Yosef!
Lila’s voice screamed through my head, and I instantly seized.
Lila! Are you okay? Where are you?
I’m fine. The Nodoors kidnapped me and put me in a prison, but I was saved by a guard here. He took me to his place. Melina’s safe, or so he says.
I let out a breath, only mildly relieved. None of that made sense to me. Why would this guard protect her? Perhaps I wouldn’t have been so suspicious if he wasn’t a Nodoor. After all, we had protected her, requiring nothing in return. The Nodoor, however, were barbaric, self-serving creatures. If the guard took her, it was for his own means.
Anger and jealousy raged through me, burning me from the inside out. Still, I had to remain levelheaded. The main focus now was to find her and Melina.
Where are you?
I don’t know. The guard said it’s like a six-hour drive from Prinath by hover car.
That was closer than I anticipated. Was she really in a Nodoor camp, or had we passed their city all this time and not known? I’d have to contact the soldiers to let them know the expanse to search.
Yosef?Lila said again.
Her voice was unusually calm for the situation. It was possible she was drugged. We were told that the Nodoor used paralyzing guns. That could have had an effect.
Yosef, this guard says his name is Luca. Could that be your guy? I don’t know how common that name is here.
I frowned, my mind scrambling to make sense of what she was saying. Luca was there undercover as a guard. While it wasn’t a particularly unique name, how many guards were there named Luca?
What does he look like?
He’s extremely tall, light brown complexion, and handsome. Has a short beard and close-cut dark brown hair. His eyes are like greenish-blue jewels. And he’s a dragon.
Well, that loosely fit Luca’s description.
He killed three men to save me.
That definitely sounded like a Luca behavior. He hated seeing women in danger, as we all did.
That sounds like our Luca, Lila. Did he say he knows us? Did he have a marking on his left shoulder?
If it was our Luca, I’d give thanks to the gods for such luck. If she was going to be stuck there, he was the perfect person to keep her safe. And it was good that he would keep an eye on Melina. I knew he’d do all he could to make sure both women would be safe.
I didn’t mention our connection. I wasn’t sure if he was the one you know and didn’t want to make things worse. I can’t recall a marking. But I was…distracted. I’ll check.Lila replied.
Smart. Make sure you remain in contact with me. Get as much information as you can about him. Maybe he can get you out of the cloaking. But stay sharp.
I could practically hear her sighing in my head.Got it, Captain. I’m not an idiot. But, you know, don’t drag your feet on finding me. My powers were muted, but it’s supposed to wear off, so I’m going to throw every spell in the book I can find to get out of here.
Good.
Hey, how’s Zelda?
She’s healing.
I’m sorry about Samson.
Me, too.
Xander?
I did not want to tell her he was losing control without her. She’d worry, and I needed her to focus on herself right now.He’s fine. Strong.Of course, he’s worried, but he’s keeping it together.
