Page 18

EMME

I ’d seen Slade naked once, and shirtless a couple of other times, but there was no getting used to the sort of body that came along with massive, ripped dragon shifters.

There were obvious differences between Slade and Talon at first glance, from the lack of tattoos and piercings to Talon’s shorter hair and facial scar. But they were also so similar it was scary.

Hunter would be freaking out at the sight if he wasn’t currently busy trying to crush Finley into the dirt.

“Talon,” I called, gesturing him closer, all the while hoping my plan would work.

With that helicopter on the horizon, there was no time for a plan B.

Without pause, he did exactly as I hoped, and headed right for me, his focus flickering between me and Slade, who was pressed in close behind me.

“Back up,” I hissed at the dragon.

Talon’s steps slowed, but before he could retreat, I dashed forward and lifted my arms as if to hug him. His eyes widened, but he didn’t step away or try to avoid my touch as my arms closed around his shoulders. I pressed against his naked length, annoyed when my skin tingled and wolf howled.

She wanted to be close to all of her mates, including Talon.

I hadn’t felt this possessiveness from her in the bunker, as she’d been hiding from me then.

But now her interest was strong and obvious.

Talon’s scent grew stronger too, and I picked up hints of smoky ash in his maple, just like with Slade’s marshmallow.

No , I internally cried as my beast cozied up to his curious dragon. I don’t care that he smells good. We need to subdue him until we can figure out how to fix this.

Ignoring the whimpers of my wolf, I whispered in his ear, “You’re my mate, Talon. I won’t let them hurt you.”

His huge chest rumbled as his arms moved to close around me, which I couldn’t let happen. If he pulled my feet from the ground, I’d lose the leverage I needed to get him into position.

“But I don’t trust you,” I added in a breathless rush, sliding my hands farther along his shoulders, and yanking him toward me.

I fell back with all my weight, and while he clearly hadn’t expected the maneuver, he didn’t completely lose his balance as I’d hoped.

Luckily, he still stumbled close enough that Slade’s dragon could swing his head, cracking his hard skull into the side of his doppelganger, knocking the other shifter off his feet and out cold.

If the way he slumped to the ground was any indication.

A flicker of guilt washed through me, even though Talon deserved that and far worse after what he’d done to me. Hunter, who’d finished with Finley by now, reached my side and helped me up from where I’d fallen.

“We need to get out of here,” he said, after checking me over quickly. “Reinforcements are on their way, and there are too many of them for us to take on today. Especially not when this bastard wakes up and joins in on their side. Slade, you fly him out of here. We’ll meet you at the plane.”

No one argued, and I wasn’t surprised to find myself hoisted in my entitled alpha’s arms as he raced across the desert, dirt flying around us as he headed for the ATV.

He slid into the passenger side, keeping me against his chest, while Kellan dove into the driver’s seat and Finley leapt onto the back, clutching the roof bars as we took off.

“Will Slade be okay?” I shouted, the sound of the helicopter echoing through the valley

“He’ll be fine. He’s faster than any chopper,” Hunter replied, his grip tightening on me as Kellan did a near ninety-degree turn, zooming in the opposite direction of the helicopter.

Slade came into view above us, Talon gripped in his… talons. Ironically .

It didn’t look like a comfortable hold, with one giant claw wrapped around his right arm, and the other on his right ankle, but Talon’s comfort was no doubt low on Slade’s list of worries, especially with Fletcher on his tail.

I slumped into Hunter and he wrapped his arms tighter around me, both of us bracing our feet against the floor as Kellan demonstrated impressive driving abilities. Not only was he going as fast as this vehicle could move, it was over rugged terrain that shifted from sand to rock constantly.

“We left our plane on a private strip out of the main town,” Kellan said as he jumped a small mound, landing heavily and almost unseating me. “We have to switch out vehicles first though.”

“Fucking excellent,” Finley muttered from behind us. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll just be back here with my balls flapping in the breeze.”

Kellan didn’t miss a beat. “At least it’s cold. I bet that’s helping minimize the flapping.”

Finley growled, and even Hunter cracked a brief smile. I forced myself not to laugh, or turn around, to add visual to the commentary.

“If we put a bit of distance between us,” Kellan continued, airily, “we can switch out as drivers, Fin. Give your balls a rest… and you too, since I’m sure you haven’t had much sleep since Emme was taken.”

“Which was… over a week ago now?” I asked, wanting to confirm what I’d learned in the bunker.

