Page 5 of The Dragon's Captured Heart
Closing my eyes, I fought back the blurry eyes. Although the grief over losing her was easing with time, it never went away fully. The dragons had stolen Jill from me, but that was a risk we had known about. Expected, even. I would’ve hated them no less for it, but it was part of the job.
This abandonment, though? This was different. The pain was entirely different, and I didn’t know how to cope.
“Page.”
I jerked in surprise, rising out of my desk to attention in front of the squadron commander. “Sir!”
“At ease, Page.” The Lieutenant-Colonel didn’t look pleased to be addressing me. “You have a mission.”
Few things could’ve shocked me more. “Sir?” I questioned, fumbling for my voice, my composure, and even my balance for a split-second. “A mission?”
“Did I stutter?”
“No, sir!” I said formally.
“I didn’t think so.” Blazinsky was making no secret of his disdain for the fact thatIapparently had a mission and the rest of the squadron didn’t.
“Regardless of the rumors said about me, I’ll make the squadron look good. I promise you that, sir.”
“You’d better,” he snapped. “This is important. It comes from somewhere so high above me it may as well be Mount fucking Olympus. So, you do this mission, and you do it so damn well you make everyone look like gods. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!” I said, unable to contain my eagerness. “I won’t fail you.”
“I certainly hope not.”
I nodded and listened while he explained the mission to me.
As he did, my heart sank.
Chapter Four
Madison
“Ifucking hate taxi missions,” I said to the empty cockpit as I descended toward the landing zone, my attention otherwise wholly focused on piloting.
It had to be. Not only was I the sole pilot, but I was back in a UH-60 Blackhawk, a type of bird I hadn’t flown in nearly two years, not since transferring to the Longbow. The controls were familiar yet different. But it was a helicopter, and Iknewhow to pilot one of those.
In the end, I set the bird down with barely a bump. Which, considering it was nearly pitch black outside, was a respectable feat.
Not that my cargo knew any better.
I glanced back over my shoulder at the passengers. All seven of them were looking at the cockpit floor. Dejected. Defeated.
It was tough to blame them.
Taking a breath, I started shutting down the systems. I didn’t like it, but my orders had been strict. The meeting would not happen if my helo was still operational. Considering the crucialnature of my “bullshit taxi mission,” I followed every instruction perfectly.
Hate the mission or not, it was my first time back in the air since the incident. I wasn’t about to bitch or whine to anyone who could hear. I was airborne! It felt great.
The whine of the engine faded as I shut it all down, and the rotor blades slowly spun to a stop.
“All right. You’re safe to exit now,” I called.
None of them moved.
Apparently, I had to play doorman, too. Unbuckling myself, I slid from the cockpit, undogging the side door and opening it.
“Last stop. Everybody off,” I said, gesturing to the open platform.
