Thess turns, walking backwards so she can address our group. “You can see whoever you like, or no one at all. This trip was for you. No one is expecting anything. We are just happy to make new friends.”
“The words ‘fort’ and ‘happy’ aren’t two I normally put together,” Aggie says, but her voice is cheerful. She pats her strange fake mane (white today) and beams at me. “Ain’t that right, Big Meat?”
I do not understand the question, but I know we are not telling the truth because Dottie needs to see the healer. “Murr happy Dakota,” I say, and hope that explains everything.
“Good man,” Aggie says, and that’s the end of it.
We follow Thess as she leads our group through the fort. I have counted at least four dragons, three of them with a mated scent upon them. Only Thess does not have the mate scent, and I wonder if she has spoken of this with her healer, or if he knows her feelings. The female drakoni warrior stops in front of a large rectangle of dark red metal and raps on what must be a door.
“A shipping container. Very nice.”
“Hot in the summer,” Thess agrees. “But this time of year, it works very well for Samir and…” She pauses, her eyes widening as she looks over at Dakota. “…his projects,” she finishes with a strangled sound.
There’s an awkward moment of silence.
“Does his son live here, too?” Rabbit asks.
“He does.”
We continue to wait by the door, and I can pick up the sound of shuffling feet on metal. After a long moment, it opens and a young male stands in the doorway of the home. He turns his head in our direction but doesn’t meet anyone’s gaze. “Hello?”
“It is me, Thess,” the female drakoni says. “I have brought friends as I said.”
He smiles and takes a step back. As he does, I see he has a long white stick in his hand. “Come in. Dad was waiting, but someone in the kitchens cut their hand. He’ll be back soon. Want me to put on tea?”
“Tea would be lovely,” Thess says, and steps into the darkness.
Dakota glances at me, her hand sweaty in mine, and follows after. I refuse to release her and go inside with her, even though it feels like a tight fit. No wonder she loves her bookstore. This container makes me ache to shift to my battle-form and stretch my wings for a time.
My eyes adjust to the interior darkness and it is neat and tidy. There is a table with a chair and a multitude of human things on a rolling cart next to it. Farther in, where the boy is heading, there is a long, plush chair, a big metal thing that smells of ash, and two narrow beds against the back wall that stack atop one another.
The humans shuffle in the darkness, making worried sounds and taking tiny steps.
“Just a moment,” the boy says, and grabs a long stick. He pushes it up against the roof of the container, and then sunlight pours in. “Better?”
CHAPTER 90
DAKOTA
If I’m judgingpeople off the cleverness of their homes, Jonah and his absent dad get a pass from me. The shipping container with its fitted sunroof is clever. The interior feels weighty and solid, and it’s clean and tidy inside, if a bit stuffy. There’s an old rug on the floor and the bunkbeds are made. It all looks cozy and homey, probably even more so than the bookstore.
Jonah sits down in a chair at the small, square table, and waits patiently. He’s a handsome boy with golden skin and dark hair, tall for his age, and has the rounded cheeks of someone who hasn’t grown into their facial structure yet. His eyes are beautiful and dark, set under thick brows that furrow as he turns towards our direction and waits for someone to say something.
“You must be Jonah,” I say, breaking the silence. “My name is Dakota, and Thess told us all about you. I’ve brought my daughter, Rabbit, with me.”
“Hi,” Rabbit says, sounding youthful and shy, and Jonah’s head immediately turns in her direction, a smile creasing his face.
“And my husband, Murr,” I continue. I rest my hands on Rabbit’s shoulders, holding her close because it’s a tight fit inside the shipping container and I don’t want to touch someone else’s stuff without permission. “Murr is drakoni, like Thess. And two friends of mine, Dottie and Aggie.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Dottie says.
“Nice digs,” Aggie adds.
Jonah continues to frown at all of us. “…Hi?”
Thess winds her way forward, moving through the group of us squeezed in amidst the furniture. “These are friends of mine that live outside the fort,” she says. “They wanted to meet you.”
His expression remains suspicious. “Why?”
