Free Dragon Fire by Dina von Lowenkraft Page A

longing for the open space. Suddenly she felt like the restaurant was closing in on them and she panicked. And then it all disappeared. The restaurant felt normal again. But she couldn’t feel Pemba anymore. She looked at her hands, feeling abandoned. His mind-touch cradled her face. She looked up.
    “I’ve never met anyone like you before,” he said.
    Anna smiled, relieved to feel him again. “Neither have I.”
    They lingered over their desserts until they were the last ones in the restaurant.
    “It’s dark out,” Pemba said after they had paid their bill and stepped out into the cold. “I’ll walk you home.”
    “It’s been dark for a couple of months,” Anna said, still feeling the rush of independence she had felt in the restaurant. “I’m used to it.”
    “I know. But I want to walk you home.”
    “Okay,” Anna said. She wanted to link her arm through his as they walked up the hill, but she didn’t dare. The snow crunched under their feet and echoed through the night. And for once, she wished the walk was longer.
    “Oh, look,” she said, stopping Pemba on the edge of the wooded area near her home at the top of the hill. She felt him looking at her and smiled. “Not at me. Up there.” She pointed to the sky. “The Northern Lights. We don’t usually see them this late at night.”
    * * *
    Rakan looked up and saw clouds of bright green light undulating across the sky. His first reaction was to morph, ready to fight. But then he realized that whatever they were, they weren’t aware of him or anyone else. But the color, the color of Paaliaq, terrified him. “What are they?”
    “I don’t really know,” Anna said, still looking up. “Something about solar storms and the earth’s magnetic field. I just like to watch them. They’re so peaceful. And this year they’ve been particularly active.”
    Rakan wrapped his arms protectively around Anna, pulling her back against his chest. His initial reaction to morph and fight had been protective. She was so vulnerable. They stayed like that, watching the clouds of green light as they undulated across the sky. Anna’s head rested gently against his shoulder. Her wool hat against his cheek.
    She turned around to face him when the lights had finally disappeared. “What do you think?”
    “About the lights?” he asked, holding her against him. “Or this?” His voice sounded strange even to his own ears. He breathed in her enticing scent and held her close, knowing he shouldn’t. But he didn’t want to let her go.
    She stiffened when a car drove up the street, and then relaxed when she saw it. “I should go in,” she said. “Before… it gets too late.”
    Anna hesitated, and Rakan wondered what was wrong.
    “Thank you for tonight.” She ran up the stairs and disappeared inside.
    Rakan melted back into the forest and waited until a car drove up about an hour later. He recognized one of the trails that was often in Anna’s apartment. It was a man, probably in his mid-twenties, and more than a little drunk. Rakan let his mind follow the man up and into the apartment. Rakan felt Anna wake up, tense. He growled. He’d kill the man if he touched her. But the man just stumbled into another room and passed out.
    Rakan waited until Anna fell back asleep, but even then he couldn’t shift home. He lay back in the snow and watched the moon follow its arc in the sky. His family had entrusted him with a mission and getting distracted by Anna wasn’t part of it. Worse, it made him vulnerable. And careless. He hadn’t checked even once while they were at the restaurant to see where Jing Mei was. And now he couldn’t feel her anywhere.
    She had disappeared.

Chapter 6 The Void-Trails
    O N MONDAY MORNING, RAKAN PACED BACK and forth. The strange void-feeling trails had intensified on Sunday, not long after June had reappeared. Since then, she had been crooning with pleasure at being reunited with her mate. And yet he still hadn’t felt the other dragon