Not a problem? "He enslaved Mhal." I bite the words out, shocked at her casualness. "How can you defend him?"
My friend shakes her head again. "I'm not defending him. I think he's a piece of shit. But with you and Mhal bonded, he can't take him over. More than that, he wants him back at the fort more than he wants a zombie, so he wouldn't touch him again. He'd just recruit a new dragon to take over and leave Mhal alone." She shudders delicately and rubs her belly again. "I know it probably sounds like I'm on his side, but I promise you, I'm not. I don't like him any more than you do. I know he's protecting the fort and running things, but it doesn't mean he's a good guy. I like to think of him as…a necessary evil."
And she makes a face, as if the thought disgusts her.
I look over at Jurik, who remains completely impassive. It's impossible to tell what he's thinking. Other than the occasional touch to Rachel, he keeps his expression blank, his eyes neutral. Maybe it feels so jarring to me because I've been around Mhal for weeks. I can feel his every thought, so I know what he's thinking even when he's wearing that snooty look of his.
You think I am snooty?
I turn toward him. Only when you look down your nose at me. Like you do a half-dozen times a day. I make my thoughts teasing. I like your snootiness.
He gazes down his nose at me, that haughty look on his face. I know he's doing it deliberately…and then his thoughts go from silly to serious. I do not want to go back to the fort. I do not want to be anywhere near that slavelord.
I don't blame you. And we're not going back. I wouldn't ask you to. I let him feel the protectiveness in my mind. I don't care if he's totally apologetic, we're not going back.
And I tell Rachel that. "You're my friend, and you know I care for you, but I won't put Mhal back into that situation. We're not going back. I don't think it's right that Azar's in charge. Nor do I think it's right that he's just grabbing dragons and taking their minds." I shake my head, my hand on Mhal's thigh. "I know he's protecting Fort Dallas, but there has to be a better way to do it."
"I agree with everything you're saying," Rachel says, her voice reasonable. "And I know it makes me a jerk, but I still have to ask you to come back."
There is something she is not telling you, Mhal informs me. Do I need to talk to Jurik?
My hand tightens on his thigh. I know how suspicious Mhal is of talking to other dragons. After what he's gone through, I don't blame him. You don't have to. Ignore him. You only have to talk to me.
I do not trust him, Mhal admits. I only trust you. He has reached out a few times, but I have pushed him away. I prefer the silence to betrayal. His thoughts have a cold, bitter tinge to them.
It makes me want to hug him. My poor dragon. I can only imagine. I send him a protective thought full of love, even as I face Rachel. "Mhal won't go back and I don't blame him. And if you came here to tell us this, you're wasting your time."
Rachel's expression grows sympathetic. "I know. But I figured someone deserves to tell you the truth. Because you're not going to like it, but you need to hear it. And once you do, you'll come back."
"You're wrong—"
"I wish I was." Rachel suddenly looks very tired. She rubs her belly again, her face strained, and Jurik reaches out and puts a big, protective hand atop the mound of her stomach. They share a look, and then she turns back to me. "I wish this was all in my head. Trust me. But it's not." She puts her hand atop Jurik's. "I wish we could run away, too. You think I wouldn't have left the fort behind the moment Jurik and I mated? You think I haven't dreamed of running away every damn day? You think Gwen doesn't?"
I'm surprised to hear that. "I…thought Gwen was his friend." I think of the tall, lean black woman and her dragon. They showed up before Rachel mated to Jurik and have been associated with Azar in my head ever since. "Are they not?"
Rachel laughs, the sound wry. "I think Gwen might hate him more than I do. But she has a really strong sense of duty. She doesn't want to see the world destroyed again." She looks over at Jurik. "Especially not that she's about to give birth at any minute."
Is she pregnant? "What's with all the babies?"