“That’s a lot of micromanaging.”

“Micromanaging the people here is how we keep everything running smoothly,” Melina admits with a grimace. She sips her coffee, and for a moment, she looks tired. “I know it’s controlling, but we want to be very careful with the reintroduction of pets. We want it to be overseen to ensure both dogs and children are safe, and throwing my husband’s name into the mix is the easiest way to do it.”

I down the rest of my coffee. “I understand. I’ll talk to Aggie and tell her to speak with you about it. What about Jonah’s dog? Will that need to be run through Lord Azar, too?”

“We can say that Jonah’s dog was payment for Samir’s services for your sick friend.”

I nod. I’m doing lots of nodding as we talk. Melina really has thought through everything, and it all makes sense in a terrible sort of way. Forts aren’t completely awful, but for every good person, there’s also someone desperate and unhappy. People with nothing to lose can do unpredictable things. “Thank you for being willing to work with us on this. I didn’t realize that the puppies would be such an issue.”

“I think they’ll bring great joy to a place that needs some joy,” Melina says. “But we want to make sure it remains joy and doesn’t turn into tragedy. It’s a very generous idea, and if you’ve got more generous ideas, we’d love to hear them. I know it seems like we’re the bad guys, given that Azar is Salorian, but he and I are truly committed to making this fort prosperous.”

I think about the book in my bag, the one about farming. I think about the cow herd. They could probably drive the cattle closer to the fort, and someone here could tend to them. A source of meat and dairy for those that live here? Melina and Azar would be interested for sure.

But…I don’t say anything. “I’ll talk with my mate. See what he thinks.” And because I want to change the subject before I give up information I shouldn’t, I shoot Gwen a teasing glance. “You should have said something, by the way.”

The look she gives me is utterly blank. “About…what?”

“The mental connection between mates? I thought it wasn’t there anymore at all. That’s what Murr said.”

Suddenly both women are intently trained in on me. “Wait. You mean to tell me you and Murtades can speak telepathically?” Gwen asks, her eyes wide. “How?”

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 110

DAKOTA

Both women stare at me like I’ve grown another head.

“You still have a mental link to your mate?” Gwen asks, her expression a mixture of both surprise and vague hurt. “How is that possible?”

“I…I don’t know how it’s possible. The same as all other mental links, right? We only met after the Rift closed, and Murr was convinced that he was cut off from everyone entirely. We mated just because it was important to share each other’s traditions.” I touch my neck, thinking of his bite. “We didn’t think it would do anything. But after a while, we noticed that each other’s thoughts were leaking… It’s hard to explain.”

“Try,” Gwen presses. Her hands are clasped under her chin, and she leans in against the table, intent. “I want to know what you’re doing.”

I feel weird about this. They’ve been mated to their dragons for much longer than I’ve been with Murr. How is it that no one else has noticed the thought swapping? “We didn’t think we had a connection, but I noticed after a while that we kept ‘guessing’ what the other was thinking. Then I’d notice that a thought would cross my mind that didn’t feel like me, or would think of things in a way that I didn’t. It wasn’t until I was in danger and Murr showed up without me saying a thing that we realized he’d somehow known that I was in trouble. He’d picked up on my fear and came to the rescue. After that, we tested things.

“We tried a blindfold to see if removing one of the senses helped us lock in to what the other person was thinking. I don’t think we believed at first that we were really connected, but the blindfold allowed us to realize that it really was a thing.” I touch my temple. “It’s not like speaking to each other directly. It’s more that you’re sensing what the other person is thinking or feeling. You have to really lock in to it…but not, if that makes sense. The more you focus in on trying to hear, the more you won’t hear anything. It’s almost like you have to meditate and let down your barriers. I only ‘feel’ what Murr is thinking when I’m not expecting it, and it’s not every time.”

“But it’s something,” Gwen says softly.

“You used a blindfold?” Melina asks. “Can you tell us exactly what you did?”

Blushing, I try to recount how we tested things without getting into the nitty gritty of our sex life. My explanation is weak, but the two women are thoughtful once I finish talking. They exchange a look.

“You don’t believe me,” I state, noticing their expressions. “I don’t blame you, but I’m not lying.”

“I believe you,” Melina says, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s just that I don’t know if it’s going to work for everyone. Some of the drakoni have stronger mental connections than others, my husband says. It stands to reason that some might have their thoughts leaking through even if they’re not connected like they were before the Rift.”

“There’s one way to find out,” I joke. “Get a blindfold and test your partner.”

“I hope you’re right,” Gwen says, her face thoughtful. “We’ve tried so many times to get in touch through the mental link like we used to and it’s never worked.”

“We never had a mental link in the past,” I say. “Maybe that’s how we were able to notice the little things. We never had anything to miss.”

“And maybe that’s how we’re overlooking it,” Gwen agrees. She fiddles with a lock of her hair, considering. “I’m going to give it a try. I miss feeling him. I can’t imagine what it’s like for the drakoni, being completely cut off like that. I know it’s necessary because the Rift was making them crazed, but it hurts to lose that closeness…”

I nod, thinking about Murr and how devastated he was to not have a link to the other drakoni. How he’d been in hiding, surrounding himself with cats because he’d thought he was broken the whole time. It took meeting Thess and realizing that all of the drakoni were suffering from the lack of connection to heal his emotions.

He’s never been broken. He’s just been muted, like a radio dial turned all the way down. “Just get a blindfold and get your mate and give it a try,” I tell them. “And don’t chase it. Just let it happen.”

“Like an orgasm,” Gwen says.

All three of us break into laughter.

I wonder if Murr can feel my happiness in this moment, and my love for him. I hope that he does.

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 111

DAKOTA

It takes another week for Samir to declare Dottie almost fully recovered. She stays at the fort and in bed the entire time, and Samir (and Rabbit) monitor her constantly. Dottie fusses the entire time, but she gets a lot of her knitting done, and by the end of the week, she’s cracking jokes and demanding people entertain her, and I think she secretly enjoys the attention.

Since she’s bedridden for a full week, we bake her birthday corn-cake one night, wrap her presents, and bring the celebration to the fort the next day. She loves all of it, but most of all, the tiny, ridiculous antique teacups. “Reminds me of my mama’s good china,” Dottie tells us, clutching one of the cups close to her heart. “It makes your tea taste better. You watch.”