Page 24 of Red Marked

“I’ll do my best.” I smile.

Rex and Dane step away and shift, and Atlas stands there watching me a beat longer before he does too.

I turn for the mountain and shift, and I’m airborne a moment later.

The ravine mouth opens up black in front of me, and my heart is beating hard enough to feel in my throat.

I pray that my reasoning is sound.

I pray they don’t kill me as soon as they see me. Maybe they are feral and won’t give my lack of markings a second thought. For a moment, I think about turning back. Then I force my wings to beat faster.

9

Star

Scarlet comes flying up the trail with a group of others following tightly behind her. I look up at the moon and note that they are right on time.

I shift into my human form as she lands.

“Anything to report?” Scarlet asks as soon as she has finished shifting.

“Nothing.” I stretch out my back, which has gone stiff from hours on this slab of rock. “Not even a breath of wind.”

“Good.” She nods. “Let’s pray it stays that way.”

“Fenn’s still down at the mouth. She won’t come up until you send someone to replace her.” I point with my thumb.

“I’ll send Willow.” Scarlet looks me over, and whatever she sees makes her point back up the trail. “Go to bed, Star. You look exhausted.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine. Go catch a few hours of sleep. I’ve got it from here.”

“Thanks.” I touch the side of her arm.

I step away from her, and we both shift back into our dragon forms. I drop off the edge of the lip, making a rumbling noise, and fly back to our settlement with the rest of my team behind me.

The camp is dark and quiet when I descend into it. The fire pit is glowing faint red under the ash. Each of the females lands at their respective hut. I don’t go straight home, even though I am desperately tired. I go left, past the store shelter, to the long one at the end, where the Draig females sleep, and I put my head through the gap in the hide.

All three of them are sleeping soundly. Savanna is on her front with one arm hanging off the edge of her makeshift bed. Caldera is snoring softly. I smile to myself.

Koa is on her side, facing away. She’s curled into a fetal position. Her breathing is deep and even.

Good.

Last night she was having one of her nightmares when I came to check on her.

I watch her chest rise and fall a few more times before I let the hide drop, satisfied that all is well…at least for now.

It doesn’t take long to walk back to my little hut. I unhook the waterskin from its peg and pour a little into the bowl, just enough to wash my face and the back of my neck. Using a thin twig, I brush my teeth, chewing on mint leaves and drinking down another swallow of water, which is cold and refreshing. I dry off on some moss.

Then I pull the reeds across the doorway, lie down on my bed of palm fronds and moss. I try to shut my eyes but end up staring at the ceiling. I’ve gone straight past tired and out the other side into wired. My body is still up on that ledge watching the bend, even though the rest of me is down here. I turn onto one side. I make myself count my own breaths. I wish I could switch my brain off, but I can’t. I’m worried. I won’t stop worrying until I know who that group was and what they want.

Koa worries me the most.

The further along she gets with this pregnancy, the more difficult it is for her.

Focusing on my breath takes a long time, but eventually it starts to work, and I feel myself drifting and start to slip under.