Page 23 of Feathers and Scales

Setting her mind on a countdown, the tightness between her shoulder blades grew. Simon had understood that she needed his backup, so he needed only fifteen minutes to get to the ER to pick her up. She needed to arrive on time so the hospital staff didn’t send him away to park. She couldn’t leave any time for the dragons to catch her. FromDaxton’s determined personality, she was sure he’d convince her to work with them.

Doubt wiggled into her brain. She wanted to learn about the dragons and the link to break it, but she couldn’t tell whether part of her yearned for the truth—or just yearned for him—and that was too dangerous.

Twelve minutes left to escape the hospital, and she still had to disconnect from the instruments.

Coursing adrenaline heightened her senses and made her hands shake. It wasn’t her first rodeo, and with her own medical knowledge—eight medical-specific doctoral degrees from her previous lives—she turned off the monitors. She continued ridding her body of the wires and tubes. Using the syringe and alcohol wipes from the emergency pack, she removed the catheter. An uncomfortable shudder racked her spine. Free of all the equipment, she allowed herself a moment to catch her breath.

She had a feeling Daxton would find out and chase her. She also, shockingly, felt like she wanted him to, but that was just the link.

To fortify herself against him, she packed as much spirit energy as she could into the shield. His presence heated her mind. He was close.

Five minutes left.

This is taking too long.Sitting on the bed, she stripped and yanked on the black pants and simple black hoodie Simon had left for her. In the next drawer, she found a pair of running shoes. While changing, she practiced a quick route to escape. She’d used Sarah’s eyes to memorize the white halls and gray doors of the hospital, mapping a general layout in her mind. That’s how she’d sensed the Fallen baby in the hallway.Stay safe, little one.

She stuffed her hair into her hood. When she pressed her feet to the floor, her leg muscles protested. A few days in a coma had been enough to fatigue her ligaments. She squatted to loosen the stiffnessin her joints. After stretching and massaging her legs, she managed her way to the door.

Two minutes left.

She peered into the gray hallway to her left, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe for balance. Her short breathing echoed loudly in her ears. A few gurneys took up space near the end of the hall. Above them, the emergency exit sign glowed red, just as she had seen through Sarah’s eyes. The nurse’s station sat toward her right. A woman’s brown hair hovered over the top of the desk. The coast was clear.

She sighed and slid into the hallway. She wasn’t an expert on dragon senses. If they were a collection of many predatory animals in one being, as Sarah had described, they must be keen.

Hoping for the best, she lurched down the hall as fast as she could and took a right at the end. A posted sign warned of an alarm, but the emergency door ten steps ahead showed no speaker or trip on the handle.

Sweat ran down her spine. Breath locked in her throat. Her shaking hands pushed through the barred door. No alarm. She stared down a long tower of enclosed stairs.

At times like this, she wished her wings could hold up her human body. Her legs moved like wobbly Jell-O, forcing her to keep a tight grip on the railing. By the time she’d gone down three flights, she wheezed as if she had run up them.

She wouldn’t make it much farther in her current state, so she barreled through another emergency door, nearly hitting someone on the other side. She raced down the yellow-painted hall and searched for an elevator.Come on…it must be in the same location…yes.

When the sliding doors split open, she jumped inside and smashed the lobby level. Pacing around the slow contraption, she sucked in deep breaths and shook her numb hands.

As the elevator dropped, a loud clash of thunder erupted along the link. Goosebumps pricked her skin. Her breathing became labored.

Daxton knew she was leaving.

Izzy grabbed at her head when energy tore through the wall she had built to block the link. The dragon hunted; she was its prey. Doubt held her captive, even as giddy excitement pumped warmth into her limbs.

The elevator door opened. She couldn’t move. Her heart hammered. Blurred faces swam in her unfocused vision.

She faltered as she tried to walk, her body tingling with too much adrenaline. The touch of strangers’ hands against her skin and worried questions brought her mind to focus. If she didn’t leave soon, she wouldn’t get to Simon in time.

Yanking herself free of their clutches, she ran.

Scalding dragon breath at the back of Daxton’s mind burned his thoughts away to one word.

Izzy.

“I have to go,” he said to Percy over the phone as he strode out of the hospital waiting room into the hallway.

“Excuse me?” Percy snapped. “You can’t just dismiss me like you did Johnathan. This is my territory, Daxton. If you think I’ll let a chief-in-training parade around doing whatever…”

Daxton held the device out to Sarah as she followed him toward Izzy’s room.

“What can I do?” she mouthed, eyebrows knitting together.

“Get him off my ass and off the line,” he muttered. He had already given a wing and a leg to escape Percy’s scrutiny. He couldn’t stop Percy from telling Keiran, but if he couldn’t keep his Centurion from learning about Izzy, he would accept the repercussions of undermining Percy’s authority.