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  “Brilliant.” Shance grinned at her, and Kesia returned his smile before looking away, her cheeks flushing pink. They definitely needed to talk later. About all of this. “Just as I always knew she could. Will that be all, sir? The First Mechanic and I have plans tonight in preparation for the gala tomorrow. If you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Of course.” Markem nodded. “Unless General Brody has any objections?”

  Brody gave Kesia a final scrutiny. “No. It appears everything is in order. For now.”

  “Very good.” General Markem nodded. “Captain Windkeeper. First Mechanic Ironsley. You are dismissed.”

  ***

  She’d done it. She’d fixed the engine.

  Kesia stared down at her hands, smudged with black grease and dribbles of oil. It was as if another part of her had come alive after a long Cold Sleep. A part that could look at things and pull them apart, rework them in her head, and put them back together in her hands. A part that never gave up, even if the circuits burned out the first few times.

  All she wanted to do was fix everything. Eat. Sleep. Sing. Dance. Tell Zephryn—but would he understand? He had seemed interested in skin forms. Could he understand her rediscovered joy of working with her hands, of shaping and coaxing metals into their proper places? She found that she loved it, as much as she loved flying through the open air or shifting into animals or protecting people. All of those things were part of her. Would he accept that?

  Somehow, they’d reached Shance’s quarters again. As soon as he closed and locked the door, his laugh, loud and joyful, filled the room. Kesia turned toward the sound and saw his face split into a grin a moment before he grabbed her in his arms and spun her in a circle.

  Flying without wings. It wasn’t the same, but that wasn’t a bad thing according to the beating of her heart.

  Kesia smiled. “You’re stronger than you look.”

  “And you’re more incredible than I could have imagined.” Shance held her close, and she could see the light shining in his eyes. “Kesia, I can’t believe you did that. All this time, that was your Talent?”

  “Well, one of them.” Scale mites! She wasn’t supposed to say that.

  “Oh yes? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. What’s your other one? Or is that another spy secret?”

  She wanted to tell him. Wanted to say everything. After so long in the dark, Kesia wanted one person without any secrets, even if it was a human airship captain that she might not see again once this mission ended.

  What did she have to lose?

  “I don’t just shift between scales and skin.” She stepped away from him and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I can shift into any animal that I’ve seen.”

  “Really?” Shance tilted his head to the side. “Can I see? Oh, wait, do you need to go into the bedroom to take off your clothes?”

  “Not for this form. But do open the door to the bedroom for when I shift back.” Kesia rolled up the sleeves on her coveralls.

  Shance cracked the door to the bedroom half-open. “Ready.”

  “Good. I think you might recognize this form.” She closed her eyes and calmed her racing heart with a breath in. A breath out.

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  Sun-dove.

  As quick as her breaths, her skin form shrank, vanishing beneath the yellow and pale blue feathers of a sun dove. Her coveralls fell to the floor. A beak pushed out from where her lips were, her vision became monocular, and as she had before, she flapped her wings and flew straight to Shance’s shoulder.

  He stared at her in wonder. “That was you? On my shoulder that night?”

  Of course, he couldn’t hear her. He’d never be able to hear her. Not like Zephryn. A part of Kesia faltered. Spoken words did have their limits.

  She gave a trill and pecked gently at his collar. Shance chuckled. “A little luck charm. My good omen. That’s how you knew about the crash and the green smoke. You were there already.”

  She bobbed her head deliberately. He reached out and tickled the feathers near her neck, drawing another coo. “Is that how you knew to rescue me?”

  Kesia flew away from him and through the open bedroom door.

  Mountain grazer.

  Clawed feet turned to cloven hooves, legs lengthened and covered with brown and white fur, and horns emerged from her head. She quickly head-butted the door shut.

  Skin.

  Fur melted into smooth, pale flesh. Her bones and muscles elongated and pushed out two arms and legs, and her face stretched into human shape. Kesia did a quick check to see that every part was in proper order, then threw on fresh clothes and walked out to the sitting area. She grabbed her voicelator from the ground and put it on again. “Yes, that’s how I was there to catch you.”

  “Where does the rest of ‘you’ go when you shift?”

