Page 58

EMME

H unter and Slade reached the bars, fury drawing their expressions into hard lines.

I patted Talon’s shoulder. “Put me down.” I said, needing to defuse the situation, only to have him completely ignore that request and grunt.

Great, we were in alpha mode.

Hunter grunted back and Slade let out a growl that was menacing enough to bring every hair on my arms to attention. “Enough!” I snapped, and to my freaking surprise, all of them paused their dominance games to give me their full attention. An omega could go a little mad with that sort of power.

“Okay, we’re going to solve this one with our brains today,” I said, forcing my nerves to sink below my annoyance. “We already knew Talon could manipulate the prison, which means he’s been very good so far. Let’s not lose it because he suddenly decided I needed to be on this side of the bars.”

“How are you managing this?” Slade bit out through his clenched teeth.

Those pearly whites were lucky not to be cracking under the force.

“I can manipulate smaller energies and atomic structure, but you’re working with material that’s not only filled with elements which weaken shifters but are also spelled. ”

Talon huffed, and I thought he was going to ignore Slade too, but he didn’t. “As I’ve told you many times, you’ve allowed yourself to grow weaker by not repairing the rift between you and your dragon.”

“And I’ve told you,” Slade hit back, “that you have a rift also.”

Talon shrugged, and I was lifted with the movement.

“My rift isn’t as deep as yours. My dragon and I fight on the same side, even when we’re not as connected as we should be.

You and your beast are as much enemies as you are allies, and that’s why you’re weakened.

We should not be beholden to the same weaknesses as other shifters.

Not to any elements, and not to magic. At our full strength, they would need something truly spectacular to take us on. ”

It was true that everyone in this city was afraid of Slade, but it hadn’t seemed to extend to witches, who’d always thought themselves above all shifters.

“Can you put me down, please,” I asked again, softer this time. “I promise I won’t run away.”

Moving so slowly it was almost comical, he let me slide down his frame, until eventually my feet hit the ground. His hand remained on my back, keeping us pressed intimately together, as our beasts enjoyed our sudden closeness.

“Thank you,” I said, momentarily forgetting we had an audience as I examined his dark eyes. Just like with Hunter’s stormy irises, there were hints of color in the darkness—Talon’s hint was green.

He leaned into me, and our lips were only inches apart when Slade slammed his hand against the bars. “If you fucking touch her without her consent again, I will tear you into so many pieces all they’ll find will be scales.”

With a shake of my head, I pulled away, not sure if I would have refused his kiss.

“Don’t forget where his loyalties lie,” Hunter said, his gaze imploring me to come to him. No doubt he could feel my confused desire in the bond. “At the end of the day, he will heed to Fletcher’s command, even if it hurts you. You’ve already lived through that.”

He was right, and despite my softening feelings toward Talon, I couldn’t grow complacent of a shifter as powerful as this dragon.

When I took another step away, Talon’s wounded expression hit like a blunt object forced through skin, bone, and muscle until it embedded deep in my heart. “I’m loyal to you too,” he rasped, and I was left with no doubt that he meant every word.

“I know,” I assured him, “but the issue we have here is that my ideologies don’t align with Fletcher’s.

I will never be like him. I will never sacrifice everyone in this world for power.

It’s inevitable that you’ll have to choose between us, and right now I’m not convinced you’d choose me.

Which means we cannot take this relationship any further.

Not until I know for sure. Not until the trust is complete. ”

His expression hardened, and he was the one to back away now. “And you trust your pack like that?” he asked roughly. “Completely? Without reservation? Every single one of them?”

There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation in my response. “Absolutely. All of them, even Finley.”

As I admitted that truth, the last of the chasm between Finley and me filled. It was a tangible sensation, just like that crack which started it all back in Texas.

Yes, he’d hurt me badly, but not even at our absolute worst did I ever believe he’d betray me. Berate me? Absolutely. Take immature little jabs and try to cut me down? Without hesitation.

But actually send me off to be hurt or killed? Never . Our trust had been building in the most unconventional ways, and now that we were on a path of healing and growth… the rest would fall into place.

