Sleep, came the voice once more.
Amy couldn’t help it. She slipped into slumber.
Stacy drummed her fingers against the war room table, her eyes glinting with a dragon’s wrath as they swept the papers strewn across the wooden surface. “I won’t hold back,” she stated at last, raising her gaze to Rowan.
He gave her a curt nod. Behind him, Kiera slouched in one of the high-backed chairs. Her legs were swung over the arm as she picked at a loose thread in a pillow. Rowan scowled at her but said nothing.
To his other side, Miles leaned against the table, arms folded over his broad chest, scanning the same information Stacy looked at. It was the first time Stacy had seen him so grim. Not a flash of amusement could be found in the groundskeeper’s muddy brown eyes.
“We must make a direct and unforgiving strike against him after we find out what the fuck these papers mean.” Stacy waved at the files she’d stolen from Victor’s office. She had also pulled out the files Amy found at the warehouse. Though much of the information in those was coded, too, they seemed to match the newer files. Victor was working on something and had been for quite a long time.
“The time for subtlety is over.” Her gaze strayed to Miles. “I want you to come along for this one. We need all the help we can get.”
“What about the estate?” Rowan asked.
Stacy straightened. “I will ask my father for help. I’m certain he won’t mind sending some of his security over this way, especially when he hears…what happened.” Stacy gulped. The thought of explaining this to her father made her sick. The pang of failure filled her chest.
She imagined Khan himself coming to guard her home, a dragon sitting on the front lawn. The thought would have made her laugh if not for the flashing images of Spencer and Amy in her mind.
“We need to figure this out,” she continued, then shifted her gaze to Kiera. “Most of this is coded, but Rowan and I have gotten an address from the files Amy found. It’s for a location north of here with a facility we suspect is the prime location for this Project Pack 013.”
“Sounds like a party,” Kiera drawled.
“You think it has something to do with wolves?” Miles asked.
“I hope not,” Stacy answered tightly. “But we all know how fond of wolves Victor is. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover it has something to do with those shifters.” She turned to Kiera, “I want you to investigate it from a distance and report whatever you find.”
Kiera stood, nodding. “I’ll go now.”
“You haven’t rested,” Rowan inserted, his voice cold enough to make Stacy and Kiera pause.
“I’ll be fine,” Kiera returned evenly.
Kiera did everything she could to avoid Rowan’s gaze, which perplexed Stacy. Rowan did the same. Everything had been fine between them all evening while assaulting Victor’s estate. What had changed in the past half hour? Stacy decided she didn’t have the energy to apply to their complicated relationship. Let them figure it out for themselves. For now, she had to focus on Victor.
“I’ll walk you out,” Miles offered, following Kiera after giving Rowan a mild glare. The sidhe fae didn’t seem to mind Miles’ suggestion, and soon, Stacy was alone with the dryad guardian of her home. Rowan’s expression was drawn, his gaze distant. What was he struggling with?
“This has to work,” she insisted. “I can’t… If anything goes wrong again…” Fresh tears pricked her eyes. “Will Amy be okay?”
Rowan nodded. “She will. I promise.”
Stacy’s brows furrowed. “Who did you call? Miles didn’t seem happy about it.”
Rowan sighed. “It’s a long story. I will tell you another time.”
Stacy relented, mostly because of the exhaustion sliding through her. Seeing the sorrow in her eyes, Rowan drew her into his arms. He was so much taller, and Stacy couldn’t resist the urge to bury her face in his chest and cry. She thought she had finished crying, but the floodgates opened again.
“I know it’s difficult,” Rowan murmured. “We will get through this, though. Amy will come home.”
Spencer wouldn’t. Stacy couldn’t get that thought out of her mind.
Rowan pulled back, placing strong hands on her shoulders. “Call your father to arrange security, then get some sleep. You need it.”
Stacy agreed. It was a wonder she didn’t topple over and pass out where she stood. “You, too.”
Rowan nodded. “I will.”
He walked from the room, and she pulled in a deep breath. Sleep would come soon, but first, it was time to call upon the Red Dragon.
Wraith finished her task and faded away as silently as she had arrived. Always a pleasant trip up north, she thought as the night folded around her.
In the hospital room, Amy awoke with a start. Gone was the haze and the soothing, warm feeling she’d had while asleep. She still remembered the coaxing voice and those long fingers. I didn’t imagine or dream it, she thought. It was real.
She wondered if it was drugs and the voice belonged to a nurse. Somehow, she couldn’t shake the feeling that what had happened to her was far from normal.
“Ms. Greentree?” a voice called.
Amy turned her head to see a nurse standing nearby, clipboard and pen in hand. Surprise was written on the woman’s face. “Y-yes?” Amy responded.
“You’re awake.” Not a question.
“Yes, I—how long was I out for?”
“Several hours. You were shot in your side. The doctor removed the bullet, and…” The nurse went on, but Amy couldn’t focus on what she was saying. The pain in her side had subsided completely.
