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See, when we move, the whole world feels it.

The forest beneath me grows silent.

Birds stop mid-flight.

Deer freeze in the trees.

Even the insects hush.

Not out of fear. But reverence.

Humans might have forgotten their magic, but there are some parts of them that still know.

It’s why the cacophony of noise coming from the school seems to have stilled.

But I’m not thinking about them. I’m only thinking about her.

I flap my wings once, the motion booming like a thunderclap, and rise into the darkening sky. The rain cannot touch me.

My magic burns it away before it lands.

Cloaked in arcane shimmer, invisible to human eyes, I soar past the clouds and chase the pull of the bond between me and my mate.

The Dragon’s Rose on my chest glows, and I feel her fear like a blade under my scales.

Casey is in danger.

And I am coming.

The ancient earth magic pulses in my blood, guiding me, anchoring me to her.

There’s no force on this plane—or any other—that can stop me now.

She’s mine.

My wings work hard, scattering the rain, scales gleaming like wet stone, power coursing through me with every breath.

I roar.

And then I launch myself higher into the storm-filled sky, chasing the bond, chasing my heart.

Casey’s out there. And I’m going to bring her home.

The skies part for me like they know better.

Wind howls in my ears as I circle the tree line at the back of the elementary school. Tracing the memory of her movements in the shadows left behind.

My vision sharpens, and then I see it.

The path they took. Where he was parked. The road he drove her down.

I push myself faster, moving over the highway.

I don’t have to know what kind of car he’s driving to find them. But when I do find it, I send an image through my bonds to my Alpha and hope he is keen enough to see it.

There are too many other drivers for me to safely land and extract her, so I bide my time and I follow.

I follow her.