"I can't fly as fast as an airplane, but I think I can make it to the outskirts of the Russian forest by dawn," Josef said.
Skyler was surprised. "I thought it could take us a couple of nights."
"So did I," Paul said.
"I felt Dimitri's pain through you, Sky," Josef replied. "I feel a sense of urgency, and that means we need to get there as fast as possible. I'm going to try it. I honestly don't know if I'm that strong. All we can do is try. You'll have to rest as much as possible, Skyler. Sleep if you can. Paul won't let you go flying off, but we need you in shape as soon as possible."
Skyler nodded. "Thanks, Josef. I know tonight isn't going to be easy on you."
"We're in this together," Paul said. "Dimitri is our friend, too, Sky. We want to do this. We're not just going after him for you. Now, more than ever, we have to get to him. If he's suffering the way the two of you say, we might be his only chance."
The thought of that poisonous silver inching its way slowly, torturously, through Dimitri's body sickened her.
"Hang on, my love," she whispered to the night. "I'm coming to you as fast as I can."
Josef moved a distance away, scanning quickly to ensure they were alone. Paul had found the perfect place to spend the night. The little house was tucked back into the woods, a distance from the road. A widowed woman rented out a room for extra money to those traveling. There were no close neighbors and that allowed for Josef to have the privacy needed to shift into the form of a dragon.
He extended his wing, and Paul helped Skyler climb up onto the dragon's back. He'd provided a double saddle to make the night's travel more comfortable. She slipped into the saddle, her feet in the stirrups while Paul climbed up behind her, doing the same. His arms came around her.
"If you need to sleep," Paul said, "just lean back against me."
"Thanks," Skyler said. "I'm certain I'll take you up on that."
She had traveled through the air many times with Carpathians. Gabriel took her flying all the time, using various forms. She'd always enjoyed it. That was the start of her love of flying and her need to get her pilot's license. Flying had become almost an obsession, but Josef was young for a Carpathian and inexperienced in comparison to the ancients. She wasn't certain if he had the strength it took to keep the form of a dragon as long as he'd need to, as well as keeping Paul and her safe.
If you get tired, Josef, don't push it. We can find a place to rest.
Don't worry, Sky. I lectured you about pushing your strength too far. I'm not going to make the same mistake and give you a chance to say I told you so.
The cheery amusement in Josef's voice made her smile as the dragon lurched a couple of times, wings flapping as it stood on two legs. She held on tight as it began hopping along the ground, gaining more air with each hop. The dragon's great wings beat hard as he struggled to get off the ground. When they finally went airborne, Paul cheered and Skyler let out the breath she'd been holding.
Not particularly graceful, Josef commented, but we made it. I think the two of you need to lose a little weight.
Hey, now I'm totally offended. Skyler gave him her haughtiest, snippiest tone. It's all Paul.
Josef snorted.
To her shock, Paul dug his fingers into her rib cage, making her squeal. Thought you were safe, didn't you? Josef hooked me up with this telepathy thing. It's working rather well.
We should have done that a long time ago.
Well, of course my family and I can speak together, Paul admitted. It's weird that we never thought about it. It's just blood.
Skyler laughed. Isn't that funny how we both just say, "It's just blood"? We're human and that's such a taboo in our culture, but we've obviously been around the Carpathians far too long. I actually asked Josef to give me blood this morning, didn't I?
Yes, you did, but it did help you. Paul tightened his hold on her as the dragon's wings beat hard to take them higher over the mountain peak.
Are you cold? Maybe Josef should have provided warmer clothes for you as well.
I've got my jacket. If I get too cold, I'll call a halt and ask him then.
She knew immediately that Paul had deliberately not asked for warmer clothes. If he felt the dragon tiring, he planned to ask Josef to drop down to earth on the pretense that he was cold.
You're a good friend, Paul, Skyler said. Have you checked out this dragon? It's the coolest dragon I've ever seen. She included Josef in that comment.
