Page 24

EMME

“ M ate,” Talon breathed in his deep rumble.

Slade’s returning rumble was stronger and more menacing.

“Don’t fucking call her that. You stole what should have been a sacred moment, and in doing so you condemned my omega to possibly being without a perfect quintet of power.

You will pay for what you’ve done, but it will be so much worse if you keep calling her mate . ”

Talon didn’t even glance at Slade, doing that thing where he visually consumed me until I was certain no one else existed in his world.

A quick scan over the dragon revealed no injuries, or even tears in his black pants, fitted black shirt, and bare feet.

He wore Slade’s clothes, that much I knew for sure, and I didn’t want to examine why that had my stomach flip-flopping.

No doubt being in an enclosed space with two dragon shifters was simply too much dominance and beauty for one omega.

I could barely keep my thoughts from clouding over with the imagery that identical twins were designed to provoke?—

No. Holy shit. NO!

One of the twins had a touch aversion and the other was a psychopath who owed allegiance to an even bigger psychopath.

The mental image of being caged between them as they took their pleasure, and gave me pleasure, was going firmly into the box where all my forbidden thoughts were stored. Never to be looked at again.

Talon pressed harder against the bars, one arm hanging through, his palm up as he gestured for me to step forward. “Mate,” he growled it this time, and I was helpless not to step toward him, only halting when a firm arm wrapped around my waist.

Slade secured me in his hold and full-bodily lifted me to shift our positions so he stood between Talon and me.

“Emmeline Anders,” he snapped, dragging my attention up to his face.

The menacing sounds of dragon rumble was a soundtrack in the background.

“What is Talon doing to you? Tell me what’s happening?

I can’t fix a situation without all the information and variables. ”

“He is my mate,” I confirmed, the connection between us pulsing as Talon’s bite tingled. “Our bond is not fully complete, but it’s strong enough that I know we are goddess fated.”

Now that my wolf was back and functioning, the incomplete nature of our tether drew her closer.

“You’re only feeling this way due to the forced bonding,” he said, and even I picked up on his uncertainty despite the statement.

Goddess, I hated hurting them. “It’s a scent match, Slade,” I repeated, forcing the words out. “Tell me you smell his sweet maple and?—”

I was cut off by Slade’s sigh. “Smokiness,” he grumbled, honest as always. “Just like mine.”

My throat tightened, and it spoke of how insane the tension was holding all of us, that it took me until this very second to realize Slade was still touching me .

More than touching, he had me plastered against his side, and he wasn’t wavering in his hold—I was coming to realize that he handled touch better when he was the one to initiate it.

“It is smoky,” I confirmed, my voice wavering as I tried not to squirm in his grasp. “It has hints of your scent, and he speaks with that same slight accent, which has to be dragon related , right?”

Slade looked like he was being tortured as he bit out, “Yeah, I wasn’t raised around this accent. I’ve always held a slight lilt to my words. Dragon related is the most logical explanation.”

My wolf howled, and I barely halted her need to rub against him, scent marking the shifter.

Slade’s expression darkened and I wouldn’t have been surprised if his dragon felt her need. “How can he be your mate when you already have four alphas? How does a fifth fit?”

Judging by the size of them, it was a miracle any of them fit , but since that wasn’t his exact meaning, I forced my addled mind to focus. “I have some theories,” I said, not sure if any of them were true. “But maybe it’s best if we ask Talon. That’s what I’m down here for after all.”

Slade didn’t release me for many long moments, which set Talon off again, as he growled.

“Fine,” Slade finally snapped, “but don’t get within touching distance. If he touches you, I will break both of his arms.”

The murder-y nature of his tone had a natural fear response spiking in my chest, but I didn’t try and pull away.

Slade, who’d clearly felt the surge of my pulse, examined my face closely.

“You have an instinct to fear my beast,” he murmured, “but you also trust him. You trust us not to hurt you, don’t you, Snow? ”

“I trust you both completely,” I replied without hesitation.

His expression tightened once more as if he didn’t love that response, and then to my astonishment, he leaned down and whispered, “Don’t move.”

It was a command I couldn’t disobey, and I wasn’t even breathing as he shifted closer, descending from his lofty heights to press his lips to the corner of my mouth.

Fire exploded through my body—not literally, though with a dragon you could never be sure—and it felt like I was burning alive as my stomach swirled and my core clenched desperately.

Slade’s touch was over so quickly that I wondered if I’d imagined it, but as my tongue darted out to taste the spot, a lingering marshmallow sweetness remained, and it almost sent me to my knees. His eyes darkened. “Careful, omega. Don’t push me or my dragon when we’re in this state.”

“Hard not to push a little,” I choked out, the scent of my arousal filling the room, and when a hand slammed against the bars behind Slade, I was reminded that we weren’t exactly alone down here.

Slade closed his eyes, and it appeared he was praying for the strength not to straight up murder his doppelganger.