“They’re my pack and mates,” I said, my voice rising as I defended them.

“And I believe you are also, but until you cut final ties with Fletcher, your loyalty is torn. Which won’t work for me.

I’ve already grown up with a mom who couldn’t put me first, no matter what I did, and I won’t ever go back there again. Not even for you.”

He stared in his way of seeing deeper than the surface, but there was nothing he could say to reassure me.

We hadn’t had our test of coming face to face with Fletcher yet, and until that moment, I’d always have doubts.

After our trip to the volcano, we were tracking that piece of shit alpha down.

Even if I had to fly on Talon’s dragon to get there.

We couldn’t live like this forever.

“You’ll be free in a few days,” I reminded him, stepping back toward the bars. “And I promise to visit again, but can you let me out now?”

“Move to the door,” Slade ordered, before he pointed at Talon. “And you stay right the fuck where you are.” Talon’s gaze left me to clash with his brother’s. The heat between them almost blasted off my skin.

“Watch how you fucking talk to me,” Talon growled. “You’re all alive because of Emme, but we’ve learned of magic that can sever mate bonds. I have the means to ensure that happens if you keep pushing me.”

Magic could sever mate bonds?

My debilitating fear over that statement was enough to almost send me to my knees.

Slade, who never took well to threats, thrust his arm through the bars and gestured for Talon to come a little closer . Which he did, without hesitation.

I was about to double back and get between them when Hunter captured my arm through the bars. “No, Emmeline,” he bit out, oozing dominance which didn’t work on me. “They could kill you with one blow.”

“Not a fucking chance,” both dragons growled, and I almost couldn’t tell them apart. The growlier they got, the more similar they sounded.

“She’s the only one safe from us,” Talon added.

Hunter still wouldn’t let me get closer, but he also couldn’t open the door without Slade. So we had to stand and watch Slade and Talon eyeballing each other.

Slade’s arm jerked, his hand shooting toward his brother, who slapped it away before he made contact. He missed the other hand coming through the bars though, and Slade managed to smash his fist into his twin’s face, sending him reeling back a few steps.

The hit was so loud I felt it in my bones. I was relieved to find Talon shaking it off like nothing.

“I’m letting her leave this time,” he snarled, wiggling his jaw, but showing no other indication he was hurt. “But we’d better be heading for Europe in the next few days. I won’t wait any longer.”

“We’ll leave Monday,” Hunter informed him. “In three days.”

Talon huffed, but he didn’t argue. I felt the burn of his gaze on me once more, but unsure if I’d be able to leave if I met that stare, I shuffled to the door and waited for Slade to unlock it.

I didn’t turn back to see the caged shifter until we were exiting. My heart broke when I saw Talon with his head hanging, fists clenched at his side. He screamed pain and dejection, and it stopped me in my tracks.

Slade backtracked to my side. “He’ll be okay for a few days,” he murmured, brushing his thumb over my cheek.

“I’ll keep him company. You can visit him too, but for now, give him time to deal with finally having you close and then losing you too fast. It’s not easy for us to process that sort of loss.

Dragons keep their most precious possessions in their claws. ”

Dismissing his reference of me being a possession, since I was used to it by now, I decided there was only one thing I could offer Talon.

Turning, I called out, “Tal!”

His head shot up, and the empty voids of his eyes sent shivers down my spine. He tilted his head in the animalistic way of dragons. “Tal?”

I forced a smile on my face. “Well, when you care about someone you give them a nickname. I’ll be back later this evening, okay.”

He didn’t say anything, and I forced myself to swallow down tears as I followed Hunter and Slade from the room. Whether you called it karma or reaping what you sow, Talon was in the thick of his punishment.

I usually enjoyed when that happened to assholes, but in this circumstance, it broke my heart. Nothing was clear cut, and while we were growing closer, we still had a long way to go for true healing.

All I had was instinct guiding me as I navigated relationships with five powerful, damaged, and dangerous alphas. I just kept stumbling along and hoping we all made it out alive.

Alive was my driving need at the moment.

In the end, everyone I cared about had to be standing, otherwise I wouldn’t survive.