Page 82 of Robb

All these people, Tahnee thought, dazed. All these people, and this Anne McIntosh doesn’t care at all… it’s like they don’t even exist to her.

She knew she couldn’t go along with the plan to wake the dragon. True, it was possible that Anne might not plan to have her create enough gold to catch even a slumbering dragon’s attention until nightfall, but Tahnee seriously doubted she cared enough about it to wait until the theme park was closed to begin her plot.

The only thing Tahnee could do was try to stall for time.

I could tell her it takes me a long time to warm up my powers, she thought desperately. But would they believe that? They seemed to know an awful lot about her already. Maybe they’d already figured out that she’d be bullshitting them if she told them that.

And could Robb really have been correct when he’d said Liam probably wouldn’t be able to get through to his team, and the place really was on complete lockdown?

Tahnee’s stomach clenched.

Stall, stall, stall.

For now it was the only thing she could do.

She just hoped Anne wouldn’t lose her temper and take it out on Robb in the meantime – Tahnee didn’t care so much about herself. But to see Robb in so much pain again would be unbearable.

She knew she couldn’t do what Anne and her henchmen wanted. But the thought of them torturing Robb…

Her brolga let out a horrified screech of distress at the idea, its long neck writhing, eyes rolling.

We cannot allow them to harm our mate! it cried out, wings flapping. We cannot!

I know, Tahnee said, blinking back tears. But we can’t give them what they want, either.

She knew that the families below would be only the first ones to have their lives ended or destroyed if Anne McIntosh and Hargreaves in general got their hands on a dragon. And she wasn’t sure she’d be able to live with herself if she played any part in it.

I have no desire to die… but there are things worse than death. And I know Robb would understand.

Tahnee didn’t know if there were any other shifters like her left in the world. Would Anne give up if Tahnee took herself out of the picture? How could they possibly get enough gold on such short notice without her?

Leaning forward, she peered down at the drop from the window. They were high up, but were they high up enough?

“Don’t even think about it,” Anne said, somewhat amicably, from across the room. “Even if you could break the reinforced glass – and you couldn’t – my men here would catch you before you could fall ten feet. You won’t get out of it that way.”

Tahnee turned to see Anne sitting on the red velvet couch, the lyrebird resting on one of the matching chairs. The goons blocked the exits, clearly watching both Tahnee and Robb very closely.

Robb, at least, was looking a little healthier now as he sat on one of the chairs – even if his shifter healing was slowed by the cuffs, it was still working, and he’d recovered a lot over the course of the hours-long drive here. Relief flooded through Tahnee at the sight of his relatively clear skin and his now undamaged eyes. To someone who didn’t know him well, he might have looked pretty relaxed right now, but Tahnee could see the subtle tension in his shoulders, the way he was clearly taking in every single detail of their surroundings, looking for a way out, watching for even a moment’s sign of distraction or weakness in Anne’s bodyguards.

She wouldn’t have expected anything less from the man who’d managed to run her to ground twenty-five years ago; but then, with the cuffs on, he’d always be at a disadvantage. If he couldn’t shift or even use his heightened shifter strength and healing, how could he hope to take down a room full of shifters, including a wyvern?

“Huh.”

Affecting nonchalance, Tahnee crossed the room and flopped down onto the sofa opposite Anne, her hands still cuffed behind her back. “I can’t say I think much of your hospitality. And you do know you’ll have to take these things off me before I can even think about turning anything into gold, right?”

Anne regarded her silently, before shrugging. “Oh, all right. What’s the harm? You’re outnumbered, and while I won’t reveal what my bodyguards can shift into, just know they can fly – and, as you must be aware, so can I – so I’d advise you not to get any ideas.”

She jerked her head slightly, and immediately one of her goons stepped over to Tahnee, tiny keys in hand.

“Well, that’s better,” Tahnee said when she was free, rubbing at her wrists before yanking off the golden mittens they’d covered her hands with. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance of you taking Robb’s off as well?”

“None whatsoever,” Anne said blithely. “Don’t push your luck.” She regarded Tahnee for a moment or two. “However, I have to admit – while I’ve heard of your powers and I do believe they exist, I haven’t seen you turn anything into gold with my own two eyes. I don’t suppose you’d provide a demonstration, would you?”

Blow it out your arse, lady, I’m not a performing dog, were the first words that leapt to Tahnee’s mind, but she quickly swallowed them down. Maybe if she seemed like she was going along with things for the moment, she could buy them all some more time.

“I guess,” she said, shrugging. “What do you want turned into gold, then?”

Anne’s eyes flickered around the room, before settling on a cushion lying against the armrest of the sofa. Picking it up, she tossed it down on the low table between them. “Here – use that.”