CHAPTER 7
APOLLO
My left shoulder trembles with the effort of keeping my wounded wing flapping. Every time I do it, pain shoots through my body, making me wince, a growl curling inside my chest. I keep going, looking over my shoulder, and my dragon stays on high alert as we fly over the mountains and lower ourselves into clan lands.
Fucking hell, this one was close.
Moonlight bathes my black scales, but I can't admire the beauty of it. Blood drips from the wound, and it's taking a long time to heal. Every time the muscle and skin try to stitch together, a flap of my wings opens it up again. I should stop and let it heal, but I can't. There's no way to be sure they aren't after me.
Damned New Council. All I needed was a chance to get into my apartment to pull out the old notes I had on the Collector. Just to make sure I hadn't missed a thing. And they were freaking waiting. They were too many, too well prepared. I didn't stand a chance, not alone, not when Ren was back in the house, unable to enter the clan territory without me if I failed to return. I ran, but my speed wasn't enough, not even in my dragon's form.
And I thought the Collector would want to keep my mate. Cassandra is unique, her power rare, but he apparently has other plans. The agents who came after me made it clear — they knew I’d come back to my apartment because the Collector was holding an auction. The New Council knew to wait for me because I would go back for information.
At first, I thought an auction would give me the chance I need to rescue her. I have no idea where the Collector lives, but if she leaves with someone… That would give me a proper shot at getting her back.
The painful truth is that if the Collector sells her off, it’ll be impossible to find out who bought her. The man is known for keeping his clientele a tight secret. There's a tiny window of time here, and I had overlooked how the police and the New Council were still after us.
My clan lands rise amid the mist when I come down from the heights, every flap a torturous thing. I lower myself until I see a wolf at the side of the road, almost hidden. Letting out a roar, I catch Ren’s attention as I hover over the border. He shoots to his feet and crosses the wards with me. Even as my shoulder burns, I keep flying until I reach the house at the very end of the territory, then drop down on my feet and peel off my dragon. He lets control go with panting breaths, and then I'm standing in front of the porch with my shirt drenched in blood and frustration eating at my stomach.
Ren transforms into his human self, striding to me. "Where were you? I was starting to — " His eyes take in my wound as I climb the porch, trying to keep my face neutral. "You're hurt."
"You don’t say," I shoot back, not avoiding the sarcasm. I'm in too much pain to be polite now. Not that I’m ever nice. "I did think something was bothering me."
He gets out of the way as I push through, stalking into the house, straight to the bathroom.
"What happened?" Ren's voice follows me in and the door slams shut. His steps make the floorboards creak, but I keep ignoring him as I rip the shirt over my head and stare at the hole in my shoulder. They could have killed me if they wanted to. It's not like the Special Shifter Division to miss. They want us alive. I poke around the wound, watching it gush blood. "Who did that?"
I shoot a look at his reflection through the mirror. Ren's face crumples with worry. It's endearing, to know he worries about me even when he doesn't need to. We're in the same circle because of Cassandra, and we don't need to develop trust or affection between males. Yet, the Pup still looks like he'd hunt down the ones who shot me. Pack mentality, I guess.
"The New Council is keeping a close eye on us. They sent agents to my apartment. I ran, but still got shot." I fish the first aid kit from under the sink and open it. Just because we heal fast, it doesn't mean we can't get infected. "We have to be more careful."
Ren pulls the first aid kit closer to him and picks up cotton and a bottle of mercury. I narrow my eyes at him, but he doesn't even blink before he starts cleaning my wound. "We are as careful as we can be," he complains. "There's no other way to find Cass."
"I know. But we can't get her back if we're dead."
Ren nods slowly, shifting to clean the entry wound on the back of my shoulder. “Did you find something?”
My throat burns with the words coming up. “The Collector is hosting an auction. It has to be her.”
His eyes go huge as he gapes at me through the reflection. “He’s going to sell her?”
“That’s what the agents said.”
A pregnant, heavy silence grows between us as Ren patches me up. His throat bobs several times, and I know he’s fighting with his feelings, wondering what to do. I know because I feel the same.
"Let's say she's sold, Apollo,” he says, breaking the silence. “Where are they taking her?"
I frown at his reflection, but he doesn't look up. "How am I supposed to know? Anywhere in the freaking world. That's why we have to act before she's sold."
"But after that." Ren's brows join over the bridge of his nose. "She's important because she can control the Cursed Realm or something. Aren't they going to take her to the Cursed Realm because of that?"
"The Rift stretches across the continent. Not exactly easy to pinpoint a location."
Ren twists his lips, like that escaped him. If he's been alone for long, it's understandable he doesn't know much about geography or history. The Light Realm is where we all live, and that's all that matters for the majority. The Cursed Realm is blocked off, and the Twilight Realm has stood in the shadows of the Rift for centuries, working as a barrier. The other realms are much harder to reach, and not our problem.
"But what if…" Ren trails off for a moment. "What if we find the most likely spot they're going to cross and wait there? There has to be one. Like an old city or someplace the barrier is thinner, I don't know. The closest spot." He lifts his eyes and his gaze locks with mine.
And I can't say his idea is shit. That makes perfect sense. We could just sit and wait, and then attack whoever has Cassandra. The more I think of it, the better it gets. All we have to do is find some books or a history nerd and ask. I open my mouth to tell him that when someone knocks on the door and doesn't wait for an invitation to barge in.