Page 251 of Red Marked

I can’t.

If Jett taught me anything, it’s this: I will not accept less than I deserve. Not from him, not from anyone.

Not even from Flint.

69

Flint

The females are spread across the whole yard in T-shirts. My team is somewhere in the middle of them. Rex is showing Willow something on his phone. Saber has two females hanging off him and doesn’t look like he minds. Somebody has liberated a tray of donuts from the canteen, and it’s going around. Brian is trying to hand out instructions to people who are not listening.

Dr. Pryce works his way through in his best suit, shaking hands as he goes. He gets to the front, turns to face them, and clears his throat. Nobody hears him, so he tries again. Atlas puts two fingers in his mouth, whistles, and the yard goes quiet.

“Ladies.” Pryce straightens his tie. “I won’t keep you. You’ve been kept long enough.” A few of them laugh. “This facility exists to bring dragons home. I have never been prouder to say so than I am right now. Go well. Your families are waiting.”

That’s it. Short and, for Alastair, surprisingly sweet. There’s a cheer. Raven throws her arms around him, and he turns pink. He pats her back until she lets go.

Star is over at the fence with Rift. They’re talking together. Star looks up, finds me across the yard, and lifts a hand.

I lift mine.

That’s all. She doesn’t come over, and I don’t go to her. We said everything there was to say earlier. There’s nothing left.

“Draiger.”

Scarlet has come up next to me. Her red markings show below the sleeves of her borrowed shirt. Her arms are folded.

“Hi, Scarlet.”

“I want to thank you. Properly this time. Not on a mountain in the middle of the night with snot running down my face.” She looks at the yard. “You got us home. You didn’t have to do any of this.”

“Yes, I did.”

“No. You didn’t.” She turns her head to look at me. “Thank you. I also wanted you to know that I think you’re crazy letting her go.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“That over there is one hell of a female.” She looks over at Star.

“She most certainly is.”

“See you around.” She touches the side of my arm and walks back to the group.

Star is now with Brian, who is doing the talking, and Star is nodding along and patting his arm.

Dane sets the screen up, and there’s the usual sorting. Males one way, females the other, Brian facing a wall with his hands over his eyes. Then the pad fills with wings and tails, and the females lift off in twos and threes. Star goes up last, silver in the sun, and doesn’t circle. Atlas and his group climb after them, and behind Atlas are six border patrol guards in their scales, cleared to escort the whole flight straight through to Mistveil City. No stopping at the office. No papers and certainly no questions.

It’s all been authorized.

I stand on the tarmac and watch until they’re specks. Then until they’re not even that.

I go inside. I’ve been at my desk long enough to open one email when my cell phone rings.

It’s Magma.

I groan and swipe a hand over my face.

I could let it ring, but he’ll only call back, so I answer.