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Rage burned through me. My dragon was right below the surface, to the point where my fangs were threatening to extend, and my eyes were pure gold.

“Why are you telling me this now?” I asked, coolly and carefully. I wasn’t going to lash out at Tori—not until she had told me everything she knew. “You did this for Blakely. Why confess to me?”

“You know Blakely and I have been friends for ages,” Tori said. She toed at the hardwood. “I believed her when she said you and here were supposed to be together. I wanted her to be happy, Ace. But I didn’t know… I didn’t know what she’d done to Harley. And when I heard how you reacted, I knew she’d lied. And that it had hurt you. A lot. And since then it’s been eating at me.” She sighed. “I know it doesn’t fix it, but I’m trying to do the right thing, Ace.”

“Fucking hell. Striker!” I called out.

He looked up, eyes wide, and nearly dropped the glass he was holding. “Jesus, Ace, what happened?”

“Tori is henceforth banned from clubhouse grounds,” I said with a snarl.

Striker stared at her. “Damn, girl. What’d you do?”

“Led Blakely into my bed,” I said.

Tori had enough sense to look cowed.

“I see,” Striker said. His friendly tone had gone cold. “Banned it is. I’ll escort you out.” He took Tori by the upper arm and walked her to the front door.

“It was a setup?” Hawk asked. “Seriously? Blakely is delusional!”

I exhaled hard, and smoke poured from my nostrils. “She wanted Harley gone. And it fucking worked.”

There had to be something I could do. Harley hadn’t been gone long—she couldn’t have been more than an hour or so outside of town. If I shifted, I could follow the highway until I saw her car. Meet her at the hotel. If I was lucky, she’d listen to me, and I could explain everything. If I couldn’t fix everything with Sean yet, I could at least prove to her I wasn’t a rotten, drunk cheater.

It was a step.

Striker stepped back inside. “She’s gone,” he said. “No pushback on the ban. She said if she can find Blakely, she’ll let us know where she is. God knows she won’t be staying with Tori anymore.”

“I’ve got to go,” I said. “I’ve need to find Harley. I need to explain this.”

I stood up and headed toward the back door. My dragon was right below the surface of my skin, ready to burst forth and take to the skies.

A high-pitched roar cut through the early evening quiet.

Dylan.

I knew it instinctively. I knew it in my bones. Fear surged through me. He was afraid—he was desperate.

Something had happened. Something bad.

I rushed outside. Dylan flew shakily through the air, his small green dragon swooping and flapping like he was exhausted.

Exhausted… Or hurt.

“Dylan!” I called out.

Dylan swooped down and tumbled onto the grass in the clearing behind the clubhouse. I raced forward and fell to my knees, cupping his dragon’s head in my hands. He was less than half the size of my dragon, but still nearly as big as a horse. “Can you shift, Dylan?” I asked. “Come on. Try for me.”

He chuffed into my hand, then slowly shifted back into his human form. It was slow, and his face was pinched in pain, but soon my little boy was in my arms and shaking.

“What happened?” I tried to keep my voice calm even as icy fear coursed through me. “Where’s your mom, Dylan?”

“She… she told me to find you,” he said through gasping sobs.

“You found me,” I said. “I’m here. You’re safe. Tell me what happened, Dylan.”

“Dad, I’m scared.”