Page 69 of Dragon Exposed

I’d reached out to crazed dragons before. There were always flashes, some kind of imagery or errant thought, no matter how fractured, no matter how hard to read.

But with Caleb, it had been as if his mind was completely gone. Like the man I’d known had just been erased.

As I took flight, I let my mind stretch far and wide, looking for any connection, any shifter in range. Without clan lands, without a king to bind us all together, the tourmalines had become even more fractured than the rest of dragonkind seemed to be, and the emptiness of no other shifters nearby, no others to communicate with, felt as hopeless, as painful, as standing witness to Caleb’s death had.

Then, there was a flicker.

Barely a thought. Almost like I’d tapped into someone trying to guard their thoughts.

It wasn’t anyone I recognized, and it was gone almost as quickly as it had come, but still, I wanted to follow it. I needed to connect with someone, to be with another shifter who would understand.

Really, I wanted to wrap up in my mate, go back to bed, and block out the entire world, holding onto the one woman the fates had chosen just for me, but she had her own issues to deal with, her own friend who had nearly died. I wouldn’t ask her to take time away from Nina, just to deal with my grief, any more than she’d asked me to stay with them.

A whispered thought came through again, a barely audible,Help.

Someone out there was reaching out, hoping for a shifter to save them.

If Caleb wasn’t the only dragon the vampires intended to brutally kill, to prove their asinine point, I needed to try to get to them. To save them from their fate.

For all I knew, it could be another tourmaline, another dragon my family had sworn to protect, to care for, as the royal line of the clan.

Tell me where you are. I’ll come to your aid.

Fractured thoughts came through, images more than full thoughts. It looked like somewhere underground, somewhere damp and dank. Almost like the sewers or the subway tunnels.

Is there anything distinguishing, any clue that will help me find you?

I hated not knowing who it was, but I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving a dragon to their fate, when I’d already had to watch the vampires steal one of my clan’s futures before his time. I could find out the finer details once I knew where to go.

A thought of Izobelle crossed my mind, and I could practically hear her asking if this could be a trap, if I could be walking right into another of Grey’s schemes.

Even if it was, what sort of royal, what sort of prince would I be if I let more and more of my clan die, if I had the chance to save them?

The image of a faded metallic sign with street names carved into it filled my mind, making my choice easier. He couldn’t be more than a few blocks from where I was, and it would be easy enough to drop down into the trees of Central Park and make my way underground without anyone seeing me.

I didn’t like that I would be in an enclosed space, without a sure bet on how much room I’d have to shift, and no weapons or even clothes to give me cover, but if it were my father, or even my mother, there wouldn’t be any hesitation. Our clan’s wellbeing came first. Their prosperity reflected on us all.

With a deep breath, I pulled my wings in close, spiraling toward the ground in a dive that I hoped no nosy human cameras were watching.

Once I had shifted back to human, it didn’t take long to get my bearings and find a sewer manhole cover that I could wiggle loose and slip underground into.

Before I descended, I dared to try and reach my mate. I hoped she could hear me.There’s a dragon in danger under Central Park. I’m going to investigate. I love you, mate.

No voice responded, and I couldn’t even be sure if she’d heard me, but if it were the last time she’d hear my voice, I wanted to make sure the last thing she heard from me was that I loved her.

The sewer water came up to mid-calf on my legs, and I was grateful it wasn’t any higher. It would be unsanitary enough, stomping around her naked. There wasn’t much that would’ve driven me through the tunnels if the waters would’ve been over my head, even if mortal illnesses couldn’t affect me.

I’m close. Let me know where you are.

No sounds filled the sewers other than my own movements sloshing through greywater, and I tread carefully, listening for any other souls down here, listening for any sign that I wasn’t alone.

I lost track of how long I walked, how long I searched, before I found a door sealed shut with magic.

Shit. If a witch was involved, I wasn’t sure I would be getting out of this on my own.

I should’ve turned back. I should’ve gone back to the hotel, back to my mate.

I would have if it weren’t for the screams.

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