“If you wish to return to the castle—” Ravi started, but Sahan jumped up from his chair, his face flushed.
“I’m not leaving you!”
Ravi smiled broadly at his cousin.
“I know. I’m just saying that we could both use a break, get some real sleep for once. I was beginning to think maybe Hoheit could send a replacement for you, and I could show that person around for a day, make sure they understand what to expect, before my replacement shows up.”
Sahan shook his head, dropping into his chair at their tiny table. “No. Not a chance. We came to Prague together, and we’re leaving together.”
He should have expected that answer. Over the past several days, Ravi had gotten to know his cousin much better. He was pleased to discover that they shared a lighthearted and easygoing temperament. Sahan was also fiercely loyal and devoted, which only made Ravi all the prouder to call him family.
Once their lives were more settled and the Jaeggi were taken care of, Ravi looked forward to taking a long trip to visit Sahan and the other wind dragons. It would also give his soon-to-be in-laws a chance to coddle him. They were pretty freaking amazing.
Ravi’s phone pinged with an incoming text, and Sahan’s echoed it a second later. Picking up his phone, he wasn’t surprised to see a message from Cassie, stating that Thomas was on the move again. He glanced at the time as he was silencing his phone to find it was already after one in the morning.
A low groan rattled up his throat. He’d lost track of time completely while eating with Sahan. One of them should have been trying to catch a few minutes of sleep.
Rubbing his burning, bleary eyes, Ravi shoved his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. “Ready?”
“Yeah. Does this guy not believe in sleep?”
“Maybe he has insomnia,” Ravi murmured. He grabbed a light jacket and led the way out of the little hotel room and down the back stairs. They were trying to avoid people as much as possible. It was better all around if no one saw them.
He was confident that Thomas had yet to notice their presence. Not only were they keeping completely out of sight, but Lisette and the other mages had loaded them up with various charms and spells to block any hint of magic from being picked up. He was more concerned about Thomas hearing them clanking from the many items knocking together as they moved.
Once out of the hotel, it didn’t take them long to pick up Thomas’s trail. At this hour, few businesses were open, and he was prone to walking to a few particular places.
And tonight, he was going back to the one that appeared to be his favorite—the Charles Bridge. He rarely walked there during the day when it was full of tourists and would have been easier for Ravi and Sahan to blend into the crowd. No, of course, the bastard preferred to go walking in the dead of night when there was usually no one else on the pedestrian bridge crossing from Old Town toward the Prague Castle.
It was one of the trickiest places to follow Thomas because they were very exposed. Each crossing, they had to choose between letting him get far ahead of them—and risk losing him—or staying closer and darting from massive statue to massive statue to hide. Not ideal in the least.
Shame the Jaeggi was mucking up Ravi’s memories of the Charles Bridge. It had been years since he’d last been to Prague, but he’d always enjoyed wandering around Old Town, eating yummy food, and marveling at the astronomical clock. He loved Prague Castle’s vastness, though he thought Burkhard Castle was prettier.
His favorite, though, was Charles Bridge with its towering statues of saints. It was a shame there were no statues of dragons or great mages on the bridge. They would have definitely helped to protect visitors.
But after the Dragon War, there seemed to be a shortage of dragon statues in the world.
All the same, he would have liked to walk this bridge with Sora, pointing out his favorite saint statues.
Ravi shook his head, trying to clear away thoughts of his mate. He needed to focus. There would be time enough to come here with his sweet honey bear.
The night was cool for summer, which the fire dragons would have enjoyed. That thought sent a wave of homesickness through Ravi, nearly making him trip. A few thin tendrils of fog clawed their way up from the river, and some of the sidewalks were wet from shopkeepers cleaning the area in front of their stores. Most of the lights were extinguished, except for the old wrought-iron lamps casting down a warm yellow glow against the encroaching gloom.
The night held a grim spookiness, as if something were watching from the shadows as they followed Thomas.
The midnight-blue sky twinkled overhead with pinpoints of stars. A few thin black clouds slithered by, seemingly on a late evening stroll over the city. A couple other people were walking across the bridge, heading toward Old Town. They spoke loudly, and there was a whiff of alcohol on the air. Likely tourists enjoying a night out.
As they had before, Ravi slunk slowly along the north side of the bridge, while Sahan stayed to the south side. They paused, allowing Thomas to get a good distance ahead of them while still keeping him in sight. They remained close to the statues, trying to sink into their shadows for cover.
If Thomas followed his usual route, they’d cross the bridge and meander toward Prague Castle before turning back toward Old Town and his flat. Thomas was giving no indication that tonight would be any different.
Passing by St. John of Nepomuk, Ravi ran his hand along the pedestal, hoping that whatever luck the old saint was tossing around would hit him. Not that he knew what that luck looked like. Maybe it would prevent himself and Sahan from being discovered? Or make Thomas finally lead them to a meeting of the Jaeggi?
They slowly crossed the bridge. The sounds of the river Vltava splashing and breaking on the banks and against the stonework rose up in the silence of the early morning hours. They could hear only Thomas’s steady footsteps as they darted from statue to statue, trying to get through the yellow circles of light that dotted the bridge.
When they were three-quarters of the way across the bridge, Thomas suddenly stopped in the middle of the path. Ravi froze, his heart leaping into his throat. This was new. Had they made a sound and given themselves away?
Ravi quickly glanced over at Sahan to find him crouched beside a statue of St. Joseph. He shrugged at Ravi, indicating that he didn’t know why Thomas was suddenly stopping.
“Really? I deserve better than this,” Thomas called out.
A chill ran up Ravi’s spine, but he still didn’t move. Who was Thomas talking to?
That question was answered when Thomas suddenly turned around and looked directly at Ravi. He knew they were there.
“You’ve been following me for…what? Five days? Have you discovered what you need?” The man’s voice was deep and taunting, slicing through Ravi.
He’d been sure that Thomas had never spotted them, never sensed them with magic.
Moving away from the statue, Ravi took a few careful steps closer to Thomas, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. Five days of lurking and sneaking. Five days without his mate. Five days without fucking sleep.
“How?” he demanded.
Thomas barked out an ugly laugh. “You think I can’t smell a dragon?”
Sahan moved over to Ravi’s side, his cousin practically vibrating with rage.
“It doesn’t matter. We’ve watched your every step, known about your every move.”