Page 93 of His Retribution

In probably the most intimate moment of my life, Havok gently sets me on my feet and finishes undressing then does the same to me, sweetly removing my clothes in total silence with the most reverent care before he takes out my braid. There is nothing sexual about it, not even the slightest hint of flirtation, just complete concern and unconditional love.

Havok takes my hand and leads me to the large claw foot tub, cuts the water, tests it, then he picks me up before getting in and repositioning my back to his front. I settle against my love as he wraps an arm around my waist, holds me to him so close while drawing designs across my skin. With his other hand, Havok pats the side of the tub and Samson sits, rests his head there and we both stroke his silky fur.

And in this moment, wrapped in Havok's gentle but firm embrace, our boy soaking up the love we're giving him, I can't help but feel like everything is going to be ok.

It's scary.

It's dangerous.

The threat of what can happen is so real, but somehow I know that if I have Havok, have Samson and our clan, everything is going to be ok.

Fairytale Made

Twenty-four hours.

One thousand, four hundred and forty minutes.

Eighty-six thousand four hundred seconds.

That's how much time I may have left with my light, my angel, my Cora.

We have taken the necessary precautions, put the compound in lockdown, enforced all protective barriers, and added more magic than an act in Vegas.

All of the shifters have moved permanently to their homes on Dragovihk land.

Andrej and I did the Prayer of Protection again to each structure as well as the property lines and the fucking mountains behind it.

Routine patrol has doubled.

We even released the New One that's been held in the dungeon since he beat me with that laced mace almost a week ago in hopes to avoid any extra incentive to breach our compound. Search efforts have increased as well, in order to find Nero's nest, to try to eliminate the threat before it's officially posed.

And yet we've found nothing.

No sign of Ivan or any other dragons.

No New Ones.

None of the humans in town have gone missing or turned up with serious blood loss at the local hospital.

Absolutely no disturbances of any kind since the destruction of my light’s truck and tiny house.

Colt was able to scent the poor slaughtered stray back to a junkyard just outside of town, but since he is unable to scent vampires or other shifters, that's where it stopped.

We still learned a few very important things despite there being absolutely no sign of my bastard grandfather or his coven.

They are not feeding from anyone in our community, which means their nest is most likely a town or two over, at least.

They are not feeding before they come anywhere near Ashland, otherwise someone would be able to pick up traces of unknown or animal blood that smelled of rotting flesh, which is how a vampire smells after they've fed from someone other than their mate.

We have not scented any other dragons within one hundred yards of the outskirts of town either, which means Nero is not using them for any real purpose yet.

I have not felt what I normally do when another vampire is near. Aside from the scent of a freshly fed vampire, we carry no scent at all until we've mated our fated one so there is no way to pick them up through sense of smell, but vampires share a sort of sixth sense, a feeling that is present when another is near and it is more intense when you share blood. Something I unfortunately do with most of my grandfather's coven and would actually be beneficial if they were in proximity.

Essentially, despite our maximum efforts, we have jack shit.

I have been in a state of borderline hysteria since the wreckage in the valley and the more dead leads or lack of evidence, the closer I get to losing my shit completely.

I cannot lose Cora, not again, not when we've finally found each other and been given a chance to start anew. Not when I know what it is like to fall asleep with her in my arms, to wake up to her sweet kisses, to spend entire days and nights together without having to hide. I refuse to give her up, and the inability to find anything useful in the protection of her or the prevention of another war is completely maddening.