Page 24 of Zachary

“Answer it.” There’s something in his tone that makes me think he’s accustomed to giving orders and having them obeyed. It’s at odds with everything I know about him, but I don’t have time to think about it.

“Garrett?”

“We’re done here. How…? Do I need to send that text?”

I look at Ronan. He’s seemingly perfectly composed, but there’s no sign of that tentative smile from earlier, and I find myself regretting the loss.

“Can we come up there yet? Ronan would like to speak with you before he begins work.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ronan

For the first time,I’m glad of the teleport sickness that overtakes me as we arrive in the cave. It gives me a precious few extra moments to process everything I’ve heard this morning. A few moments when Zac isn’t waiting for a response from me.

Also for the first time, instead of stepping away and giving me time for the sickness to pass, today he hovers beside me. Not touching, not offering comfort, justthere. I don’t know if it’s because of our truce or his guilt over what his grandmother did, but it’s… nice.

The sickness slowly releases me from its clutches, and I straighten. Even though it always feels as though it’s taking an eternity, I’ve noticed that I’m recovering more quickly now than I did the first few times. Maybe, eventually, I’ll barely feel the effects at all.

That day can’t come soon enough.

“Ronan?”

I turn toward the familiar voice. Garrett and Asher are coming toward me, Garrett’s face openly reflecting his feelings. Asher’s is harder to read, of course, but even I can see the traces of guilt and distress there—the same guilt and distress Zac has worn since his arrival at my house.

“Ronan, I am so sorry,” Garrett begins.

“Thank you.” I’m not sure what else to say. All my joy from last night feels so far away now. “Zac assured me that all the devices have been removed?”

He nods immediately and gestures to a bag Asher’s holding. “We have them here. If you like, I can give you the schematic and software that was used to set up and monitor them, and you can compare the numbers. I also have the recorded results of the electronics sweep we just did, and of course, if you’d like to do one of your own, that’s fine. I can’t apologize enough for this.”

“Another sweep isn’t necessary, but I would appreciate if all the other records and information were sent to me.” I don’t feel the need to mention that as we speak, my magic is sweeping every inch of the cave for electronics. This isn’t something I’m particularly good at, and due to my clumsiness, any other dragon would have immediately sensed what I was doing, but I’m good enough to know that they’re not lying to me when they say all the devices have been removed. I give silent thanks to Steffen and his paranoid insistence on teaching me to do this last year.

“Zac has already agreed, but I would like your personal assurance that Damaris won’t have access to the cave again while I’m working here.”

Garrett shakes his head. “She won’t. Nobody will who hasn’t been personally vetted by me or the project security team, and anybody who comes here will be closely supervised the entire time.”

I take a breath, my chest loosening a little. I believed Zac when he said it, but hearing Garrett reinforce it so vehemently helps. “Then, as I told Zac, I see no reason why a report should be made. There was a problem. You’ve corrected it. My understanding of the situation is that reporting it now would just create the kind of instability our governments have worked hard to avoid.” I close my mouth abruptly. There are some thingsI’m privy to, because of whathedid, that I’ve been advised are classified at the highest level. I don’t know how much these men know, and I’m not about to say more than I should. “Let’s leave things there.”

“Thank you.” Asher speaks for the first time, and the intensity in his voice is almost hard to hear. “I’d like to add my personal apology to Garrett’s and Zac’s, and also apologize on behalf of our family. Grandmother will leave you be, Ronan. I swear it. If we have to, we’ll take whatever steps are necessary to ensure it.”

I don’t know how to respond to that, so I only nod.

“We’ll let you get to work,” Garrett says, breaking the heavy tension. “Ah… I completely understand if all this has caused a change of heart, but if you’re still interested, I’d love to come to movie night on Friday. I’d like us to be friends.”

Hope, which was slowly smothered during Zac’s revelation, sparks a tiny flame inside me. Maybe he’s just trying to get on my good side after all this drama—Steffen would definitely say so—but Zoe was confident yesterday that Garrett would want to be my friend. I’m not my brother, and I’m willing to take this leap of faith.

I smile. “Me too. Movie night sounds good.”

His relieved grin is balm to my soul. “How do you feel about karaoke?”

“No!” Asher and Zac shout in unison, and Garrett rolls his eyes.

“We’ll talk about it Friday,” he assures me. “I’ve gotta go get rid of all this crap. I’ll send those data files to you this morning.”

I nod, and Asher puts a hand on his husband’s shoulder. They teleport out.

Zac heaves a giant sigh. “Do you want some coffee?” he asks abruptly, and I whip my head around to look at him. Offering each other drinks isn’t something we do.

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