Page 39

TALON

T he scent of my mate’s arousal reached me in my prison. Along with the throbbing in my bite, it had my dick harder than I’d ever felt before.

Emme was the most desirable shifter I’d ever met, and she was mine, but my patience ran thin as I waited for her to understand there was no other possible future except the one where we were together.

They had me locked in a strong cell, but I could get out of here if I wanted.

It’d cost me in energy, which was why so far I remained in place, but these alphas had no idea what I was capable of.

The only one who could match me was my twin, and he’d let the rift between his power and beast widen to the point he was weakened by it.

Alpha wouldn’t care that I was here. When he’d discussed plans with me, he surmised that my capture was a possibility, and that I’d use that time to learn their weaknesses.

So far, their weakness was my weakness: Emmeline Anders.

The connection I’d felt from the moment I sank my fangs into her was an instant bond and obsession, and now there was nothing else in the world more important than Emme.

I hadn’t expected the intensity of it.

It fucked with my concept of pack and mate bonds, but I was coming to accept that I couldn’t kill the rest of her pack if it meant I’d hurt Emme at the same time. Therefore they’d have to eventually join in with our plans, or they’d be the ones who’d spend their eternity in a cell.

When Alpha informed me of his intention to bond me to an omega, it was before Emme had joined this pack.

We’d been under the impression that after her mom’s death, she’d shunned shifter cities and alphas.

Though I didn’t blame her after feeling the intensity of our scent match… it was impossible to fight.

My beast stirred, his power ancient and filled with dragon fire. There’d always been a rift between us too, but as we’d had no other to connect with, I’d forced our closeness. I kept control, and so did the dragon. We were a team, albeit a fucked up one.

My brother let weakness into his soul, and in doing so, willingly brought a predator into their midst. Lucky for them, this predator needed them all alive, but luck only got you so far in our world.

Pressing against the bars, I struggled to keep my power contained.

Dragons were different to other shifters with our essence as close as a beast could get to magic.

We controlled energy and matter around us, and while I’d seen Slade use it to clean and purify his air, he hadn’t bothered to use it as a weapon.

Not even when he was attempting to extract information.

Missed opportunity for him there. Though, maybe like me, he enjoyed getting his hands dirty on occasion too.

My biggest annoyance with my kin was that he’d gone too easy on me during his interrogation.

For Emme, he should have torn me to pieces and stitched those pieces back together with a rusty piece of barbed wire.

I’d show no mercy to anyone who threatened my mate’s existence.

Then again, maybe he’d feared that hurting me would hurt her too, and in that, I respected his choices. It was a losing battle anyway. Alpha had prepared me for all range of torture, and no amount of pain could compare to isolation. That was how I usually suffered.

Four white walls and nothing to break the monotony.

Slade had suffered under Alpha’s control too, that much was made clear, but his wasn’t about isolation. He’d always had his brother, Hunter, and for that I occasionally imagined killing them both.

Sometimes I even imagined killing Alpha, but he was the only family I knew, and everything he’d put me through was to strengthen me for the future. A future that would ensure the integrity of shifters remained pure. I owed him loyalty, and wouldn’t let him down. No matter how torn my mind was.

Emme’s scent grew stronger as our bond pulsed, and the throbbing in my balls and shaft reminded me that we hadn’t claimed her fully yet. Before Emme, I’d had no sexual desires. I’d disciplined my body and shut down any base urges that didn’t include killing.

With my mate, though, I’d have as much luck of rotating the Earth in the opposite direction as I would halting the flood of need scorching my veins.

Emmeline was mine to claim, and while I had no plans to ever take her by force again, I was confident she would eventually cave to the draw of our bond.

A door clanked in the distance, and like I’d summoned her with that thought, she appeared at the end of the room. Alone.

She hesitated in the doorway, and I pressed closer to the bars. “Mate,” I rasped, reaching for her. “What’s wrong?”

There was a reason she’d sought me out while her scent meshed with another alpha’s and only a large shirt hid her nakedness. Seeing her in another male’s clothing had me and my beast wanting to tear it to shreds and cover her in our scent, but I refrained.

For now.

The goal was to win her loyalty and convince her that Alpha’s plan was the only way to ensure shifters survived.

Not just survived but flourished as the strongest race in the world.

Just as we were designed to be. She cleared her throat, rubbing a hand over her face, and I enjoyed the flush in her cheeks.

“There’s nothing wrong,” she finally said, though she grimaced, and the icy blue of her eyes was dull.

She looked tired, and I was fighting the urge to drag her into my arms. “Nothing new is wrong,” she clarified.

“Your evil-ass boss is still out there planning to destroy the world. And the omega who betrayed me hides now as well, along with her pack. One of whom happens to be Hunter’s best friend. ”

I knew all about the other omega. I’d been there for their initial negotiations, where she’d bartered to keep herself and her pack safe.

Of course, that safety had only been from Alpha himself, and not from the Reeves pack.

She should have taken that into consideration, but she hadn’t thought further than not ending up in the Omega Program .

The problem was, now that they needed to stay safe from Hunter and his pack of lunatics, they were even more beholden to Alpha.

“Alpha will have them,” I said, having no need or want to lie to Emme. “You won’t find them until he’s ready to release them.”

Emme sighed and sank to the cold floor, resting her chin on her knees. My hackles rose at the sight of her in such an uncomfortable position, but if I made any move to help her, she’d panic and leave. Which was unacceptable.

