Whelon had never been in this situation before, but the fury in his own veins rose to meet Dawn’s words. He knelt and held out his hand.
“May I?” He looked to both Jarek and Melissa for permission. Melissa nodded and Jarek looked away. It was easy to see that the fierce warrior was devastated that he could not help his mate at this time.
As Whelon’s hands skimmed Melissa’s belly, fire rose inside. The rage of his own dragon rose in answer, and it was as if both dragons joined together in a roaring fury.
“Yes,” Dawn whispered, speaking for the dragonlet. “You know me. You know my frustration. I need to be somewhere else, but I can’t be there. I don’t know how to get there.”
Shivers ran up Whelon’s spine as the true strength of Dawn’s talents washed over him. She read the dragonlet, speaking for it. He knew she was gifted but he had never met a heart master who could do such a thing as this.
Whelon sighed and spoke the words he himself needed to hear. “Patience, little one. We all arrive where we are destined to be if we but let time show us the path.” As he stepped back, he sensed only a small flare of anger from the dragonlet, but he knew it wasn’t enough, not yet. “Dawn, join the baby to his mother emotionally, if you can. Show the young one how much Melissa is hurting and try to settle him that way.”
“It’s a good idea, Whelon.” Dawn nodded, her hand still on Melissa’s belly.
“Does anyone mind if I check on my clinic on Farthing Street?” He was worried about the people in that poor neighborhood, thinking about the Preor warriors he had left in charge and wondering if they were up to the tasks. He also knew it was a pale excuse for getting somewhere he may run into Sasha.
“Don’t be long,” Chashan requested of him. “I want you to help with Delaney’s scan results and possibly assist me with Charlie.”
Whelon shuddered. He would do a great deal to get out of that task. He waved to the others and then retraced his path back to the roof of Preor Tower.
Fly, fly, fly…
He reached the top of the building and shifted as he leapt from the roof of the tower. His massive wings braced on the currents and he twisted in the sky as he headed for the outskirts of the city. He was relieved to release his beast, if only for a short flight. He made directly for the clinic, landing on a nearby street. He had to stop and take several deep breaths before he could stride up to the clinic.
I’m not even me anymore, he thought with some fear. I’m merely a shell waiting for Sasha to make me whole.
In truth, he always had been a shell. The difference now was his awareness of his state.
Daylight was just breaking over the land as he reached the clinic entrance. He was impressed by the work the others had done, putting up temporary buildings and setting up a food store where people could eat for free. He was even more impressed to see clothes and other useful items being handed out to the humans.
A few warriors waved to him and he sensed the numbness easing, just a little. This should prove to the humans that they were compassionate and caring, and that they meant humanity no harm.
Further down the street was a news crew and a small crowd of people who pointed and shouted, and he smiled. This was the best possible thing to have happened. Now they had footage of Preor males selflessly helping those in need. It was exactly the image they required.
Whelon went on about his work, checking on old patients and seeing new ones. Even though the fire still burned him from within, he was content for now, for a short time at least. All the good work they did would only help him get Sasha sooner and that was his only goal.
Sasha.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sasha blinked slowly, stretching out her arms to find cool, crisp sheets beneath her palms. She groaned against the inevitability of getting up, wishing she could sleep for a few more hours. She had endured so much over the last week that a rest day was more than overdue.
She sat up, pushed her blankets down and grabbed a robe. She hardly remembered arriving home last night. Her mother had chattered relentlessly in the car, but Sasha had merely kept her mouth shut and remained silent. She wanted to approach her mother calmly, her words chosen with great care.
She had been living beneath her mother’s rule for so long that she knew it was going to be difficult to keep her anger in check. Now that she looked back with the gift of hindsight, she was angry about a great many things. She could see her mother’s manipulation in every single childhood memory.
Even Jenna’s explanation of her father’s abandonment—that he walked out and left them without a backward glance when Sasha was two—seemed suspect now. Maybe her mother had taken her away from him. Maybe he had fought for her and wanted her to have a life of her own.
Sasha realized she was romanticizing and brought herself down quickly. She wanted to sort through her emotions so she could have it out with her mother rationally. It was time to prove she really was a capable adult and fully able to manage her own affairs.
She hurried to the shower, continuously rehearsing what she was going to say in her mind. She practiced her lines, making them as convincing as possible.
Maybe if I can convince myself, I can convince her, she thought. Even though Sasha worked herself up to the big conversation with admirable strength, a part of her whispered it was all a useless endeavor.
Her mother wasn’t going to listen. She would only hear what she wanted and would just find worse ways of working her will on her daughter. Sasha hated her inner voice because… because it sounded far too close to the truth.
Sasha dressed in a smart pantsuit and strode from her bedroom feeling like a soldier destined for the front lines. She would never be more ready to face off against her mother than she was at that moment. She had her own game plan as well. She already made a list of every single celebrity, media crew, and reporter she knew.
She hadn’t realized how much influence she had in the industry until she began putting together a list of names. She was going to pull as many of them behind her as she could and do a piece on the Preor aliens by herself. She knew some people believed she was biased. Too many extremists were listening to her mother and using her “evidence” as an excuse to attack the Preor warriors.
And they want to talk to me about bias, she thought with frustration.
If she called in every single media person, she knew some would be able to give balanced information. She might even have the courage to talk to the protestors and discover why they hated the Preor so strongly.
Yes. Draw out both sides and try for a real discussion.
She was full of hope as she entered the living room of the apartment. She didn’t hear her mother moving around, and she wasn’t in the kitchen fixing breakfast. Even though it was odd for her mother not to be present, Sasha passed off the thought.
Maybe she had to run to the store for more fat-free, low calorie tasteless wheat sticks to punish me with, she thought furiously. She knew her mother wasn’t going to “let” her eat any decent food for a while. Sasha thought about going out for a huge lunch after they had their discussion. She wasn’t a slave to her mother’s whims anymore and she refused to act like one.
Her mouth watered as she imagined a massive bacon and egg roll dripping with spicy sauce. Or maybe a croissant soaked in butter. There were so many delicious foods she had never tried because her mother said they were bad for her figure.