Page 35 of All's Fair in Lion and War
His life was better because they were in it.
The human women and human-turned-Reylean women were the best part of this world. Fate’s magick hadn’t abandoned them. That their world’s magick had followed them through the portals on Exodus Day was a blessing none of them could describe.
They’d truly found a place and people to call home.
“I let them know where we’re headed. They haven’t checked in yet, but it hasn’t been that long.”
Col nodded and drove across the bridge north out of town.
A half mile down the road, the street forked. It was difficult to see with so much snow, but he knew every gnarled tree and misshapen rock now.
He took the left, the way they took every time. The road that led toward Denali. Toward the cabins. Toward the wilderness outside of Mystery. Toward home.
He pulled the truck off the road a few feet, not enough to get stuck in a drift. The pickup behind him with the others in it, also pulled over and stopped. He would send Owen with Henrietta to the Community Center after they met the dragon tribe.
Owen and Saul got out of the black truck, leaving a fuming Henrietta steaming in the back seat. He and Tor and Ryder stepped out into the white frozen landscape and leaned against the side of the red truck together.
And waited for the dragon’s to come.
12
Saul
“Did he say how many?” Saul watched the road for any sign of a vehicle. The darkening sky clear and the ground was solid white, reflecting what little light remained from the setting sun.
A normal day in January for Mystery.
New thick blanketing snow. There would be more. It would fall for months still, but it hadn’t for a while and most of it on the ground currently was packed hard on the roads. If you walked a few feet off of them though, you would sink through the frozen top at least to your waist.
“No, he just said Tribe.” Col’s heat flared and the snow around his boots started to melt away.
“You will make a hole in the road,Vraka.” He pointed to the ground and flashed the dragon a watch-your-heat-level smile.
Col growled, frustration coming out in a foggy breath, but the dragon did calm himself enough to stop melting a hole in the ice on the side of the road.
They waited there at least another half hour before the sound of an engine made all five of them stand more at attention.
“What’s going on? Is the weird guy back?” Henrietta shouted out a window she’d rolled down.
“Owen.” The name was ground out like gravel under a tire.
“On it.” The bear shifter moved quickly to close the window on the truck.
A large grey suburban drove past them and pulled off a few yards away. Then a black pickup, and a large white van. And blue pickup after that.
“Dalmeck.”The word was whispered by Tor, but Saul felt the same sentiment. This many dragons in one place was a recipe for a lot of fire and death. Also, what would possess Rivian to steal from dragons?
No one stole from dragons. Except, maybe, other dragons.
Men poured from the vehicles along with a few women. Saul counted twenty-seven. “There are…”
“Twenty-seven,” Col said. “I know. I counted too.”
Novik was at the head of the approaching group.
Col walked forward like he was king of the world and Novik was his best friend. They clasped arms, put their foreheads together. But the tension in the air was tight as the rest of the group fanned out on the frozen road.
“My men are ready to hunt. Are the lions here you wish us to meet?”
