Page 30

SLADE

E mme was quiet for the first part of the drive out to the training facility, as she fidgeted in her chair and kept messing with her ponytail. It would normally annoy me to have a shifter bouncing around beside me, but worry took over as my strongest emotion.

“You okay, Snow?”

Her head snapped toward me; her gaze moved over my face, and she let out a sigh. “I just have so many thoughts and questions. I hate the unknown more than I can express.”

I felt the same way, which was what had led me to learn how to hack in the first place. If a shifter wouldn’t give me answers, I’d track them down myself.

“You need a distraction,” I said, returning my gaze, though not my focus, to the road.

That statement shocked her into stillness, and she sank deeper into her chair. “A distraction… What about a game of twenty questions?”

This omega constantly surprised me, and I could barely remember my mundane existence before she showed up. I’d take her form of chaos all day every single fucking day. “Twenty questions? Considering I know everything about you, I’m not sure I’m seeing the incentive here for me.”

I was relieved when that elicited the response I’d hoped for and her airy laughter filled the car. My beast even rumbled in enjoyment over the sound. Our fascination with this omega increased every day, and my resolve to keep her safe, even from myself , grew harder to maintain.

“How about I get to ask the twenty questions, then?” she said. “Indulge me so I don’t crawl out of my chair and throw myself from the window to get a reprieve from my thoughts.”

The very idea of her being hurt had me crushing the steering wheel beneath my hands. “Okay, Snow,” I bit out, trying to calm myself. “You can have ten questions. Make them count.”

She thought about it for a second, tapping her finger against her chin.

“When my wolf and I were broken and retreating,” she finally said, the reminder bringing forth a surge of fire in my gut which heated the car, “I kept thinking about everything I didn’t know about you all.

And a few questions sprang to mind… Are you ready? ”

All I could manage was a nod, which was enough for her. “Okay, first question: When did you learn to hack? And why?”

That one was easy, and I released my stranglehold on the wheel.

“When I was around ten. I was always curious, and when I found myself with more questions than answers, I started searching for those answers myself. Computers, weirdly, have always been easy for me. Everything just makes sense. Code makes sense since it’s all math and logic.

Once I tapped into that world, I never looked back, able to manipulate and control from behind my screen. ”

She swallowed roughly, and I could feel her gaze burning into the side of my face. I liked when her eyes were on me like this. When she couldn’t look away.

I wanted her obsession.

“You’re terrifying at times,” she choked out. “You know that right?”

I was also pleased by that assessment. “I know. Next question.”

With a shake of her head, she recovered quickly. “What does it feel like to fly? Is it ever scary? Does your belly like swirl or dip when you dive fast?”

That question was more complex, and I searched for the words to describe the sensation.

“It feels like power and freedom,” I finally said.

“And it’s never scary. It’s exhilarating, but at the same time, as instinctive as walking.

My stomach never drops, as my body knows what’s about to happen and adjusts.

Soaring above the world is one of my favorite moments in existence. ”

Her lips quivered, and I tasted her desire and sadness before she got herself under control. “Sounds amazing. I’d love to try that one day.”

I’d never taken anyone flying on my back, but if I ever did, Emme would be the one.

“Okay,” she said, clearing her throat. “Dragon fire. What does it feel like to spew it from your mouth? Does it burn you?”

It made sense that she would be the most curious about my beast, and he was quite pleased to be holding her interest. Bastard .

“Dragon fire burns in our center while in our beast form,” I explained, “and when we breath fire, that heat expands and rises until it spews from our mouth. I don’t have to release it though, and it won’t burn or hurt me.

The heat is quite pleasant to our kind and allows me to fly at altitudes that would freeze any other creature. ”

She shook her head and muttered again, “Terrifying” before moving on to the next question. “Does your dragon have thoughts like yours?”

I nodded. “Yes, only with less empathy, and an ancient, cold feeling to them.”

“ Less empathy?” she breathed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Believe it or not, it’s the truth. Except for his pack, there’s not a single living creature that the dragon gives a shit about. We razed villages to the ground in our search for you.”