“Yes,” Hunter murmured, burying his face in my hair. “You’ve been gone for eight of the longest fucking days of our lives. We’re lucky that we tracked Blaine’s pack, otherwise we wouldn’t have found you here so quickly.”

“And where is here exactly?”

“Texas,” Finley called. “I’ve been tracking you from the moment I found your note.

My bear form has the strongest senses, and he kept up with your trail until you were taken from the old shack.

From there, they put you on a private plane, but thankfully once I dispatched a few security personnel, I found the flight plan for Texas.

My bear hitched a ride on the back of a truck, which was why it took so long to get here.

I hoped I wasn’t going to be too late, especially since I couldn’t shift back again and warn the others.

Though apparently you had it all under control. ”

I was absolutely blown away by the effort that they’d all put into tracking me, and for Finley especially. It was another shovel of dirt into the chasm. His actions over the past week had very aptly demonstrated that he wasn’t indifferent to me. And… he mustn’t hate me.

You didn’t work that hard for someone you hated.

“We went the route of tracking the Rogers pack,” Hunter continued, “searching out their holdings in Silver City. It was obvious those fuckers had their hand in this.”

“We didn’t get Blaine though.” Kellan sighed, hands tense on the wheel. “But the rest are dead. They won’t bother you ever again.”

The relief I felt to know that most of that pack had been wiped from this world almost took me out.

“Blaine was in the bunker when I woke up,” I said, the memories filtering back in.

“That’s why he wasn’t with his pack. He’s still out there with Fletcher, and the Termaine witches, and they’re all dangerous. ”

“So are we,” Hunter rumbled, his hands firming along my thighs, as if he was afraid to loosen his hold and have me slip away again.

“I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d all believe the note or not,” I said, voicing the fear I’d felt since the moment magic held that pen in my hand.

“At first, I was confident that you and Kel would know through our bond I was being controlled, until I realized the magic locking me down blocked my fears and emotions.”

“None of us believed the note,” Hunter said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. “We knew you were taken by Chelsea from the start. Was Sorenson or anyone else involved? Who betrayed us?”

Holy crap… they knew about Chelsea too.

I’d been dreading having to break the news of that pack’s betrayal, not that I was sure Sorenson was involved, but it was still his pack. His responsibility.

“It was only ever Chelsea that I saw,” I said as Kellan took another sharp right, the helicopter’s whomp finally getting quieter.

“She waited outside our compound for days on the off chance I’d open those fucking books.

She had a spell hidden in the pages, and it bonded me to her energy so I had to follow her lead.

She was the one who penned the note for you all.

She delivered me into Fletcher and Talon’s hands.

” I had another thought. “Oh, and she bribed a security guard to look the other way when we left Golden Claw. He’d be worth investigating. ”

Finley grunted. “He’s dead. No need to worry about him.”

I blinked, but after seeing what he did to Fletcher’s guards, I wasn’t shocked by that admission.

“What did Fletcher say about Talon?” Hunter asked in a careful tone, and I wasn’t surprised by the hint of curiosity I heard buried deep. No doubt he had a lot of questions about this shifter who was the spitting image of his brother.

“Not much. Fletcher treats him like a weapon under his control, but he has to be Slade’s twin or brother or… do you think all dragons look alike?”

“There’s no way to know,” Finley said with a huff. “We’ve never seen another outside of Slade.”

Kellan nodded as he flexed his hands on the wheel. “Talon has to know if they’re related, right? We can ask him when we’re safe and he’s no longer unconscious. I’m sure Hunter’s father told him something about his origins.”

Hunter swore under his breath. “He’s no father of mine.

I’ve cut all ties with that bastard, and he will die at my hands sooner rather than later.

Slade might not have thought his death was worth pursuing before, but I can guarantee he won’t feel that way now.

The second he touched our mate was the second his life ended. ”

I slid my hands up Hunter’s arms and clutched him closer. “I’m scared for you guys to go up against him. He’s strong and has magic at his disposal. Magic from an ancient line of power-hungry witches. It’s not a good combo.”

Hunter didn’t even flinch. “He has no idea how powerful and dangerous I can be too. I’ve held back over the years for multiple reasons, but that’s finished now. Slade will have my back, and between the two of us, he doesn’t stand a chance. Especially when Talon is now our prisoner.”

“The four of us,” Finley shot back, leaning down until his scent hit me. “We’re all in this together.”

I liked the sound of that. “Five of us,” I said with force.

I was determined to stand alongside the others in this final fight. I might not ever be as strong as they were, but I was going to train, and hopefully one day soon I’d take them all by surprise.

Especially those who’d underestimated me all along.