  SASHA POV
  Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.
  &quot;Who…dares…&quot; I grumble, fumbling blindly for the source of the infernal buzzing. There it is. Damn phone. It takes more effort than it should to get my eyes open, and then I m blinking back the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows of Regional Commander Baryshnikov s beautiful mountaintop home. How long have I been sleeping? Rika and Zoe have been checking on me from time to time, making me eat and stuff, but everything s been a blur since the support team arrived in Svartheron s lair and I didn t have to be intimidating anymore.
  My phone says it s 7am Mountain time, and also that the buzzing was to tell me I have new messages from Drake. Fuck. I haven t talked to him in a while. He s probably losing his mind at this point. Shit. I think the last time I texted him was when we touched down in that valley near Svartheron s 

  DRAKE POV
  What a drive. Just made it home.—Nikki (8hrs)
  Wow, you made good time. Any chance I can see you sometime today?—Drake (7hrs 58min)
  Let me take a nap first. After that, my only condition is that whatever we do, I don t have to sit down. WAY too much time in a car lately.—Nikki (7hrs 56min)
  That s fair. I ll come to campus this time, if you re good with that. Any good places to take a walk?—Drake (7hrs 53min)
  Bike trails along the Olentangy river are really nice. Parking might be a challenge for you though.—Nikki (7hrs 50min)
  I ll figure it out. When and where should I meet you?—Drake (7hrs 48min)
  The Drake Performance Center. And I ll text you when I wake up and we ll go from there?—Nikki (7hrs 46min)
  Sounds like a plan.—Drake (7hrs 44min)
  Okay. I m awake. Now what?—Nikki (1hr 15min)
  See you at six thirty?—Drake (1hr 14min)
  That works.—Nikki (1 hr 12min)


  ZOE POV
  &quot;Holy shit, Rika. Are you sure those coordinates are right?&quot; I ask my partner even as I touch our plane down on the landing strip outside a picturesque mountain lodge. Perched on the peak of one of the Montana Rockies, its log walls feature immense crystalline windows that must offer breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. Despite its rustic charm, the lodge and its surroundings seem to sparkle in the midmorning sun—no doubt an effect of melting frost.
  &quot;They d better be. Regional Commander Baryshnikov sent them to me himself,&quot; Rika grumbles from behind me, where she s changing the dressing on Sasha s burns. Sasha used a ton of energy on her fight with Svartheron; normally shifting back to her human form from the feline one would have healed most of her injuries, but she barely had the energy to make the shift, once the fight with the dragon was 

SASHA POV
  Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.
  &quot;Who…dares…&quot; I grumble, fumbling blindly for the source of the infernal buzzing. There it is. Damn phone. It takes more effort than it should to get my eyes open, and then I m blinking back the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows of Regional Commander Baryshnikov s beautiful mountaintop home. How long have I been sleeping? Rika and Zoe have been checking on me from time to time, making me eat and stuff, but everything s been a blur since the support team arrived in Svartheron s lair and I didn t have to be intimidating anymore.
  My phone says it s 7am Mountain time, and also that the buzzing was to tell me I have new messages from Drake. Fuck. I haven t talked to him in a while. He s probably losing his mind at this point. Shit. I think the last time I texted him was when we touched down in that valley near Svartheron s cave. At this point, that s been more than 24 hours ago.
  Hey, Nikki. Haven t heard from you in a

Chapter 29 Doing It Live