Still incensed, I open my mouth to yell at him but stop abruptly when a force field drops between us. I’m so stunned, I reach out to touch it, only to jerk my hand away when it zaps me, hissing in pain.
What. The. Hell?
The guard sends me a pitying look as he mumbles something low in his throat.
“Wait a minute. What’s going on? Why am I here? Is this a cell? Am I being locked up?”
An apology shines in his gaze. The other guard appears equally as upset, softly shaking his head. With a heavy sigh, one places his hand on the other’s shoulder and they turn away.
“Wait!” I plead. “You can’t just leave me here.”
I glance around my cell, finding only a cot. Even more concerning than the lack of facilities are the bars directly opposite the energy barrier. It might be a lovely view if a sheer drop off the floating island wasn’t waiting over the edge just on the other side of the bars. Raidyn’s words replay in my mind: You do not have any wings. Yeah, wings would be helpful right now. Even if I could escape, there’s no way for me to get off this island.
A forceful gust of wind blows through my cell as I watch a pair of wind dragons fly by outside. That’s when it hits me—this cell is exposed to the elements. I could freeze to death in here if the temperature drops any lower.
How did I go from burning up in the desert to freezing in a cell all in one day? I hate this planet. I mean, I really, really hate it.
A soft noise draws my attention back to the force field. The guard has returned. As if reading my mind, he lowers the barrier just far enough to hand me a thick, furry white robe with an apologetic look on his face.
“Thank you.” I manage a small smile. “Please, can you at least tell Raidyn when he wakes up that it wasn’t my choice to leave him?” I shake my head softly. “He might have brought me here against my will, but he seems like a good guy. He saved me, you know. From one of my own kind.”
Oh, here I go, rambling again. I really need to stop.
The guard’s gaze holds mine for a moment before he bows. He turns and walks out, leaving me alone again.
Chapter 7
Raidyn
Awareness slowly trickles back into my mind as warm air whispers across my scales, soothing away the deep ache in my side. A state of pure warmth and bliss suffuses me. All is right in the world. I have found my fated one and I cannot wait to hold her in my arms.
Extending my arm, I reach for Skye. When the tips of my fingers skate across silken scales, my brow furrows deeply. My mate does not have scales.
I open my eyes, jerking awake to find my personal guard, Tai, leaning over me. I pull my hand back from the dark-gray scales of his forearm.
Blue-green flames lick the surface of my wound as Healer Vonar breathes his healing fire across my injured flesh. I watch in wonder as the torn tissue slowly begins to knit back together. The healing abilities of my Earth Clan brethren are always a sight to behold.
He pauses, his eyes full of concern. “How are you feeling?”
I sit up, twisting slightly to test my wound, satisfied when the movement causes no pain. “Better,” I reply. “Where is my mate?”
I glance around the med center, searching for Skye. I’m troubled when I do not see her.
“Who?” Vonar asks.
Tai seems hesitant.
“Where is the human, Skye? My mate?”
Tai mumbles under his breath, “She was telling the truth after all.”
“What did you say?”
His eyes snap to mine and he quickly bows. When his gaze meets mine again, I read the panic etched into his features. “I—”
“Where is my fated one?” I growl low in my throat.
“We found her standing over you, covered in your blood, my prince. We didn’t know what to do. When we questioned her, she did not understand and—”
“She does not have a translator chip,” I snap. “Where is she?”
“Your father asked us to retrieve her—”
Alarm bursts through me. “My father?”
“Yes, my prince. He inspected her and believed she was lying about how you were injured. He ordered her locked in one of the cells.”
My mouth drifts open in horror. The cells are dangerous for her. The nights have begun to turn colder here lately. Her skin is soft and fragile compared to the scales of my people. I doubt they offer much protection against the cold and the wind.
Panic spikes my blood and I jump up. I hiss as the sudden movement shoots a twinge of pain through my side.
“Take me to her,” I command. “Now!”
Tai immediately turns and leads me toward the cells.
Behind us, Healer Vonar calls, “My prince, your wound is still—”
The rest of his words are lost in the wind as I follow Tai to my mate, praying to the Gods that no harm has befallen her.
“I’m sorry, my prince,” Tai speaks hurriedly over his shoulder. “We did not know what to think when we found her beside your unconscious form.”
“She is my fated one,” I growl. “A gift from the Gods themselves. Besides, females are never to be treated so harshly. They are precious. Even if you’d found her drinking my blood like a cursed Mernin, you should not have thrown her in a cell like a criminal.”
Worry mars his expression as we pause before the door to a long row of cells while he punches in the access code. “Forgive me, my prince.”
I level him with a hard glare. “You should never have listened to my father. You know he hasn’t been the same since my mother died.”
He swallows thickly but says nothing.
Even as the accusation needles him, I realize this is as much my fault as his. Mother’s death broke