  “Into the Nether. Somewhere else.” She made a vague gesture. “When we need it, we pull it back to us. A shapeshifting scientist could explain it better.”

  Shance nodded. “Why were you on my ship that day?”

  There was no point in keeping that a secret. “I had talked Zephryn into an illegal recon mission. I wanted to impress the Pinnacle so they would lift my conviction.”

  His expression sharpened. “Your conviction?”

  “Yes.” Kesia paused. Swallowed hard. She knew the truth now, but saying it was an entirely different matter. “I killed someone. Not in battle. Self-defense.”

  “And the Pinnacle still condemned you for it?”

  “They believed differently.” Kesia surged ahead. “I saw your ship and I saw you, and then when you stayed with your ship trying to save it, that was really brave. It was foolish, but brave, and—I don’t know. I couldn’t let you die.”

  Shance’s face softened to a look of awe. “I understand. The day we met on on the wharf beside Ilyon Sea, I was following the winds. Well, and I was running away from someone, but it felt as if the winds were pushing me toward you.”

  “I see. Well, I’m not sure if it was the winds.” Kesia shrugged. “I’m just glad I was there.”

  “As am I, lovely one.” He sidled closer again, with that melting look in his eyes that made her skin prickle and her mind spin with uncertainty. “You are truly extraordinary.” He took her hand in his, slowly and easily, rubbing his finger over the back of it. It felt nice, and he smelled nice—if only it wasn’t him.

  Zephryn’s narrow face and dark, intense eyes flashed in her mind.

  Kesia pulled her hand away. “You keep saying that, but you don’t know me. You’ve done all of these things, you’ve trusted me, and we’ve only known each other a few days. You haven’t even seen my other skin form.”

  “I haven’t?” His voice was curious but held an edge of alertness and concern. Good. There was some sense in him.

  Kesia shook her head and focused, releasing the aspect of her Talent that hid her scales. Her skin shifted, rosy scales arcing over the back of her hands, surfacing on her forehead and along her cheekbones, trailing down her neck. She turned her slit-pupiled eyes to Shance and said, “I’m always a dragon, Shance Windkeeper. Even when I seem like you, I am still a dragon.”

  To his credit, he didn’t flinch. He studied her intently. “Are there any other differences?”

  “Yes. And no. Well, a few other things.” Kesia breathed flames into her palm, cradling them for a moment before closing her fist and extinguishing it. There was no point in sharing anything more with him. “You seem to be a good human. You’re brave, and you care deeply about your ship and crew. But we are not the same. I appreciate the opportunity to play this game with you to gain information, but you don’t need to maintain any kind of romantic act here. We’re able to work together. That’s enough.”

  At that, he laughed. Not a loud, joyous laugh like before, but a quiet chuckle that perfectly fit the amazed expression on his face. “You’re really not used to hearing it, are you?”

  “Not used to hearing what?”


  Passion and sympathy burned in his eyes as he gazed at her. “Anyone being honestly attracted to you. This isn’t an act, Kesia. It’s a simple observation of what I’ve seen over the past few days.” His voice grew low and firm, and he stepped closer. “The fact that no one has thought to let you know how your presence makes the world a better place, how your hair rivals silk and your face is beautiful, scales, grease smudges and all, is a damn injustice. I have only one question for you, dearest.”

  Kesia fought for breath. “What?”

  “Why is such a worthwhile woman holding fast to the hope that her tactical partner will recognize her as a woman instead of a soldier, when there is another man here, willing to give anything just to hold her in his arms and let her know, every moment, how much she means to him?”

  Kesia’s lungs were frozen, her head filled with cotton and steel, her thoughts mush. Her fingers fisted, ready to punch Shance for confusing her with so many ideas and emotions.

  For daring to attack Zephryn.

  For luring her into trusting him with her revelations.

  For smelling so oddly irresistible.

  Finally, she found words.

  “Um, I should take a shower.”

  Kesia fled the room, fighting the urge to shift into a cat or a bird, into scale form, anything to stop the pain in her chest and the wetness leaking from her eyes. She sighed in relief when she turned on the shower and faced the spray, letting her tears melt into the hot water.