By the time he opened his eyes, he was visually back in control, and if I hadn’t been standing close enough to see the faintest tremble in his hands, I’d have thought he was wholly unaffected.

Talon didn’t help as he demanded his freedom. “Let me out. Now!”

Moving into his line of sight, I leveled a firm stare at him.

“Until we can confirm that you’re not a threat to our pack and the shifters of Golden Claw, you will stay contained.

” I glanced at Slade, who remained close to my side.

“I’m assuming this room is protected from any sort of tracking spell? ”

He gave a single, grim nod. “Yeah, this was originally designed for me. It’s a contingency for the day I lose control completely.

My brothers needed a place to contain my humanoid form until they figured out how to either kill me or repair the bond between me and my beast. It’s the safest spot to keep him. ”

Slade leaned against the wall, and while he appeared to be relaxing, I tracked the tension in his broad shoulders. “I don’t know how Blaine screwed up in imprisoning me, when he’s had a dragon at his disposal to test on, but I won’t make the same mistake.”

“Blaine is overconfident,” Talon said with a grunt, and I took it as a positive that he was offering up information without us even asking the question. “He believes himself untouchable. Alpha gives him too much rope, and he will hang himself.”

I blinked and bestowed a small smile on him. “Nice work, Talon. That was a rather astute observation, highlighting the fact that your Alpha is not perfect.”

He wore the flattest stare known to shifter to convey his thoughts on that.

“Anyways,” I continued airily, sticking with our pretense of casual and friendly conversation, “let’s ask the real questions, shall we.”

Talon’s arm remained stretched between the bars. “Take my hand and I’ll answer any question you ask.”

Slade was no longer the picture of false relaxation, his spine slamming straight as he reached my side in a single long stride. “Not a fucking chance. He could kill you in a heartbeat, Snow. Faster than even I could stop once his hands are on you.”

Talon removed his intense stare from my face to glare at Slade; they stood close enough now that I had to gulp at their similarities. Clad in black, they were twin godlike statues of perfection.

“The omega is mine,” Talon said, enunciating each word so clearly that he hit every damn letter. “Mine to keep. To protect. To claim. To use as needed. Mine! And a dragon does not hurt what is his.”

Slade leapt forward, his fist slamming into Talon’s face with enough force that the dragon’s arm snapped between the bars as he was thrown back. I gasped, and before sanity caught up to me, I was against the bars, scrambling to reach the injured shifter.

“Slade!” I cried, shooting him an angry glare over my shoulder. “That was so fucking uncalled for. I’ve already told you he’s been programmed by Fletcher, and he wasn’t offering any violence toward me. There was no reason to react so brutally.”

Talon didn’t make a sound as he dragged himself up, his broken arm hanging awkwardly at his side. “I’ll heal soon enough, don’t stress, Emme.” His voice remained even and calm, as if he didn’t even register the pain.

Slade, meanwhile, filled the cell with extreme heat, and when I glanced up over my shoulder at him, a chill traced across my skin. Ironically.

He was out of control.

His eyes pinpoints of green.

Talon’s arm wrapped around my center, dragging me fully against the bars. “You need to get away from him,” he snarled. “He’s not in control of his beast, and if he shifts here, he’ll crush you.”

Slade’s gaze snapped to stare at the arm encircling my waist, and the fury in his expression grew as the air blistered. “Let me go,” I whispered. “Let me go to him. It’s the only chance we have.”

Talon hesitated, his hold tightening, and I panicked just as he finally saw reason and released me. It took two strides to reach Slade, and my hands rose to hover between us.

I had no idea if my touch would send him over the edge, but there was a hope that my omega energy would soothe his beast. The dragon shifter’s limbs trembled, and puffs of smoky air surrounded me, until the marshmallow of his scent was choked out by the ash.

“Slade, I’m going to touch you,” I warned him. “You have two seconds to say no or shake your head or growl. Even an alpha grunt will stop me.”

When no response was forthcoming, I moved slowly and lowered my hands toward his chest.

He released a harsh breath as my palms connected to his shirt, careful not to graze any bare skin.

When I found no rebuff or increase in rage, I stepped closer and lowered my head to rest between my palms. I wasn’t situated over his heart, but I could hear the rapid beats as we stood there in silence.

It took a few minutes for those thuds to calm, and eventually Slade’s hands swept up and wrapped around my back.

Thank the goddess.

“I would never hurt you,” he breathed into my ear. “I would never have lost control and hurt you. But I would have killed him, which might have hurt you anyway. I believe you’d survive his death, as your bond isn’t fully complete, but it’s still a risk I shouldn’t contemplate.”

I wanted to reply but I was consumed by the feeling of being held against him in a hug, a mere fraction of his strength wrapped around me. My eyes burned until I had to bite my lip to force my emotions back under control.

If Talon hadn’t cleared his throat, I’d have forgotten anyone else was even in the room.

As it was, neither of us moved, and I hoped Slade also wanted this perfect moment to go on just a little longer. Or forever.