Blackwing Dragon (Harper's Mountains 5) Read Free Page A

speakers.
    Rowan clutched the strap of her bag and looked longingly at the hallway that would get her back to the parking garage and back to Damon’s Mountains. She was twenty-five and had never flown on a plane. Why? Because the one time she’d left Saratoga, Wyoming was to aid her cousin Harper’s crew a couple weeks ago. And instead of stuffing herself into a plane, she made like a smart dragon and flapped her wings instead. Which is what she should be doing now, but she was moving temporarily to Harper’s Mountains on Weston Novak’s relentless requests to protect shifters much more dominant than her. Made no damn sense, but okay, maybe if she spewed fire and looked tough, the vamps, ravens, and werewolves would leave them alone. If she wasn’t bringing everything she could fit into four suitcases, including her treasure, she would’ve happily flown her own ass to North Carolina.
    “Group one, you are free to board.”
    Eight tiny months, and Harper would have her baby and be able to shift into her dragon and protect her own crew, but so much could go wrong in that amount of time. And if anything happened to the Bloodrunners because she hadn’t protected them, well…Rowan would never be able to forgive herself. No more sleeping soundly, no more easy conscience, nothing. It would wreck her.
    But…there were reasons—deep, big reasons—she hadn’t wanted to leave Damon’s Mountains before, and taking this leap of faith that she would be all right away from home was terrifying.
    “Group two, you are free to board.”
    Shit, that was her. That should’ve been the first clue that Damon wasn’t coming with her. He’d been fine with flying coach. Damon Daye didn’t do anything less than first class, but she was on a budget. She’d been epically duped.
    Her phone vibrated in her hand, and Weston’s name drifted across the caller ID. Before she could stop it, her dragon let off a soft, irritated growl. The mom with the three kids turned around and gave Rowan a wide-eyed look. Crap. It’s not like she was an unregistered shifter, and the airline knew she was taking this flight, but it was best not to announce to the humans she was about to sit in a tiny plane near them for most of the day.
    Rowan ignored the call because she already knew what Weston would say.
    A text chirped on her phone, and she read it.
     
    Don’t be a chicken shit.
    Harper needs you.
     
    Fuckin’ Novak Raven. It was his fault she’d had to leave Damon’s Mountains two weeks ago. If they hadn’t grown up in the same crew, she wouldn’t have even considered putting herself at risk like that. And now he was making her do this. If she was completely honest with herself, she was pissed at him.
     
    Get on the plane.
     
    Asshole sounded like Damon now. Rowan turned off her phone.
    “Last call for flight two-forty-five, last call.”
    When Rowan looked up, she was alone in the terminal. The woman taking tickets was staring at her, and another lady behind the counter gestured her toward the gate.
    Oooh, she really didn’t want to do this. What if The Sickening started in the plane, or she had an uncontrolled Change and killed everyone in there? God, that was a morbid thought.
    But…
    Tall Dark and Mysterious was somewhere in that plane. That made it a fraction more appealing. She could stare at him between the seats or maybe sneak a picture and send it to Aunt Willa and they could ogle him together.
    “Last call, honey,” the lady behind the counter called to Rowan. “We’re about to close the doors.”
    Harper did need her. All the Bloodrunners did. She would be shit in an actual fight, but maybe by her being there, crew enemies would stay away and let Harper grow her baby in peace.
    “Miss?” the woman taking tickets called. “They’re closing the doors.”
    Indeed, a portly man was preparing to pull it closed.
    With another pissed-off rumble, Rowan strode deliberately for the gate, gave her ticket, forced herself not to turn