Page 21

The dragon-dupe was currently stashed in our containment room—a noise-proof, magically reinforced cell behind the garage.

Emme didn’t know where he was, but she knew he was close—to keep their bond from flipping out.

So far, she hadn’t asked to see him, and none of us wanted her anywhere near the psychopath.

“He’s said absolutely nothing?” Kellan pushed.

Slade sucked in a deep, heavy breath. “He spoke once to tell me that he’ll only communicate with Emme from here on out. Since then, he’s sat there staring at me, his dragon hovering just below the surface.”

“She’s in no state to deal with him,” I murmured, my bear rumbling as we watched Emme’s heartbreaking routine once more. Back and forth. Measure and pour. Bake and repeat. Over and over.

Slade nodded roughly. “I’ll figure out how to break him.”

More footsteps echoed as Hunter joined us, his phone pressed to his ear.

“I don’t fucking care what it takes,” he barked.

“Find one of them. Fletcher Davenport, Blaine Rogers, Sorenson Thenguard. There’s a fucking shifter out here who knows where one of them are, and I want them dead or delivered to my doorstep today. ”

He paused at the three of us perched in the kitchen doorway, and as if he knew exactly what we were doing, his frantic gaze darted through to Emme. His shoulders relaxed when he saw she was safe and relatively functional. “I’ll expect an answer by tonight,” he snarled as he hung up the phone.

We were using every contact and resource we had to track Fletcher and anyone associated with him. Normally, Slade would be our source for tracking, but he was entirely focused on Talon—it was a bit of an obsession for him. He’d all but lived down in the containment cell this week.

“They’ve gone to ground,” Hunter bit out, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “All of them. Not a fucking sign of anyone, including Sorenson and Chelsea.”

He’d made no secrets that he was going to end his best friend’s pack the second he got his hands on them, which Sorenson no doubt knew. He wouldn’t be coming back for a reunion any time soon.

“The bunker he had Emme in was state of the art,” I reminded him.

“You’d never even know it was there unless you had a tangible path to track.

I barely knew it was there when I was standing over the top of it.

If Fletcher is holed up in a similar place, we won’t find him until he’s ready for us to find him. ”

Hunter rubbed a hand over his face, processing my words, before he sucked in a ragged breath.

“Has she said anything to anyone?” he asked, focusing on Emme, a hint of desperation bleeding into his tone.

“I don’t know how to help her. We’ve destroyed everyone involved, and half the council is terrified of us now, but it’s made no difference.

We haven’t found the ones we really need. ”

The phone in his hand cracked as he squeezed it tightly, which would make his fourth replacement in a week.

“She’s just… cooking,” Kellan said, squeezing his eyes shut. “Cooking, sleeping, and having nightmares. We’re fucking failing her as mates.”

I wanted to reassure him as he’d done for me earlier, but what could I say to make this better? We were her mates… her pack, and we’d let this happen to her.

And those responsible were still out there.

“We have another council meeting in an hour,” Slade said flatly. “Are you going to tell them about our little prisoner?”

Hunter shook his head. “No. They’ve already proven their uselessness, though they’ve at least doubled patrols on the entrances and perimeter of the city.

Along with adding enforcers to our family compound.

Which gives us some breathing room to focus on tracking and keeping that piece of shit dragon from escaping. ”

When Emme added another tray of muffins to the piles of baked goods across the counters, Kellan couldn’t take it any longer.

With a low rumble, he headed into the kitchen and swept her into his arms. We were trying to respect her wishes, and if that meant giving her space, we did it…

But for Kellan, there was only so much space he had in him.

Emme tensed briefly, so briefly that I doubted Kellan even noticed, but I saw it. When she tilted her head back and met his steady gaze, her whole body relaxed into his arms, as if she also really needed a hug.

“Hey, Golden,” she said, her smile lifting her sad eyes. She did a doubletake when she noticed the rest of us in the doorway. “Oh, you’re all here. Come and eat some of these sweets. I’ve made triple chocolate muffins and brownies, plus Nutella-stuffed cookies. Let me know how they are.”

That was the longest sentence she’s said in days, and as Hunter pushed forward, I was right behind him. Our entitled alpha didn’t hesitate to sweep both Emme and Kellan up in his arms, dragging even our brother’s feet from the floor.

Hunter tucked his head into Emme’s neck and breathed deeply until the tension that had been shaking his muscles finally eased. Kellan didn’t struggle in the embrace either, just accepting the hug without question.

Glancing over my shoulder, I clocked Slade hesitating in the doorway.

The dragon was distancing himself from all of us, and though he hadn’t said anything, I knew he blamed himself for the dragon—who wore his fucking face—forcibly bonding Emme.

Along with the fact that he hadn’t killed Fletcher when he had the opportunity.

“It’s not your fault,” I said bluntly as he backed away. “Don’t hurt her by walking away now. Go in there and eat those fucking treats and get addicted like the rest of us. You can return to your torture sessions after we reassure our mate.”

Even for one of his pack, it was a risk to talk to Slade in such a way.

But I was putting Emme first these days, even if it got my ass kicked.

To my surprise, Slade strolled into the kitchen, kicked out one of the kitchen stools to sit, and grabbed a muffin. I was a few steps behind, and by the time I sat and snagged my own muffin, Hunter had released them from his hug.

Emme looked dazed, her cheeks flushed in a ghostly semblance of her normal rosy glow. Her dazed stare moved about the room until she noticed the muffin in my hand, which resulted in a pleased smile tilting up her lips.

She pushed toward me, still avoiding my direct gaze as she’d done ever since our little blowout in Texas.

“I know I’ve been a bit out of it the last few days,” she murmured softly, as she reached out and started sliding cookies onto cooling racks.

“I was working through what happened , and I’m sorry I shut you all out, but now that we’re together I think it’s time I told you everything. ”

I froze with the muffin halfway to my mouth, and I wasn’t the only one waiting with bated breath.

“I’ve wanted to tell you all for ages what happened in the past, and what caused me to run from you in the first place. Weirdly, though, if I had told you this before I was taken, the story wouldn’t be complete. I got more information from Fletcher the fuckhead .”

Kellan and Hunter pressed in on either side of her, running their hands up and down her spine in a comforting manner.

“We did hear a little of this story from the Rogers pack,” Hunter told her, and she blinked at him, showing clear surprise.

Kellan had filled me in on what Donnie revealed, but I was more interested in hearing it from Emme.

As was Hunter when he added, “But we’d rather hear it from you. Whatever you want to tell us.”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed roughly, and then she nodded.

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best. That pack wouldn’t give the truth, just the parts that worked for them.

” She released another deep breath and continued.

“As you know, my mother wasn’t exactly the nicest shifter in existence.

I’ve told you that we moved around a lot until I turned about four, which was when we went to live with the Rogers pack. ”

Despite how delicious her baked goods were, the muffin ended up as crumbs in my hands. I already knew that hearing of her abuse and neglect would be a trigger for me, but I was determined not to make any of this about me. For once in my fucking life, I wouldn’t let the trauma win.