I looked away from the road to see her skin paling as she swallowed hard. “I don’t want anyone to die for me. Especially not innocents.”

To my dragon, everyone but our pack were ants, insignificant and disposable.

“Do you have any other questions?” I asked as the stadium appeared in the distance.

Emme was quiet, and when I looked over again, her cheeks were pink. Her scent wafted strongly through the cab, and now I was invested in whatever she wanted to know next. “Spill,” I commanded, wishing for the hundredth time that my dominance worked on her.

Even though I’d absolutely go mad with power if I could control her.

“Uh,” she started, and when I shot her a long stare, she hurriedly continued, “Your piercings… how does that work with your touch aversion? Is it the same as the tattoos? And… do they come across in dragon form?”

Of everything she could have asked, that wasn’t what I expected, and I found myself almost taken by surprise.

Though the pink cheeks made sense now. “I do enjoy pain with my pleasure,” I admitted, relishing the deepening of her blush.

“Self-pleasure that is, as I’ve never allowed another to touch me that way. ”

Emme choked on that statement, and she was basically fire-engine red now, leaving me with a desperate urge to see if that pretty blush extended down the rest of her body.

After almost three decades on this planet, this was the first shifter I wanted to push through my touch aversion to be with.

If only it wasn’t dangerous for her, and maybe the entire world to do so.

“You’re a virgin?” she asked, her breaths rapid though she didn’t sound surprised. She sounded intrigued, and I could smell her arousal, which had my beast clawing at me.

“Yes, Snow. I’ve never found a shifter who I even wanted to try and overcome my touch aversion for.” Until you, little mate. Until you .

She shook her head a few times, as if shaking off that comment, and then cleared her throat. “Back to the piercings…”

It was clear she wanted the change of subject, and I didn’t fight her.

“I held myself while Finley pierced me,” I said, voice rougher as I fought a base instinct to devour Emme.

In what way? Well, who the fuck knew. “Fin wasn’t particularly happy about it, but I enjoy the sensation of the barbs in my dick.

My favorite was while they were healing, but they still give pleasure-pain now as my body tries to reject them. ”

I was caught in the snare of her wide blue eyes, the pupils blown as her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.

Pulling to a halt in the parking lot, I leaned in and murmured, “And my dragon’s dick is barbed.

It’s designed to hook on to his mate, so we can stay inside until we’ve bred to our satisfaction.

My piercings are in the exact same position , so it depends how technical you want to get in coming across in my other form . ”

“Goddess have mercy,” she breathed, still unable to blink or move.

“No mercy for you, Snow,” I replied, unsure what the fuck I was doing playing this game with my unstable beast, but I couldn’t seem to stop.

Needing my own distraction now, I sucked in a breath heavily filled with her sweet scent, and looked around the parking lot. It was filled with cars, and I saw that my enforcers, along with Warrick’s, were already here.

“Come on, Emmeline,” I said, opening my door, desperate to cleanse her scent from my beast before he lost control. “Question time is over. Now we train.”

On her side of the car, I cleared the snow under her door and she jumped out into the patch.

“Thanks for answering my questions,” she said, the flush of her embarrassment easing and her cheeks returning to a golden hue.

“Ever since we got back from Texas, you’ve been distant.

It was nice to feel close to you again.”

My beast roared, but I shut him down fast. “I’ve always kept a certain distance between us,” I said, reminding her of our relationship’s limitations. Or maybe I was reminding myself. “With my dragon’s instability, the most I can offer is protection and companionship. Not a full bond.”

No matter how incredibly tempting she was.

Emme pressed her lips together, and when the shine of her eyes dulled, I wanted to kick my own ass. My intentions were never to hurt her, but it would be worse to lie when I wasn’t sure I could ever complete this bond—complete it and keep her safe.

Reaching out, I caught her hand, barely registering the very mild negative response from the touch.

Emme turned her torso toward me, though her line of sight dropped to our clasped palms. When she finally met my gaze, staring up from under her thick lashes, I couldn’t logic away the need that roared to life in my body.

I wanted her. Every part of her.