Page 62

Hearing his mate’s words through their bond and sensing the rush of her blood lust streaming toward the cliff, ready to devour and fill the mouth of the cavernous beast within, Amaros crossed the distance in vaporous black smoke.

Amaros gripped Michaela and snatched her away from the human as a roar ripped through the air.

~YH~

Myhnn , his dragon roared.

Liekki slapped his palms on the table and launched himself over it, then charged toward the center of the room without pause.

One moment, he’d been watching the two females, apparent friends from inside the Wall, in utter fascination at their enthusiastic chatter.

When he’d heard Avalore call out to Mick, he’d scanned the room for a human male in their midst. One who he’d planned his death a million and one times in his mind, unsure of who the Mick was to Avalore. Yet, too prideful to ask.

He’d been more than relieved when he spotted the other woman running with glee toward Avalore, and relief had showered down on him. But he’d picked up on the scent that the other woman wasn’t a human.

It hadn’t immediately concerned him since the meeting place was neutral ground. No one would be stupid enough to harm Avalore here, especially not with him present.

But the other female had slipped under his radar.

Until the instant Liekki had seen the vamp, Mich, short for Michaela, widened her mouth and dropped fang as her blood-red gaze locked onto the pulsing vein in Avalore’s neck.

His dragon stood up in his core, and it released a blaze in Liekki’s chest. Liekki’s skin burned from the red illumination radiating through his markings, and red flames hooded his eyes as he grabbed Avalore seconds after the Coven leader pulled his new vamp away from her.

She was shaking, and her face was clouded in confusion.

Liekki wrapped a protective arm around Avalore and clasped her to his chest. His other hand was fisted as he felt his dragon swelling inside of him, ready to be unleashed, and set fire to the entire structure and everyone in it to protect its mate.

“Marceline,” Amaros ordered.

His second, who was already behind him, her own black smoke swirling in the air, took hold of Michaela, whose eyes were still crimson as she moved her away, walking the long way around their half of the council table.

“I’m sorry, Ava,” Michaela was murmuring repentantly.

Liekki disregarded the sullen female for the Prince of Darkness before him.

“How could you bring a newly turned Vampire here?” he growled.

Amaros didn’t back down even though Liekki was more than a foot in height over his tall frame.

“How could I? My mate is supposed to be here. She’s the reason I asked to meet early.” Amaros's ash-gray eyes were ringed with red.

“Knowing she was a danger?” Liekki bit out. He could feel his brother’s presence close, but Aodh didn’t interrupt.

“She. Mi-chae-la,” Amaros enunciated her name before continuing, “wouldn’t have bitten any other preternatural.”

Amaros shot a look in Avalore’s direction.

Liekki knew what the vamp was hinting at, but he didn’t care. He wanted to make something clear to the dark one and all others. He moved Avalore behind him.

“No one. Touches. What’s myhnn .” His voice rumbled, the sound of boulders crashing and falling from a cliff, more Drahk than actual words at the end. But Liekki knew that all the other entities in earshot comprehended his declaration. His warning.

“What’s yours ? Really?” Amaros snarked and rolled his eyes. “Here’s a tip, lizard man. If you’re going to claim someone, try mating her first so she doesn’t end up someone’s early-morning snack.”

Avalore gasped behind him at the insult.

That was enough for Liekki. He felt his markings begin to shift to scales as his chest started to expand to bring in the needed breath that would release his dragon. His dragon was more than prepared to turn the Vampire leader into a shish kebab.

“Amaros. Liekki. Bickering will not get us anywhere.” Iskah stepped in between them, disregarding the cardinal rule about fighting: never get in the middle of two opponents.

Liekki ignored the Fae.

“Liekki, stand down.” His brother’s voice was too damn calm as Aodh stepped beside him. Control, your beast, brother.

Fuck no!

Now! That order came from the Mckenna, not his brother.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Liekki’s dragon knew better than to disobey the head of their Thunder. The result of such could be a painful and prolonged punishment.

Gritting his teeth, Liekki swallowed down the roaring fire; it took more than three tries for him to bank the blaze.

See to your mate, brother .

Liekki didn’t have to be told to do it; once he got his mind cleared enough to understand, he could not touch the Vampire until Amaros’s eyes popped out. Liekki was already turning to check on Avalore.

Stomping away, Liekki took Avalore’s hand and led her to the Drakh side of the circle.

