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to death.

H AZEL’S DAD MET her as she walked into the area with the baggage carousels. People swarmed around them as he gave her a big hug. He smelled of sweat and pine, much like he always did, but when she pulled away, she saw the weariness on his face. He’d always been pretty laid back. It was rare to see him stressed out.
    “Where are Mom and Aspen?” she asked, shrugging off her backpack and handing it to him.
    “Out looking.” He took the backpack, and she rolled her carry-on.
    “Of course.” Hazel’s stomach twisted as she followed him to the door. His shoulders slouched, and his gait was slower than normal.
    Hazel gasped when they stepped outside. The icy air hit her, burning her lungs. Rowan wouldn’t survive in weather like this. Her dad threw the suitcase in the bed of the truck, and Hazel climbed up in, hissing when her legs hit the cold leather. Her wimpy sweats were no match for the sub-zero temps. She’d need to dig out her winter gear when they got home.
    “What do they think happened?” Hazel asked when her dad shut his door.
    “Honestly, no one is sure.” He ran his hand through his hair. “He’d been doing so well. He was making friends and going out.”
    “Rowan?” Her brother had been a loner since they were young children. Her parents had worried about it, but she always just accepted that Rowan never left home. He’d helped her cover up her sneaking out on more than one occasion. Now she felt awful for taking advantage of him. But if his behavior had changed recently, maybe that meant they were looking at his disappearance wrong.
    “Do you think his new friends had anything to do with it?” Hazel wondered what had changed in his life.
    “No. They were all Aspen’s friends. In the last few months they’ve been inseparable.”
    “Aspen and Rowan?” Now that was news. The last time she’d talked to Aspen she’d been lamenting the loss of Tori because of her new boyfriend. Hazel didn’t like Tori anyway. Hazel should’ve kept up with Aspen more, but between school and hitting the waves, she didn’t talk to her family very often.
    “Surprised? So were we. But it was nice seeing him happy.” Dad paused for a few seconds. “I’m afraid I’ll never see that smile again.” His voice cracked.
    Hazel reached over and grasped his hand. “We’ll find him. I’m sure of it.”
    He turned on the windshield wipers as wet snow began to fall. “There have been several deaths over the last few months. That dragon. Even Aspen has admitted it’s a possibility. Sis, I’m afraid he’s dead.”
    “No way. Look, even if Rowan has been acting differently the last few months, he wouldn’t go out in the woods. That’s not like him at all.”
    “The dragon isn’t just eating hikers. He got one boy just off the road. The military has come in. There’s talk of taking out the dragons. Aspen is furious.”
    Hazel shook her head. Only Aspen would be more worried about the dragons than she was about her brother. Dragons were always Aspen’s downfall. Hazel hated to think her sister was out fighting for dragon rights instead of looking for Rowan.
    The rest of the drive went by in silence. Hazel didn’t want to think about Rowan, so she stared out the window and thought of Val. The kiss. By the time they got home, it was nearly ten. Her mom’s truck was in the driveway, but Aspen’s jeep was missing.
    She hugged her mom, who squeezed her tight. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
    “Me too.”
    There were dark lines under her mother’s eyes. Her dad sat down on the couch and hung his head. They both looked utterly exhausted.
    “Have they been searching at night?” Hazel asked, sitting next to her mom.
    “The first couple of nights we did. But between the cold and the dark, it’s nearly impossible. We have a better shot at finding him in the daylight. Besides, we need to rest. Not that we’ve been sleeping well.”
    “Of course not. I’m going to go shower and hit the sack so I