“Jenny.” Renay gripped her sister’s hand as hard as she dared. “Did I have a Preor fetish? At all?”
Her sister glanced away, uncomfortably. “No. I have to admit you didn’t. Plenty of girls at school do. They never stop talking about it. Some of them tried to sneak into the Choosing.”
“Kira was hoping for a match. You know that. Susan was just happily rolling with it with no expectations. But I just went to have a fun night. Sure, the idea of getting picked by a dragon was a big part of the excitement, but before that I never really talked about the Preor, did I?”
“No,” Jenny admitted. “You didn’t. I’ve seen too many girls obsessed with the dragons. I know how different you are to them. They constantly watch webcasts and read magazine articles gleaning all the information they can.”
“Exactly. One of them might be able to fake this, but I can’t. I just don’t know enough about them.”
Jenny looked away, sighing. Renay yanked on her hand, making her sister look up sharply.
“I’m not imagining this, Jenny.”
“I know you aren’t. But the doctor is so sure—”
“He’s wrong,” Renay’s voice was flat. “Anyone can be wrong, even a doctor. He doesn’t understand the situation. We have to do something, Jen.”
“Well, you’re getting better, so just wait it out—”
“No, Jen. I’m not getting better. I won’t heal until I’m with him.”
“The doctor said you have stabilized.”
“Yes. But I can’t fully recover until I’m with him. The Knowing sickness is starting to wear on me. I can’t recover from things that aren’t going to heal without my mate.”
Jenny frowned, looking truly concerned.
“The more you talk about it, the more I see that you know things now you didn’t know before.” Jenny shook her head. “Something is definitely going on here.”
“I can see him.”
Renay blinked, seeing strange images in her mind. Some of them were long panes of glass, viewing the bay from the heights of Tau Tower. Some images were the sky or the ship. She could feel him, but she could not see his face.
“He’s back in the city,” she whispered. “Maybe on the ship. His mind is full of discipline and duty. I know where he is.”
“Really?” Jenny was genuinely curious. “How do you know it’s him? What’s the difference between a dream and reality?”
“It feels real. That’s all I know,” Renay said, closing her eyes to immerse herself in the colorful clouds of the Preor sky. “This is nothing like a fantasy or a vivid dream. I’m there Jen, I’m actually with him, a part of him. I have a longing inside me that was never there before. You know I didn’t care about getting married.”
Jenny laughed. “Yeah, I remember. All the seniors in your class called you ‘Old Spinster’ at the prom because you never had a boyfriend.”
“I had a few.” Renay grinned.
“Yeah, but you always went back to your books!” They both laughed because it was true. Renay had been far more interested in becoming a librarian than she had in going to college or getting married.
“So, Jen. Do you really think after all these years I’d suddenly turn around and decide I want to give up my life to chase a dragon? To be partnered?”
Her sister went to answer, hesitating, but then she frowned.
“Look, I don’t know. I believe you, Nay-Nay. I really do. But a knock on the head can really scramble you up. Remember when I got knocked out in that hockey game and I woke up thinking I was an ice cream vendor?”
Renay giggled. “Yes. You woke up and tried to sell me three cones of hokey pokey.”
“See? When did I give a damn about selling ice cream? It’s not my life’s calling. But for three days I was absolutely determined I was going to drive an ice cream van around the neighborhood for the rest of my life.”
“I get it.” Renay sighed. She was relieved to have someone beside her she loved, someone who could comfort her through these long hours. Her sister’s words snuck through her defenses, filling her with doubt. Head injuries could do strange things, and she had been at the choosing. Maybe her brain was falling back on its recent stimulus.
The Knowing fought back. It surged through her veins and skin, making her feel like she was unraveling all at once. The images of Preor and the knowledge of their code was something she simply couldn’t have imagined. In a lot of ways, it would be easier to believe her sister and the healing master.
But she knew she wouldn’t get better without her mate. That was standing between her and believing them.
“Jen,” she said, softly. “I’m not making this up. That’s why they call it the Knowing. I know.”
“Nay.” Jenny shook her head. “I want to believe you. But where is he?”
“Something is blocking the Knowing,” Renay said, without thinking. “I know he is in the tower, maybe even back on the ship by now. He has to be able to sense me, but he hasn’t been hit by the Knowing full force yet.” She looked into her sister’s eyes, begging her to understand.
“Okay,” Jenny breathed. “I’ll do some hunting. How I’m going to do that, I have no clue. Maybe I could talk to Sasha. She’s still hanging around. She might be able to help.”
“Okay.” Renay nodded. “That’s a start. Thank you.”
“The healing master said he would be here if it was real. Nothing would keep him from you.”
“He’s wrong,” Renay said, flatly. “I can feel my mate. I know he’s out there.”
“Okay.” Jenny smiled and stroked her forehead again. “I’ll look. I promise.”
Renay started to drop off to sleep, wrapping herself in her dreams of Preor again. She understood their reluctance to believe her. She knew how preposterous an idea it was that he wasn’t by her side.
Renay could feel him with every beat of her heart, even while it was breaking. Her entire world was narrowing down to one single thought.
Why can’t he feel me?
And, as sleep took over, he was there. And they sailed off into the sky.
Chapter Eleven
Tyff struggled in darkness. He felt like his hands were caught in thick, sticky webs. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t fly. He couldn’t shift.
Someone stroked his wings through the chaos. Even though the touch was pleasurable, he resisted. The bonds that held him frightened him so much that he couldn’t take any joy in the sensation. He struggled and as he thrust himself away from the webs that held him, he struck out with both hands.
Tyff let out a sharp yelp as he struck the floor. He must have lunged so hard in his dream he literally threw himself out of bed.
“Are you all right, Tyff?” Penelope managed to sound sarcastic and sympathetic at the same time.
“I’m okay.” Tyff was still getting used to the AI addressing him personally. She had decided he was in a position of leadership, and since Vende was practically ignoring her, she was making Tyff her new best friend.
“Vende is in the dining area. Shall I teleport you?”