The Arena novel Chapter 75

When Tana arrives back at the pack, it doesn’t take long for news to spread that we had two additional dragons on our pack lands. The warriors with missing mates all came rushing to ask about it.

We are meeting in my office when they find us.

“Alpha, did you find them?”

“Have a seat,” I tell them as they come in.

“Just tell us,” another demands, causing me to growl a warning at him.

Tana steps up to him. “All of you have a seat. We have much to discuss and not much time to do it. Any time wasted arguing is time that we should be planning how to rescue your mates and pups.”

They all walk in and sit, but they are restless. “So, you did find them?”

“Yes, your mates and your pups are all alive,” Ishir tells them.

Almost as one, I see their noses go up as they sniff the air.

“This is Ishir. He’s a tiger and was in the arena with me. You can trust him. This,” I point to Avani, “is Avani, the earth dragon. And this,” I point to Kaylani, “is Kaylani, the water dragon. All of them are going to help us get our pack members back and destroy this arena. If you want to be a part of this rescue mission, you need to realize that it will take a lot of planning before we go in. They are ready for us, and we can’t just rush in like we’ve done before.”

“What does that mean?” one of them asks.

Over the next three days, we lay it out … our plan, our groups, infiltration techniques. We take shifts, working through the night to come up with a plan of attack. We pack our artillery, expecting the grenades to set off the harpoon launchers or at least the heat sensors. I’ll be on Tana’s back with half of the grenades. Kenna is willing to have Ishir ride on her back, dropping grenades on another side of the arena. While we do that, Kaylani and Avani will be taking down the walls. Our plan is to divert attention away from the pack that will be going underground, breaking the locks on the cells, and getting the supes out. One team will get the pups out and home. A doctor will be a part of that team to make sure they are healthy enough to safely make the trip back home.

We’ll have to be careful and make sure we don’t cause the arena to collapse into the underground, crushing the supes underneath, while still taking out most of the harpoons and darts.

The night before we go, I pull Tana aside. “Tana, we need to talk.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been trying to think of a way that I can make sure that I won’t fall off of you while we’re in the battle tomorrow.”

I watch as she frowns at me.

“How would you feel about me putting a harness on you?”

“You want to bridle me?” As she asks, I can hear the hurt in her voice.

I take her hands. “No. A harness, and I want your input. I need something to hold on to. I’ve seen you during a fight. You’re all over the place, twisting and turning. I don’t want to be a liability for you, but I’m your rider. I should be on your back during this fight. It’s one thing for me to be on your back when we’re dropping grenades, but it’s another if you’re dodging harpoons.”

“What kind of harness?” she asks me quietly.

“Come with me. Let me show you what I’m talking about. I had a couple of the pack members work on it.”

I take her hand and lead her out to the back of the packhouse, where I had the pack members lay out the harness so I could show her. As we walk up, I can feel her resistance turn to curiosity. “It’s nylon rope, so it shouldn’t rub against your scales. I had them make it as thin as possible so it wouldn’t impede your flying but would still give me the security of knowing that no matter what you have to do in the sky, you won’t have to worry about me falling off your back.”

We walk up to where it’s lying. “This part would go underneath you. Your front legs would fit through here and on the other side.” I point to the other hole across from us. “And this,” I pull up the area that will tie me to her back ridge, “is the part that will hold me in place. If you agree, this will go up and hook onto your back ridge, which I can either hold on to or wrap around myself to make sure you don’t throw me off.”

She takes it between her fingers, feeling the material, letting it rub against her hands. I come up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. “This isn’t about making you a pack animal, Tana,” I say quietly so only she can hear me. “This is about making sure that I can be the kind of rider you need me to be.”