“We will find him,” she growled, peering up at me, and I thought she was fucking adorable. Even her little snarl was as cute as a kitten.

“You can try, and even if you do, he’s prepared for any scenario. He knows your mates pretty well, and is well aware of what he’s up against.”

“And he has you,” she shot back, tilting her head to stare me dead in the eyes. Not many had the dominance to do that, and I admired her spark and fire. More than admire, I craved it. “His guard dragon. Just out there blindly following orders.”

With a shrug, I settled on keeping this affable. “Why fight when I agree with his vision for the future? Once his plan is in place, I’ll take my rightful spot as a leader. With you by my side of course. I owe him for my existence, and the fact that it led me to you, Sweet Honey.”

She blinked, as if she wasn’t sure she’d heard me right. “Sweet Honey? Really? You’re giving me a pet name like we’re an old married couple?”

I had no idea why she made that sound ridiculous. As far as I was concerned, we were beyond married—she was mine—which Emme would learn sooner or later.

“We’re bonded mates,” I reminded her, my voice lowering.

“And your scent is so sweet. You wouldn’t know this, but I’ve been obsessed with honey since I was a hatchling.

In the compound, before they taught me control, I’d escape and climb the trees to find the hives.

It’s fitting that my mate would be as sweet as that nectar. ”

Her lips trembled briefly, but then she pulled herself together, her next words barely a whisper. “I don’t know how I’m going to forgive you for what you stole from me.”

Guilt was about as familiar to me as sexual desire, but apparently I was getting a crash course in both. “For forcing the bond?”

I didn’t play stupid. She’d already expressed to me how I’d hurt her, and why my actions were wrong. At the time I didn’t understand, but I was a fast learner.

The fact that she was mine wasn’t enough… I should not have forced such a sacred bond. A bond that would have been stronger if she’d chosen me as well.

Emme let out another sigh. “Yes. You took a special moment from both of us. If you’d have just given me a chance to get to know you better, I could have chosen to bond you.”

I felt another crack in my chest, and fuck… I’d take physical pain over these emotional strikes any day. “I’m sorry.”

I’d never said those two words before, but I truly meant them. “It was my only chance to bond with my scent match, and I fucked it up for both of us. It’s just that what Alpha asks of me is usually for my own good.”

She examined me for so long, and her stare was so probing, that I almost looked away.

I’d never broken eye contact first—my dragon wouldn’t let me.

But we were both different with Emme. “Have you ever thought that maybe it’s for his own good,” she finally said, and it was another statement to settle far too deep in my psyche.

Needing a focus to keep my beast from destroying the house, I cleared my throat. “Grab a hairbrush,” I said gruffly.

She blinked at me, and I enjoyed taking her by surprise. “Sorry?”

“A hairbrush,” I repeated. “Grab one and I’ll brush your hair again.”

It was one of my favorite memories of our time together, the feel of her silky strands between my fingers, the honey and chocolate of her scent wafting toward me with each stroke.

I’d thought about it far too often, wondering how all of that gorgeous hair would look curled around my fist, but that wasn’t my reasoning for tonight.

Tonight, we both needed grounding, and I knew this would work.

Emme glanced around the room, as if calculating what might happen if she got within touching distance. “Hunter’s in his office on a call, and they have security cameras down here,” she warned me, narrowing her eyes. “You wouldn’t have much time to keep me captive.”

I shook my head and couldn’t help but smile. She really was fucking adorable. “I’m not keeping you captive. I’m trying to change the narrative between us. One step at a time, right?”

If her wary expression was any indication, Emme wasn’t convinced, and my smile fell under my disappointment as she pushed to her feet and disappeared from the room.

Until she returned.

Not even ten minutes later she stood there with a black hairbrush in her hand.

When she shuffled closer, I remained so still that I wasn’t even breathing.

I’d break my own neck before I broke her trust this night, which she’d learn as soon as she was within touching distance.

When she stood right before the bars, she reached to hand me the brush, and I moved slowly as I took it.

I savored the glide of our fingers, a reminder of how soft and delicate she felt. Her scent was everywhere, and my fangs ached with the desire to sink them into her again. And again. Mark every inch of her perfect skin and claim it as mine.

A desire I managed to contain as she offered me a tentative smile.

“If you ever break my trust again,” she warned me, her expression neutral, “then we’re done.

I’ll figure out how to destroy our bond or lock you in the basement for the rest of existence.

Most people don’t get second chances in life, Talon. Don’t waste yours.”

My free hand drifted up, my fingers tracing across her cheek and over her lips. “You are my only chance in life,” I whispered, leaning closer to breathe her in.

Her eyes widened, the blue encasing me near whole, but she didn’t back away.

“Turn,” I murmured, and she sucked in a ragged gulp, before obeying.

Ah, fuck. I liked that far too much.

She sank to the ground with her back against the bars, and I gently freed her hair from where it was trapped. With the first stroke of the brush, the tension lining her spine eased, and after ten minutes she was half slumped on the floor.

When her breaths evened out, I pulled off my shirt and draped it over her, annoyed at how awkward it was to cover her from within the cell. “One day, Sweet Honey,” I breathed, tracing my fingers over her soft hair, “You will sleep in my arms. Until then, I’ll keep watch over you.”

There was no doubt in my mind any longer: I’d destroy the world before I let anyone hurt her.

The world and every fucking shifter in it.