Page 17

EMME

“ Y ou can shift,” I said softly, and though I wasn’t looking at him, he knew that statement was for him.

“It’s too big of a risk,” he said. “The bear is useful in a physical fight but not against dragons. To win this, we’ll need words and negotiations.”

Hunter broke in with a rasp. “You said no rape, outside of the violation of the bite, so the bond isn’t completely sealed… We will find a way to break it, little omega. Whatever it takes.”

The forced bonding was a violation, which was why I’d initially assumed my wolf had retreated from the trauma. Now, though, it appeared likely that her withdrawal was to protect me from the repercussions of new mate bonds and distance.

The violation was my human side’s trauma, and once I was safely back home, I’d let myself feel the full extent of the pain. Until then, we were in crisis mode.

The ground thundered as the dragons raced towards us, and there was an innate fear that came when facing terrifying beasts, even from those of us in their pack. Dragons were mystical creatures, and their sheer size alone had me near peeing my pants.

Ancient energy sparked between their giant bodies, but there were no more flames. Talon’s wings remained slightly aloft as he ran, their darkness standing out starkly against the sunlight. While Slade’s green glowed brightly in comparison.

They were both beyond breathtaking.

“I know we’re supposed to be terrified right now,” Kellan murmured as he moved to stand beside Finley, “but have you ever seen anything this spectacular before? It’d be a shame if they fried our asses before we got to brag about watching two dragons run across the desert.”

Hunter grunted, and Finley released a strangled laugh. “Too soon, bro,” the bear said, “You can’t joke about our impending death until after it has passed. At this stage, we’re still right in the line of fire.”

Kellan’s laughter was lighter. “Nah, Slade would never fry us. Or at least not Emme… not that any of us will be using her as a human shield. Fuck no. She needs to get behind us right this instant.” Getting behind them would not help. I needed to be out in front.

Struggling once more against Hunter’s hold, I racked my brain for the self-defense moves Slade had been trying to teach me to use against a larger opponent. There’d been a step where I dropped my weight into my attacker and then twisted to break his hold…

“I don’t like that look on her face,” Finley said, drawing everyone’s attention to me. “She’s plotting.”

Wrinkling my nose, I let my annoyance spill free. “Kellan, can you please remind Finley that he doesn’t know me well enough to make comments like that.”

Finley just laughed, the arrogant bear completely untroubled by my comment. “I know you, Ice Queen. I know you better than you think.”

Kellan cleared his throat, and when I looked his way, his expression was calmly amused.

“You should also ask Finley about his balls,” I suggested with a smirk, and before I could continue, Kellan’s chuckle cut me off.

We were probably about to be stampeded to death by dragons, but of course now was the right time for laughter.

“My balls are also fine,” Finley replied in his chilled-out rumble. “If you glance down, you’ll see for yourself. It’d take more than your impressive right knee to keep me down for long. I’m… used to pain.”

My anger deflated, cutting off my next passive-aggressive reply, and I returned my focus to the dragons. Slade was still a touch in front of Talon and would reach us first—within the next minute.

“I need you guys to trust me,” I said, hoping they would accept what my role really was in this pack.

“Trust that neither of those dragons would hurt me, and I’m literally the only one who can defuse the situation.

We don’t have much time. I’m sure Fletcher has figured out his guards are dead in the bunker, and he’ll come with his entire army.

We’re not strong here, away from Golden Claw, and I’m determined that we beat that bastard. ”

Fletcher Davenport was a powerful alpha, and I had no doubt magic fueled his strength, which was another reason we needed to return home. Return and regroup.

With both dragons.

“I can’t let you go to them,” Hunter groaned, sounding torn. “I trust in you and your strengths, little omega. You’re literally the heart of our pack, and no one’s opinion matters more to me, but my wolf is feral and refuses to release control. He has to protect you. Even from yourself.”

Finley shuffled closer, and when he met my gaze I waited for him to chime in and agree again. A small smile tilted his lips, and then he… winked as he lowered one shoulder and charged at Hunter, taking the alpha by surprise and breaking his hold on me.

What the fuck? Apparently somewhere along the line, I’d convinced him to let me try this my way.

Kellan got caught in the tackle too, and all three alphas went down in a tangle of limbs as Finley shouted, “Run, Emme.”

I’d been knocked to the side, and it took a few steps to right myself, as I took off at a sprint toward the dragons. I headed for Slade first, his green beast skidding to a halt before we collided.

The brawling of the other alphas was loud behind us, but I ignored it all to stare into the dragon’s unflinching green gaze, assessing his current temperament.

When Slade lowered his head, his nostrils flared as he sniffed my body.

When he reached my cold and dirty feet, a puff of heat encased them, and they were much warmer when he was done.

“Slade, are you okay?” I asked, running my gaze over him too, taking in the scratches marring his scales. “Did Talon hurt you?”

A clear and derisive rumble escaped the beast, and I backtracked. “I mean, I know you’re the most ferocious of beasts to walk this world, but I doubt you expected to encounter another dragon today. That must have been confronting.”

He shook his huge head, before it swung up as a rumble shook his thick chest. Talon had stopped about ten feet away. His beast was watching me in the same intense way his other form did in the bunker.

This close, I noticed he had quite a lot of green pigment bisecting his dark eyes, and shimmering over his midnight scales.

I found myself moving toward him, as if to bridge the distance between us all.

Before I could take another step, though, a long neck snaked around me, dragging me back.

Which had Talon roaring and shooting flames into the sky.

The fact that he didn’t try to hurt any of us was a good sign, reiterating my belief that we had to give this dragon a chance to show us who he truly was. And it had to happen before Fletcher or Blaine returned.

“You need to trust me,” I said to Slade, repeating my words from before. “There’s only one way we can all move forward, and it’s going to require Talon come with us. Whether he likes it or not .”

Slade’s body rumbled, shaking me and the ground, and then to my astonishment, he unfurled his hold around me. When I took a step forward, he followed, but didn’t stop me again.

Holy shit . The two alphas I’d never expected to have my back had come through so completely that my poor heart was thundering in my chest. Kellan, Hunter, and Finley continued to grapple behind us, with the bear giving me this chance to calm the situation.

He’d dropped the first shovel of dirt in the chasm between us, and only time would tell if there’d be more.

Talon calmed as I moved closer, and I forced myself not to fidget.

“Hey,” I said softly, “fighting won’t solve this issue.

You’re mated into this pack, and with that, you’re going to have to work with us.

Fletcher might have promised that I’d come to you without baggage, but he was wrong.

I’m already part of a quintet. One I’ve claimed. ”

Visible steam emerged from Talon’s nostrils, and his head lowered, which had Slade’s hackles rising.

“Enough!” I snapped, fueled by false bravado.

Which they’d clearly know from the race of my pulse and sweat coating my skin.

“Talon, I need you to change back so we can talk. Will you do that for me? I promise that Slade won’t attack you in his dragon form.

” I turned to meet the greener dragon’s gaze. “Right?”

Slade’s beast blew out a stream of smoke as he nodded.

In the distance, the sound of a helicopter filtered through to us, which meant our time was almost up. “Please. Do this for me,” I pleaded with Talon. “Show me that there’s more between us than a forced bond.”

This new information set off Slade’s beast, who roared so loudly my ears ached, but Talon didn’t react to the rage.

If anything, he tilted his head in a gesture that spoke of curiosity, but before I could figure out why, a flash of electrical energy caressed my skin, and the black dragon disappeared.

Leaving the man behind.