Page 22 of Smoke

“Fair enough. But she wouldn’t know exactly where we are. It’s a chain of mountains, after all.”

She tapped her fingers on the inside of the passenger door. “If I know my sister, she would most likely think back to how long it took to get home. That would at least give her an idea of how far she needed to go.”

“It’s pretty thin.”

“But it’s a start. And she’s desperate. So, it’s likely that she knows she has to cross through Roanoke to get to the other side of the city. She wouldn’t stop until she put at least the entire city between herself and the clan.”

“So, we should search the roads between the city and the mountains.”

“It’s a start, right? Hotels, motels, truck stops, service plazas. Whatever you come across. I’m going to need to concentrate on seeing or feeling her.”

The dragon roared its approval. Hurry. Find her. Claim her. She’s ours to protect.

Yes, and I would do a better job of it from that point forward. My jaw was set in a hard, determined line as I pulled out onto a side road which I knew would eventually lead to the highway.

Traffic was never a problem around the mountain’s base, though it would pick up once we got closer to civilization. I felt comfortable putting on a little speed—and it felt good to drive fast. My hands tightened on the wheel.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Jasmine reminded me. She sat with her eyes closed, head leaning back against the seat.

“What question? Sorry, I was a little busy trying to keep us alive back there.”

She snickered. “I asked whether you think this is safe.”

“Safe enough, right? We made it through in one piece.”

“I wasn’t talking about the trip down the mountain. I meant is it safe for you to leave the cave? Have you ever done it before?”

“I’ve made trips to the city when we needed things. Electronics, mostly. Generator equipment.”

“But you’ve never spent long stretches of time away from your family.”

The reminder put a damper on my adrenaline rush. “That’s true. I’m sure it’ll be fine. All the more reason for you to concentrate on your sister.”

She didn’t answer—a look at her from the corner of my eye told me she was back to focusing on Alina.

I drove on in silence, while the dragon told me not to worry about the family or the treasure.

We were finally back to taking care of what mattered. Our mate.

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