up,” Riley says.
“Great, sitting around, cold, wet and waiting on a storm to pass that’s been raging for days,” Michael says.
“You got a better idea?” Ziva asks.
“No,” Michael says, hunching his shoulders and pulling his legs up to his chest. “I’m freezing, though.”
“We all are, mate,” Mick says. “Welcome to the club.”
“Are there cookies?” Michael asks, and my stomach gurgles as if responding.
Mmmm, cookies.
“Oh yeah, double-fudge chocolate ones, extra-dark for, you know, the dark side,” Mick quips.
“I’m in,” Michael says.
Something creaks, loud enough that it stops the conversation. Everyone is looking around, silent, barely daring to breathe.
“Did you hear that?” Michael asks.
“You’re an idiot,” Mick says. “Why do you think we’re all looking around?”
Michael opens his mouth when it comes again. It’s a creaking sound as if something is being strained too hard. I open my mouth, wanting to say something, but then I’m falling.
The room spins, my stomach drops ahead of me, and then I slam down hard. My breath is knocked out. Can’t breathe. Tears fill my eyes as I struggle to inhale and then water covers me over.
10
URUKOL
She’s so beautiful. I love watching her, though I’m doing my best to not be noticed. When she hugged me, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted, so badly, to wrap my arms around her. Squeeze her tight against myself and never let her go.
But I’m broken. I know she can’t be mine, so I didn’t. I didn’t know what to do. I don’t know her customs, don’t know what an embrace might mean to this alien creature. I’m sure, though, it couldn’t have been a sign of affection. How could she have affection for me?
Now I study her. There’s a sharp intelligence to her. She watches everyone as if she’s studying them. And she’s beautiful. I’ve never seen a more beautiful female in my life.
A loud sound echoes through the room, stopping conversation. The human male says something and one of them responds. It sounds mean, which is what I’ve come to associate with the female who speaks. The creak sounds again.
Leah opens her mouth, she’s going to speak. I lean in, eager to hear her voice.
She disappears!
The section of the room she is in drops. The floor gives way, and she is gone in a blink.
“NO!” I scream, leaping to my feet.
I dive without thought. The water feels solid as my head hits, and debris slams against me with bruising force. The water is so deep that I can’t touch the bottom. When I break above the waterline, I hear her scream.
I swim toward the sound. Desperate to find her. A female is struggling, going under the water, popping back up, sputtering, then dropping below it again. I hook my arm around her chest and pull her against my chest. She fights, kicking and flailing her arms. I swim backwards—it’s hard and awkward with only one wing, but I make it work. I have to if I’m going to save her.
Torchlight flickers above. Faces are looking down into the hole. Hands reach down, and I lift the female up to them. As she rises to the light, I see it’s not Leah. My stomach clenches and I thrust her up faster.
I turn and look all around. It’s too dark to see clearly, but someone is splashing a wingspan to my left. I rush toward the sounds and grab the person without looking, pulling her back to the light and the opening where the floor collapsed.
Please be her. Be her. Please.
The hands reach down, and I lift this female up. In a moment, my hearts stop as cold rushes through my veins. It’s not her.
“LEAH!” I roar.
Nothing. No sound but the sound of my own voice echoing back to me. She has to be under the water. This has to be a room—there can’t be that much space for her. I must find her. I can’t let her die.
I take a deep breath and dive. She must have gone below the water. Underneath I close my protective lenses and open my eyes. Shadowy shapes float around the water, objects that fell from above or lifted off the floor. Nothing the shape of a female. I turn, searching for her, as desperation rises.
A shape floats a distance away—it has to be her. I swim as fast as I can, reaching for her before I arrive. She must be alive. She must.
The dragon rumbles, swinging between fear and rage. My fingers brush against her arm that floats limply in the