“Sahan!” Ravi shouted as the idea formed in his brain. “Sahan is a wind dragon like me. He’s smaller and just as fast as me, in both human and dragon form. He’d be perfect.”
“But Sahan is also younger than you and has spent his entire life away from the Jaeggi. He doesn’t necessarily have the same training.”
Ravi shook his head. “I can watch out for him. This is supposed to be a surveillance mission, anyway. No confrontation. If we run into any trouble, then we retreat to the castle. We’ll just be watching.”
Cameron shrugged.
“He’s right. How much trouble can they get into?” Cameron suddenly slapped his hand over his mouth, gasping as his brown eyes went wide. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I just said that. We’re talking about Ravi.”
“Not the same kind of trouble as my usual trouble.”
“I find it disturbing that you have a usual trouble,” Gunter tossed out.
“Sahan sounds like our best option for accompanying Ravi right now,” Alric said quickly, heading off any further bickering before it could start again. “I’ll speak with Sahan and Balin about the mission. If either of them thinks it is a bad idea, we’ll come up with another solution.”
“I can take Sahan’s place, Hoheit,” Gunter offered. “I am nearly as fast as Ravi and quite good at blending into crowds. I’m not noticed nearly as much as Baldewin or Warin. I also have experience with the Jaeggi.”
“You need to sleep.”
Gunter glared at Alric. “I have plenty of time to sleep. It wouldn’t be wise for Ravi to arrive in Prague before sunset. I can catch a full ten hours of sleep and still be ready to leave before then.”
“Let me speak with the wind dragons, but I will consider it.” Alric turned his attention to Ravi, frowning. “Are you sure about this?”
“Of course! I just need to grab a few things and get some location notes from Cassie. Thomas Jaeggi won’t be able to take a step in Prague without me seeing it.”
“Yes, but you will also need to tell Sora about your mission,” Alric patiently reminded him.
Ravi winced. He had not thought of that. He’d gone on countless assignments and missions for Alric. Never before had he needed to tell anyone, needed to think of their fears. The twisting knot in his stomach told him Sora wasn’t going to like this plan.
Cameron chuckled and patted his shoulder. “Good luck. He might not like it, but I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Sora did not understand.
Well, Ravi was sure that he technically did understand the importance of this mission and the fact that Ravi clearly had to be the one to go, but he was not happy about it.
“No,” Sora practically snarled as he marched toward Ravi’s private chambers and threw open the door.
Ravi had just finished explaining everything to Sora, trying to make it sound like this was going to be an incredibly simple, low-key trip to Prague with Sahan. Unfortunately, it appeared that someone had clued Sora in on who Thomas Jaeggi was.
At the mention of the mage’s name, Sora’s eyes had gone wide and he’d started marching toward Ravi’s rooms with his entire body stiff and hands balled into fists.
“Sora. Honey bear,” Ravi started again as he closed the door behind him. At least the entire castle wasn’t going to hear how Ravi had royally pissed off Sora. “This is important. It will get us closer to finding the Jaeggi and defeating them once and for all.”
Sora swung back around, his long dark hair fanning out around him almost like a cape. “Do you honestly think I don’t understand how important this is? What I want to know is, why? Why does it have to be you?”
“Because I’m the fastest and the sneakiest. Thomas Jaeggi will never know I’m there.”
“But what if he does? I’ve heard the stories of Cameron’s kidnapping, as well as the nearly fatal attack on Cassie. And the Jaeggi needed them. What do you think he will do with a dragon? It makes me sick to think of the risk you’re taking.”
“Think of what could happen if I don’t do this. How many other mages out there will suffer as Cassie did and ultimately die? What will happen to dragons and mages if the Jaeggi continue to run unchecked through the world?” Ravi quickly countered, but Sora was already shaking his head, unwilling to listen.
“So, you’re charging in there alone—”
“Not alone. I’ll have Sahan with me, most likely.”
“Sahan!” Sora spun and paced out of the parlor and into the bedroom before turning back toward Ravi. “I love Sahan like a brother. I have known him my entire life, but as a dragon he is young.”
“There’s not even a two-year age difference between us!”
“Plus, he has no real experience fighting mages, let alone the Jaeggi. At best, he’s had a couple of rough tumbles with another dragon. That does not give him the experience or training he needs to watch your back and keep you safe.”
“Then I won’t take Sahan. I’ll take Gunter with me. He’s faced off against other dragons, mages, and even the Jaeggi.”
But Ravi could see from the dark expression on Sora’s face that it wasn’t enough. “I don’t want it to be you.”
Ravi’s heart broke. He’d never seen Sora anything but calm and collected. The mage was incredibly controlled and logical; his emotions never seemed to overrule his mind. He rolled with all the strangeness filling Ravi’s life, and it never ruffled his feathers. But this appeared to be breaking his mate.
“It has to be me, honey bear. I have the best shot at succeeding without tipping off the Jaeggi. I’ll get in and out, and I won’t be hurt.”
“Yes, but you’ve already been hurt by these bastards!” Sora shouted, throwing his arm out as if motioning toward the main foyer where the explosion had occurred. “And that time, I was there to take care of you, to heal you. If something happens in Prague, who knows how long it will be before I can reach you? If you’re going, then you have to let me go with you.”
“No! Absolutely not!”
“Ravi—”
“Mages shouldn’t be anywhere near Thomas Jaeggi.” A shudder ran through Ravi, and an icy chill slithered through his veins. His dragon was on his side about this, growling at the idea of Sora coming along. “We have tried time and again to hide mages in the field, and the Jaeggi have always found them. I won’t let the Jaeggi get their hands on you. The only place you’re safe is here, at the castle.”
“And I’m supposed to let you walk into danger?”
Ravi closed the last few feet between them and wrapped Sora tightly in his arms. Sora hugged him back with a fierceness that would have cracked the ribs of a normal human.
“I just found you,” Sora whispered in a shaky voice. “They’ve already hurt you, and I can’t stand the idea of letting you out of my sight. Not so soon. I love you, Ravi. I can’t lose you.”
Turning his face into Sora’s throat, Ravi nuzzled him, breathing his scent in deeply, as if he could hold that part of his lover in his lungs forever. “I love you too, and you won’t lose me. I’m too fast for anyone to catch me.”