  All she wanted was to find answers to the green smoke and escape with Zephryn. Now, it looked like the Pinnacle had killed her parents by making her face a monster. And then there were the rebels that had found Zephryn—the Lawless. They were determined to use him for their own ends to reestablish the old kingdom. At this point, even if they were anarchists, Kesia’s sympathies lay with them. Her stomach churned at the notion that the Pinnacle and Congruency had been in league.

  And what of Shance’s words? Implying that Zephryn somehow didn’t care for her. What did he know? She was a dragon. She didn’t need human niceties like compliments and overt adoration.

  Even though that sounded nice. If only she could have heard it from someone else.

  She needed Zephryn.

  Kesia rubbed the voicelator around her neck, heating it with all the anger, frustration, and desire that enveloped her heartflame.

 

  She sighed and leaned against the shower wall.

  His relief and delight enfolded her in reassurance. Kesia grinned. Compared to that, Shance’s words were hollow echoes.

  She swallowed.

  Intense curiosity filled his voice.

  Kesia pressed her palms again the shower wall on either side, imprinting the metal. Guilt sank her heart. She’d told Shance first, not Zephryn. Zephryn, her fleetwing who deserved to know all. What had she been thinking?

 

 

 

 

  Kesia tilted her head to one side.

 

  She closed her eyes and searched through her memories. It was much easier to do so now that she had opened the door to her past.

  A memory seared her mind. A hand striking her cheek, then holding her jaw still in an iron grip. Tears prickling the corners of her eyes. Sucking in her breath and gritting her teeth instead of crying out. She wouldn’t tell. She couldn’t tell, or he would stop helping her. He wanted to help her, but she couldn’t speak a word, or she would ruin it. All her fault. Even as they strapped her to the table and the room filled with green smoke, it was all her fault…

  Green smoke? She began to shake. What had he done to her?

  If you tell anyone, they will know you’re a monster, and they will kill you. Only I will understand.

  Zephryn’s voice pushed through the memories.

  She swallowed hard, shoving away the dark images and emotions.

 

  Garishton Ironfire.

  Fear knotted her stomach.

  No. She couldn’t tell anyone. Not even Zephryn. She needed to figure out what her uncle did to her first. Process it and make sure there were no horrible aspects to the experimentation. Then she could reveal all the knowledge to Zephryn in exactly the way she wanted.

  It would be safer that way.

 

  His tone was sharp, demanding. Kesia could almost picture his dark blue eyes gleaming at her.

  Suddenly, the shower stall seemed too small. She wanted to be free with Zephryn, circling each other in the sky or curled up together in a cavern.

 

  So simple.

 

  Bone-deep warmth and assurance flowed from him, as steady and sure as always. Her heart beat like a million wing-flaps, and even more steam filled the chamber.

  The walls sagged behind her. Her fingers pressed through the metal. Her Talent! Kesia straightened and stood before she melted through the wall entirely. She winced at the concave wall showing the impressions of metal pipes.

 

  She swallowed hard.

 

  Kesia closed her eyes, recalling the discussion she’d had with Shance a day ago.

 

  Her heart sped up even faster.

  His mental voice deepened with rough certainty.

  An odd relief filled her.

  She could almost see his raised eyebrows.

 

 

 

  A growl filled their mental link, along with hot possessiveness.

  Kesia exhaled relieved laughter.

&n
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  Was that a hint of jealousy? She grinned.

 

  She laughed again. The idea was absurd. She and Zephryn were bound. Even if Shance held that strange scent attraction, it was no match for her fleetwing.

  Zephryn’s voice deepened again.

  However they wished. Skin on skin. An image of Zephryn shirtless on the sparring field, his lean muscles gleaming with slatesheen, his movements swift and deadly. His eyes intense as they studied her.

  Her blood heated, and steam filled the shower so that she couldn’t see the walls. Kesia took a slow breath in then exhaled. If she wasn’t careful, she’d melt the shower room another way.

  Embermates. Kesia turned the word over in her mind. If she concentrated, she could almost remember her parents using it, though not very often, as if they were afraid of it.

 

  Humor threaded his voice.

  Kesia rolled her eyes.