A long pause. There was nothing else she could say to Fabian. If he chose not to come with them then at least she had heard his voice and knew he was safe. “Okay.”
She swayed in the seat as he replied. Her gut had told her he would say no. But thankfully, her gut instinct was wrong. They were going to go get her brother and make sure he was safe.
Amber only hoped they could pull it off without revealing Kelos’s other side. To save her brother and lose the man she loved would be too high a price. But as Fabian gave her the address, it was too late to change her mind even if she wanted to.
Chapter Nineteen – Kelos
Kelos studied Amber for a moment, trying to read her thoughts. This was why they’d come to the city, to find out if Fabian was okay. Yet there was uncertainty in her voice as she relayed the new address to the cab driver.
“You’re staring.” She turned her head and looked him in the eye. “You don’t think we should go.”
“Isn’t that what you are thinking?” He gave a small smile and glanced out of the window at the city lights. Streetlights mingled with neon signs hanging outside of stores. “I’m trapped here. And I don’t like it. That’s all.”
She reached out and took hold of his hand. “No quick getaway.”
“No.” He turned to face her again, his smile tight. He wanted to tell her it would be all okay, but he couldn’t. Years of keeping himself safe had taught him to expect the unexpected, that was how you stayed alive. “No room to spread my wings.”
She glanced at the cab driver who was whistling along to a tune on the radio as they crawled through rush-hour traffic. Or maybe it was always rush hour in the city.
“I could go alone.” She inclined her head as he made a face. “Hear me out.”
“Okay.” He wasn’t going to like it no matter what she said.
That’s because we don’t like anything about this at all, his dragon told him. But we need to have an open mind. Otherwise coming here at all was pointless.
His dragon was right. They had agreed to come here to find Fabian, or at least check in to see if he was okay. If he got cold feet and backed out now, his mate would look at him differently.
A coward, his dragon suggested.
Not a coward, Kelos said. She would understand my reasons.
And how do we plan on stopping her from going alone? His dragon was right. Again.
If we tell Amber we don’t want to go, she will find a way of going alone even if we try to stop her. And if we do try to stop her then she will never forgive us for taking away her free will.
Amber is very protective of her free will, and her freedom in general, his dragon observed. It is why she was reluctant to have children.
You are insightful today, Kelos complimented his dragon.
I watch and listen when others talk, he said simply.
“If I go in alone and there is trouble, then you are free to come rescue me.” She put her hand up to stop him from objecting right away. “Me going in would flush out any kind of ambush, but if we both go in together, there’s a chance we might both get caught up in it and then we’re stuck.”
“I don’t like it,” Kelos told her.
“I didn’t expect you to like it,” she admitted. “But I still think it’s the best idea.”
“I might not like it, but I agree it is the best idea,” he ground out.
“Really? Just like that?” Amber’s surprise echoed in her voice. “I figured I’d have to try to persuade you.”
“So did I, but my dragon…” He glanced at the cab driver. “Let’s just say I don’t want to argue with you over this and have you resent me for it. And maybe you are right, it would be foolish to leave ourselves open to attack with no backup plan.”
“Have you ever been the backup plan before?” she asked lightly, obviously relieved he wasn’t going to argue with her.
“More times than I would like to remember.” He leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his thick dark hair that would have gained one or two more grays by the time this was over.
“Then you must be a pro by now.” Amber tapped the driver on the shoulder as they turned into the road where the safe house was. “You can pull over here, thanks.”
“Sure.” The cab driver steered the vehicle to the side of the road and Kelos got out first, while Amber paid the fare. As he waited on the sidewalk, he pushed his senses out, trying to get a feel for what they might be up against.
He gave a low growl. This is why he hated the city. There were so many people around he could not differentiate between those who were simply sitting at home watching TV or drinking beer in their back yards, and those who might be lurking behind a fence waiting to jump out when Amber made contact with her brother.
“Okay, I have to send Fabian a text. Once he answers, I’ll go around the back of the house and meet him.” She peered around Kelos as she sent the text. “That’s the house. Number seven.”
Kelos sighed. “I don’t like this.”
“I know.” She placed her hand on his upper arm and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “But that’s what I love about you.” She stroked his cheek before side-stepping him. “You might not like it, but you are willing to go along with it. For me.”
Told you, his dragon snorted.
“I don’t think there’s any way I could have stopped you if I’d tried.” He nodded. “Okay,
