life for her.” Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Will you let him have her?”
The thought sent rage boiling though him. Steeling himself, he said, “Only if that is what she chooses.”
“And if she is unsure?”
“I will fight for her.”
“That’s what I thought.” Drustan looked up, as if searching for help from the heavens. “It’s going to be a long trip.”
“You could always go home.”
“Ahhh, I could.” Drustan smugly met his gaze. “But then who would be at your beck and call to change into whatever creature you are in need of?”
“I am sure we could make do,” Alcander said, turning to leave.
“Why is it so hard for you to admit you might need me?”
Alcander froze at the door, his hand on the flap. “I have watched your kind kill so many of mine. If you understood, you would not have asked.”
“My kind is a broad statement. I believe your kind have become fairly murderous themselves.”
“They are not my kind,” he snapped, turning around. “Not anymore.”
“And they are not mine,” Drustan added. “Why can you make the differentiation for yourself, but not for me?”
Alcander’s face cracked a smile. “I wasn’t sure what she saw in you either, Drustan. Perhaps I am beginning to. But, that doesn’t mean I will stop calling you Shifter.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Drustan said with a laugh. “You and Emane are more alike than you know.”
Alcander’s smile vanished. “That is not comforting.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Mermaids and Shadow
THE FEW HOURS IN the air had crawled by. Although the two had appeared on the beach looking strangely like friends, Drustan was now silent and Alcander was withdrawn.
Kiora leaned forward, trying to keep from touching Alcander. She could not, no matter how hard she tried, deny that she had feelings for him. And every time she brushed against him, the magic reminded her. Her love for Emane had grown bit by bit, day by day. She learned more about him with each experience. But with Alcander, though she didn’t always understand him, there was a comfortable feeling: as if she had known him forever. Had she met Alcander before Emane, that sense of familiarity would have been good. But now it chaffed and hurt her head. Not to mention the guilt. What would she tell Emane? He would kill Alcander. No, she corrected herself. Emane would try to kill Alcander, and then she would have to step in to prevent Alcander from killing Emane. He was really no match for Alcander when magic was involved.
She scowled as her back began to ache. She sat up, trying to stretch it out. But the aching rapidly changed to burning. Shifting, she moaned.
“What’s the matter?” Alcander asked.
“I don’t know. My back, something is . . .” She shook her head. “It hurts but I don’t think it’s me.”
Drustan turned his dragon head to look at her. “Emane?”
“Maybe.” Her eyebrows scrunched together. “It’s faint but—”
“You can feel his pain?” Alcander asked swiftly.
She reached around to her back, rubbing. “I could feel his emotions before. But never physical pain.”
“This is bad,” Alcander murmured.
Drustan didn’t say anything, but turned his attention back to the front.
“Why is it bad?” she asked as the pain faded. “It means we are getting closer, right?” A roar rang through her ears, drowning Alcander’s reply. “I love you, Kiora,” the whisper repeated over and over again. Those words brought pain and guilt for so many reasons. One of the reasons—Emane could not initiate calling. She would only be hearing his thoughts through his pain.
“Kiora!” Alcander’s voice came sharply from behind.
She jerked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“I know. That is why it’s bad.”
Drustan managed to fly for six more hours before he finally circled lower to the ground.
“What are you doing?” Alcander asked, breaking the silence they had fallen into.
“We are resting, eating, and drinking,” Drustan said dryly. “And before you say anything else, I do not need, nor am I going to, ask for permission before I land.”
“You have no idea where we are,” Alcander pointed out.
“Do you?”
“Not anymore. It used to be neutral ground before the war started. I don’t know what lives here now.” Alcander pointed over Kiora’s shoulder to the ground. She shivered as he brushed against her. “That’s the problem.”
Below them the trees thinned to reveal a clearing with a small lake in the center.
“That will be a problem no matter where we land.” Drustan turned his head just enough to see Alcander’s jaw set. “We need water, plus shelter for Kiora to build a concealment. This