“We all understand tension is high for everyone right now. However, antagonizing my Second will simply exacerbate the situation. If things were reversed, I’m sure you’d feel the same, Amaros.” Aodh’s voice was steady and controlled.

His brother was the consummate diplomat.

“Perhaps,” was all Amaros would admit as the sleek vampire strutted to the other side of the table to his mate across from where Liekki had Avalore.

“Thanks, Aodh.” Iskah nodded at Aodh, then glanced around at all gathered. “It is evident that a few of us have a lot to explain. I ask that we just all keep it together until the Ursine arrive. It seems there is something larger at play here.”

Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the space.

Liekki spotted the two Lupines, dressed casually in Khakis and polo-style shirts, their idea of dressing up, leaning back on the inside of the table along the opposite half of the C-shaped tables with their arms folded, watching what was happening.

It was on the tip of Liekki’s tongue to ask the two wolves if they wanted fucking popcorn. Instead, he cupped Avalore’s chin and tipped her head to the side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Liekki.” She grabbed his wrist and tried to pull her face away.

“Let me see.” He wouldn’t allow it until he’d checked her out for himself.

If the newly turned vamp had managed to scrape Avalore’s skin and get even a drop of Vampire serum into her, it could complicate things.

He wasn’t sure in what way, but if and when he mated with her, he wasn’t sure what the ramifications would be if Vampire essence happened to combine with Drahk blood.

There was a reason preternaturals did not mix—it could mean death in many ways.

Avalore did not have a genetic disposition to become a Vampire, but their serum could still alter humans, making them their servants or Prime, controlled by them.

His dragon might refuse to claim Avalore. Even though his beast already saw her as his. However, dragons saw things in black and white.

Liekki didn’t want to take the chance with Avalore’s life.

He assessed her. The sienna skin of her neck was smooth, unmarred, and unblemished. The tightness, which he hadn’t even realized had arrested his chest, released some.

Staring at the lovely column of her throat, Liekki had the urge to kiss her there. No, instead, start at that spot and continue down over her shoulder to her breasts and lower until his lips met those below her belly.

Avalore’s breathing picked up, and he felt a slight tremor in her touch at his wrist.

Fuck, she was so damn responsive to him.

When he felt the throb of his groin, he lowered his hand and took a half step back.

Her arm fell away. Avalore licked her lips nervously and kept her gaze on his chest.

“Avalore.”

He waited until her eyes met his because he needed her to understand something.

The rich jade and bronze flecks of her gaze rose to his face.

“Your friend, Michaela, isn’t the same. She’s a Vampire. Newly turned.”

She glanced around his broad shoulders. He was sure towards the female in question. When Avalore’s eyes met his again, she was frowning. “What does that mean?”

“It means, in layman's terms, she may not mean to hurt you, but she will because she can’t control the hunger inside of her right now, even if she wants to. Until you—” Liekki cut himself off, unwilling to voice the words on his mind right now. “It’s best you keep your distance.”

“You said until I.” Avalore was too keen for her own damn good. “Until I what?”

“Good day, everyone.” Dov, the bears’ Alpha, came lumbering in with Turi right behind him, dragging something wrapped in a tarp. Both men wore dark slacks, dress shirts, and button-down vests.

Everyone gathered turned to eye two males as big and towering as trees but still a few inches smaller than Drahks.

“Can someone please explain what the hell is going on? What the fuck is this?” Dov continued.

There was a thump as Turi let go of the large object he was carrying, and then he flung back the flaps of the covering to reveal the atrocity inside.

~YH~

The other leaders and a couple of seconds gathered in the center of the two half-circle tables, but he ignored them.

Aodh found it hard at first to believe what he was seeing as he stared down at the mass at his feet. Not because he couldn’t categorize everything that was wrong with it, out of place, on the wrong side, disjointed, and fucking grotesque.

No, he could see that, but getting his brain to register that underneath all the lumps, masses, fur, scales, and fangs was a man.

Maybe the fact that he could see the humanness around one eye, an arm, and the thigh of one leg revealed through shredded jeans.

Those areas where the skin was so beautifully dark that it seemed as if the Great Spirit had started with the absence of color and, instead of adding to it, making it paler, lighter, different. .. thought, ‘This is enough.’

However, that was the only good thing withstanding the horrible mutation. Aodh struggled to picture the Why of it in his mind.

“What am I looking at?” Iskah inquired.

“An abomination,” Chanin declared.