“I don’t like it.”
She gazed steadily back at him, and he seemed to read the question in her eyes. What do you want to do? She’d deal with whatever decision he made.
He searched her expression then shook his head, though she got the impression that was more at himself than at her. “Let’s go.”
Rune gave her the lead. She’d been here, coming in secretly, before. He hadn’t. So the plan was for her to use the same path, with his help, and with a bit of a twist on her previous method. Rune had shown her a few tricks on moving more silently and staying downwind, among other things.
Using what he’d made her practice every time they landed on the way here, Hadyn scaled her way carefully up the side of the mountain to a small ridge that was the location of one of the back doors to this particular mountain. She made sure to come at it more from the side, away from the cameras that focused on the entrance.
A finger to her lips, she pointed in the direction she wanted him to go, right at a small lip caused by a jutting boulder behind which he could hide, as they’d also discussed. Then pointed to herself and up.
If he wasn’t in silent mode, she’d bet his teeth would be popping right now. As it stood, the muscles of his jaw were corded, he was clenching so hard. Rune had not liked this part of the plan from the minute she suggested it. He hadn’t come up with anything better, either, so his protests were overruled by the others and Hadyn.
She’d be out of sight for only a short time…and he hated it. He wanted to keep her, to make her his. Despite being more capable than most people she’d encountered in life, there was a space in her heart that his need to keep her safe filled up. Like she hadn’t been entirely whole without him. A lock and key, fitting together nicely.
If she hadn’t known that the mark on her neck showed a green dragon and Kip’s family line, she might have even wondered if Rune was her mate.
Even if he isn’t, I would still choose him.
The realization tried its best to knock the wind from her. She paused in reaching for her first handhold to climb up and managed to remain silent and still, not giving away their position, but inside she was struggling with the overpowering thought crowding her mind, drowning everything else out.
What a time to realize she was falling for Rune Abaddon. Though, in retrospect, she should’ve known already.
Rune must’ve caught a hint of her struggle because he managed to frown and ask a question with his face all at the same time.
“You okay?” he thought at her.
Gods above. It was ridiculous to want to dry hump the man just for checking if she was okay.
Later. Humping comes later.
Lots of humping. For now, she went up on tip toe and planted a swift, sweet kiss on his surprised lips.
“What was that for?”
She shrugged, then turned away and started scaling the steeper incline of the rock face that would lead her up and around the top of the entrance. Almost immediately, Rune was out of her sight. She’d warned him this would take a little time. The rock here tended to be looser, breaking away, which was both dangerous as a climber if she wasn’t careful, especially in the dark, but also would cause noise that the dragons manning the mountain might want to investigate.
Despite the urgency to get this done pushing at her mind to speed up, Hadyn made sure every single move was deliberate and carefully executed. By the time she reached the top where she could stand more upright, her arms were starting to burn.
She gave them a couple shakes. Usually she climbed faster, not hanging in each position so long. This time she was free climbing. Her normal equipment ran the risk of being detected. If she slipped, she’d be a twisted heap of dead human lying the forty-some-odd feet below where the ground flattened out a bit.
Very carefully, she planted her hands at the lip of the boulder and leaned over the edge to look straight down—right into black flaming eyes that didn’t even light up his face. She only saw them because she knew where to search.
Extracting a tiny penlight from one of the pockets on her hiking pants, she positioned her hand, then nodded so he could see.
“On my count,” his voice sounded in her head. Soft, almost as though he was whispering even though no one else could hear.
She nodded again.
“One. Two. Three.”
Hadyn clicked the end of the penlight and shined it directly into the lens of the camera hidden right where she was. The night-sensitive lens would flare bright on the monitors inside. Rune moved at the same time, staying out of the line of sight of the other two cameras, and tucking himself away in the blind spot she’d created for him.
Or she assumed he did. She couldn’t see him at all. Not even the eyes.
But she caught the barely there shoosh of the solid rock door sliding back. It had taken her six days of careful surveillance to catch the code that they input on a small hidden panel to one side. A code she’d shared with Rune. This particular Alaz mountain back door was human sized instead of dragon sized. A fact she found interesting, given the last two dragon mountains she’d been in.
“I’m in,” came his thought.
Removing the pen, she checked her watch and waited. Five minutes hadn’t seemed a lot when they’d discussed it. After all, he had to make his way up a ridiculously long tunnel. She’d tried to insist that he needed more time to get closer to the dungeons. The Alaz had built their headquarters into a series of peaks, making the inside a labyrinth. Rune hadn’t acted too concerned, both with the maze of halls he was about to encounter or with the short time.
Another glance at her watch showed only one minute had passed.
Five minutes is eternity.
“I’m still going.”
The bands slowly tightening around her ribs loosened a fraction, but she wouldn’t breathe easy until this was all over. Though this part, not being able to see him, this was way worse than she’d feared.
Fricking feelings.
What was it about a stressful situation that put ill-timed realizations in her head, anyway? As if adrenaline made her think more clearly.
She checked the watch again and shifted around, ready for her next move. Positioned in a crouch with her back to the drop, she counted down in her head.
“Go,” Rune’s voice sounded as she hit zero.
Gripping the edge of the ledge, she lowered herself to dangle over the side, then dropped the ten feet or so to lightly land right in front of the door. Every one of those three cameras could see her now. Deliberately she acted dazed and confused, as though she was searching for something she wasn’t sure was there or not. Then she pretended to huddle in a corner, arms wrapped around her middle, and waited. She hoped she appeared despondent enough. Acting was never one of her gifts. She always felt ridiculous.