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The hair on the back of Sebastian’s neck stood on end, and he eyed the scale that Perry had brought him in a panic well into the midnight hours. While small, it was too thin and flimsy to belong to a juvenile dragon, which meant there was only one explanation as to its origins: it had been plucked from an adult dragon in the midst of his transformation—a feat very few were able to accomplish without losing their lives in the process. There was only one dragon Sebastian knew who had been tortured in such a way, and the scale’s very familiar purple hue confirmed his suspicions.
So Misha knew, then.
Sebastian took a deep breath and rolled one shoulder, then the other, like he was warming himself up for a fight. “Perry called you, then.”
“Da.”
He picked up the scale, slotting it between his index and middle finger to show it to Misha. “Will you confirm?”
“Da, it is Reynard’s. He has told me the man who stole our eggs tortured him by plucking his scales one by one. And now one of those scales, taken from him six years ago, shows up in your lair below an open window. Do you think I am dumb, drakon?”
“No.”
“Surprising. I suppose there is some sense in that head of yours. Not much, but some.” Misha took the scale and twisted it between his fingers. “The man who took my eggs was never captured, and now here is my mate’s scale in your lair not long at all after Finch was attacked and drugged. Prior to my arrival in the United States, I was targeted as well—stalked and harassed by someone who knew enough about the world of drakons to find my personal information and track down my cloister. I did not know what to think back then, as I do not exist outside the draconian world, but I do now. This person, this stalker, only discovered me after I meddled in Reynard’s affairs.” Misha tossed the scale onto Sebastian’s desk. “Someone is hunting the mates and children of the Drakes, and that someone has now set his sights on your family.”
Sebastian threw his hands down onto his desk and sprang to his feet, snarling at Misha, but the omega did not back down. “And you are here to taunt me, then?”
“No.” Misha crossed his arms. “I am here to save your ass. Now, come. There is work to be done.”
A bit of smoke escaped Sebastian’s nostrils, but after some consideration, he grunted and came out from behind his desk. Misha was abrasive, but he did not mean harm. If his help could keep Perry and the children safe, then Sebastian would accept it gladly. “Very well,” he said. “Do as you wish.”
Misha’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and he rubbed his hands together with glee. “Finally. Another drakon with common sense. I will begin with a full investigation of your lair. While I am at work, I have a task for you. You must arrange to have the children sent away. The farther the better. And soon. This person, whoever he is, is taunting you. He left the scale as a warning that he is in control, and he could strike at any time. The work that must be done to make this place safe will not be accomplished overnight. Therefore, if you care for your boys, they must go.”
“How far?”
Misha shrugged. “California should suffice.”
“You mean for me to entrust them to Geoff?”
“Da. He is smart, our hunter, and he will not travel so far and risk too much when there are plenty of drakons here for him to terrorize.”
Sebastian did not like it one bit, and knew Perry would like it even less, but Misha was right. Geoff and Ian together were a fearsome force, and no one in their right mind would fly out of Aurora to attack a lair which two dragons called home. Especially not with so many vulnerable Drakes here.
“I will call Geoff and make arrangements,” Sebastian said. “How long will it take you to evaluate? Bertram recently—”
Misha held out a hand. “Bertram is an idiot and knows nothing. I will be as quick as I can, but it will take time. Two hours? Three?”
“Fine. When you are done, come find me here.”
“And you.” Misha wagged a finger at him. “When you have finished with Geoffrey, you will speak with your mate. You will not hide this from him. If you try, I will tell him myself, and leave you to deal with the consequences.”
Irritation throbbed in Sebastian’s temples, and he clenched his fists. “I was planning on it.”
“Good. Good.” Misha waved him away. “Then off I go. I will see you soon, drakon, and we will discuss what it will take to make this place secure. Good luck with California.”
Sebastian grumbled in response, plopped into his desk chair, and got to work. There was much to be done, and if Misha was to be believed, scant time to do it in.
* * *
“We must send the children away,” Sebastian said after Perry sat in one of the office’s leather armchairs. “It’s not safe. Geoff is willing to take them in.”
Perry’s lips pinched in at the corners and his eyes glossed over with tears. “For how long?”
“For however long it takes. Misha is here, assessing our security. He will tell us. But he says it is not something that can be done overnight.”
“I see.” Perry, who sat cross-legged, dropped one of his legs to trace a circle on the floor with his toe. “But what of the older boys? Are they not enough?”
“They have given up enough of their time, Perry. We can’t ask them to put their lives on pause to protect their brothers forever.”