The dragon was black but every scale was tipped a deep blue, just like Josef's hair. The body of the dragon was good-sized, the tail long and spiked. Each spike was tipped in blue.
Even your dragon is stylin', Paul said.
Your dragon is totally rockin' the look, Skyler added, admiringly.
He is very cool, isn't he? Josef sounded pleased.
Absolutely cool, Skyler agreed.
You should see my owl, Josef said. Feathers look ultra-cool tipped in blue. Sometimes I spike the owl's head with blue feathers as well.
Skyler looked at the wedge-shaped head. Sure enough there were blue tipped spikes protruding from the dragon's head. Laughing, she patted the dragon's neck. You're so wonderful, Josef. I love everything about you.
Josef had such an air of fun about him. In the worst situations-such as this one-he could still make her laugh.
Have you worked out how we're going to find Dimitri? Paul asked. I imagine he's being held in an isolated place surrounded by some very tough Lycans, who, by the way, are pack hunters. Just saying.
They had to take him somewhere they believe they have the upper hand, Josef said. Carpathians must not be too close or they wouldn't be using that forest to hold him. He could send for help.
Skyler shook her head, although seated as she was on the dragon's back, Josef couldn't see the movement. I'm not certain he could. He blocked me, and maybe he has blocked everyone else as well, but our connection is . . . different-stronger. Neither of us knows why, but together we seem to be able to span distances that others can't.
So are you just going to go walking through the woods like Little Red Riding Hood? Paul asked.
Skyler tilted her head back against his shoulder to see him. That's exactly what I'm going to do.
I'm actually going to give her a red cape with a hood, Josef said. We want to make it easy for the big bad wolf to spot her.
Paul was silent for a moment, frowning, clearly not liking the idea. And if they just kill her? You're taking a huge chance with her life, Josef. It might sound funny to give her a red cape and hood and send her off walking alone through that forest, but it won't be so funny if she turns up dead.
Lycans don't kill humans, Skyler said. We researched very carefully. Only the rogues do, and they're treated by Lycans the same way Carpathians treat vampires. Dimitri wasn't taken by the rogues. The Lycans have him.
How does anyone know that? Were they wearing shirts proclaiming the difference? Paul's voice dripped with sarcasm.
There was a brief silence. I never considered that it could be members of a rogue pack who took him, Josef said. Everyone assumed it was members of an elite Lycan special commando-type team, because two of them disappeared at the same time as Dimitri did, but Paul's right, Sky. No one really knows for certain. Maybe we need to rethink our plan.
If they were rogues, Skyler argued, they would have killed him right there. They would have no reason to take him out of the country and then keep him alive just to torture him. Rogues kill and eat their prey. They're werewolves craving raw meat and fresh blood.
Are you willing to bet your life on that? Paul asked.
It wasn't her life she was concerned with. It was Dimitri's. Clearly, if they didn't find him in time, even should she be able to stop every silver tracer bullet crawling through his body, eventually the Lycans would find another way to kill him. They had to find him. She had to find him.
Yes, Paul. I'm going to walk through the forest and pray a Lycan finds me. That's the plan. I wandered away from our campsite and got lost. You and I are part of a student group studying wolves in the wild. The papers are in perfect order, the site is up on the Internet looking extremely legit, and when they find me, the hope is that they will return me to my camp, not eat me for dinner.
I always knew you were a little crazy, Sky, Paul said. You could get killed.
Skyler accepted that she might get killed-but she wasn't going to have much of a life without Dimitri in it. She might not be Carpathian, but she was his lifemate, claimed or unclaimed. She knew her emotions were not the crush of a young girl, or the romantic fantasies she knew her college friends thought she indulged in. Dimitri was a special man. She would never find another man like him, one totally focused on her. She was the only woman he would ever look at. She was his world. His other half. There was no explaining to anyone how that felt. None of her college friends would ever be able to conceive of that kind of devotion.