectors are in the triage clinic, being tested for dragon pox.”
That was weird. “We haven’t had a case of that since…” Then it hit me. “Right.”
My colleagues didn’t waste any time.
We made our way through the shadows and out back. The sun beat down, warming the top of my head as we headed west, past quarantine and up toward the large cliff face that served as our helicopter station.
On top of the half-mountain of dirt and rocks, we had four choppers, five landing pads, and an emergency triage unit. We might have a few mechanics up there, but no one to report us.
The awareness of Galen, right next to me, thudded dully in my gut.
Yes, it was hard to be close to him, but I had to bury the emotion and focus on the job. I’d done it more times than I could count as a professional. Even if this was personal, we had serious work to do.
If Leta lost control, we could get a lot of people hurt—or worse. And if we couldn’t rehab her before Galen was forced to take her back, or before the inspectors learned what was happening in camp … I didn’t even want to think about it.
My colleagues—my friends—had trusted us to make this right. They’d given Galen and Leta a place to live, given us a place and the freedom to work. I refused to blow this just because I had a hard time being around Galen.
His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He was on high alert. Every movement was focused, smooth, as he guarded against what lay ahead.
Marc was
watching him too. His hand went to the scar on his neck, the one he’d gotten when he’d been attacked by new army forces and nearly slaughtered.
One of our own soldiers had been ordered to slit his throat, but the man pulled his blade at the last minute, for which I’d be eternally grateful.
Marc watched Galen through narrowed eyes. “I finally remember how I know you.”
Galen gave a stiff nod at his rival, and at the scar slicing across his jugular. “I’m just glad I got there in time to stop it.”
It took me a second to put it together. “Jesus. Was it you, Galen?” He’d never said anything about it before, and yet, I could see the truth settle between them.
Galen was the one who’d saved Marc all those years ago. Without planning it, without ever knowing, he’d made it possible for Marc to come back to me.
Because he was a good man.
And then he’d watched as Marc claimed me.
He hadn’t said a word. Maybe he hadn’t recognized Marc at first either.
Galen looked distinctly uncomfortable as he avoided my line of questioning, choosing to focus on Marc instead. The corner of his mouth tipped up. “You can owe me one.”
Marc’s sharp glare caught me, before shifting to Galen. “I owe you nothing.”
Marc stopped in front of an opening in the rock face, a cave from the look of it. Beyond it, a flat, red wasteland stretched out into an endless desert.
He was still glaring at Galen. “Watch yourself,” he said to me as we made our way inside.
The cavern was huge, much bigger than I’d imagined from the outside. It stood at least four stories tall. Quartz crystals pierced the ceiling and littered the floor. The wide entrance narrowed into a long, darkened chamber. Leta stood in the dusky back, shaking despite the heat of the desert.
Her eyes were hollowed and her breath came quick as Marc approached her. She dipped her head, and a curtain of hair fell over her face. “Leave me alone.”
His steps were steady. There was no mistaking the steel in his voice. “I’m here to help you, Leta.”
“I’m fine,” she snapped. “I’m in control,” she practically shouted.
Galen drew close enough to murmur in my ear. “I’ve got you.”
“I hope,” I murmured. This didn’t look good.
