"Then explain them to me," I cut him off, my voice sharp with frustration. "Because right now, all I see is one of my people missing and you trying to keep me from finding her."

The room crackled with tension. Darrokar's golden eyes blazed, his massive frame seeming to fill the space between us. "The rival clans would consider you a prize beyond measure. My mate, defenseless, different. They would use you to strike at me, at Scalvaris."

"Defenseless? I thought we covered that. I can take care of myself."

"Can you?" He moved closer, his heat radiating against myskin. "Can you fight warriors who have spent their lives perfecting aerial combat? Can you survive the desert's heat storms or navigate the thermal updrafts?"

"No," I admitted, my heart hammering. "But I know Vega. If she left willingly, I might know where she's headed. If she was taken, I can help predict her actions."

Rath shifted uncomfortably, clearly wanting to speak but waiting for Darrokar's response.

Darrokar's jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tightening. "You know more than you're telling me."

It wasn't a question. I swallowed hard, guilt and necessity warring in my heart. I'd promised to keep the others a secret, but with Vega gone and a group of Drakarn ready to scour the desert to find her, how long could they stay hidden?

"Tell me what you know," my mate demanded.

The accusation hung between us, heavy as molten stone. I met his gaze steadily, even as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. "I know Vega. I know she's smart, capable, and wouldn't leave without a reason."

"A reason you won't share." His voice was dangerously quiet now, a rumble that seemed to vibrate through my bones.

"It doesn't matter." The words tasted bitter. "Let me help you find her."

Darrokar's tail lashed, his frustration evident in every line of his powerful frame. "You ask me to trust you while you keep secrets that could endanger us all."

"My lord," Rath interrupted, his expression grim. "The longer we delay, the colder the trail grows. If rival clans have her …"

"Prepare the search party," Darrokar ordered, not taking his eyes off me. "I want our fastest warriors ready to fly within the hour."

Rath nodded sharply and left, the door hissing shut behind him.

As soon as we were alone, Darrokar closed the distance between us. His claws ghosted along my arm, a touch that was both possessive and questioning. "Why do you resist telling me the truth? Do you not trust me to protect your people?"

"Some secrets aren't mine to share." I fought the urge to lean into his touch.

His other hand cupped my face, forcing me to look up at him. "And if those secrets get someone killed? What then,luvae?"

The endearment, spoken with such raw emotion,made my chest ache. "That's why I need to go with you. I can help."

"You could die." His thumb traced my cheekbone. "The desert shows no mercy, and neither do our enemies."

"I'm not asking for mercy." I covered his claws with mine, feeling the rough texture of his scales against my palm. "I'm asking for a chance to protect my own."

Something shifted in his expression—pride mixed with fear, anger with understanding. "You will follow my orders without question. If I tell you to retreat, you retreat. If I tell you to hide, you hide. No arguments."

"Not a one."

I would keep my word. And somehow figure out how to untangle this knot before it ruined everything.

When I found Vega, I was going tokillher.

FIFTEEN

DARROKAR

Terra’s arms were a vise around my neck, her body a surprising weight pressed against my chest as we knifed through the wind’s violent bursts. Below, the crimson sands unspooled, an endless landscape warped by waves of ferocious heat.

The wind, thick with the grit of the wasteland, delivered the faint tang of her—fear, sharp and undeniable, a core of determination, and beneath it, something furtive. Something that tightened the skin around my fangs with gnawing suspicion.