“Yes, but are all of you?” I asked, my throat tight. “You all look half-dead, and I just tried to eat you.”
Darian’s lips quirked up at the sides. “I can think of worse ways to die, lovely.”
Asher grinned and brushed his blood-slick hair away from his face. “It’s good to have you back, sweetheart.”
When Darian pulled away, Locke was waiting for me. His hands slid down my arms as his dark eyes scoured my body, checking to make sure I was unharmed even though Darian had just inspected me. “What did Warrick do to you?” Locke asked, anger swirling in his eyes.
Letting out a long breath, I told them all that had happened. I explained about the change in my blood, the revelation that I was part fae, and the fact that Cara wasn’t in Katakin.
When I was done, I found myself watching Kade carefully. I kept waiting for disgust to overcome his features now that he knew what I was. The wolf shifter hated the fae, so it made sense he would now hate me. But as my story unfolded, his eyes blazed with anger, yet it wasn’t once directed at me. He stepped forward and threaded his hand with mine, squeezing my fingers. “We’ll get that fucking vampire, and we’ll find your sister. I promise you,” he growled.
I stared at him, still waiting for disgust to cross his features, but he brushed his lips against mine before saying, “You are mine, Raine, and nothing could change that.”
I blinked away the tears that glossed over my eyes.
Kade went on, “Besides, it seems the fae are no better or worse than the monsters in Katakin. It wasn’t the fae that killed my family.” He swallowed before continuing, “Zacal confessed to their murder right before I tore him apart.”
My brows raised at this information, but I didn’t comment. Though I’d pushed back my dragon instincts, I could still feel the creature inside me. I’d just turned my thoughts away from burning down the city, and asking more about Zacal would only reignite my anger.
Asher grinned stupidly at me, his expression so at odds with Kade’s serious frown. “The Taratun council are going to be terrified when they see you,” he said, and despite myself, a smile broke out on my face.
“You think so?” I asked.
“You’re a dragon, darling,” Darian said like the answer was obvious. “And a very fine one too.”
“Pretty sure Ash shit himself when he first saw you, so those spineless council members stand no hope,” Kade growled, and I wasn’t sure whether to laugh at his comment or gape at the fact the wolf shifter had just made a joke.
“Says the wolf who nearly had his tail burned off when he fled from that house,” Asher retorted.
I smiled at their banter, simply glad to have them around me. “So much for remaining human,” I commented. “By the way, you might want to stay on my good side. For now, my dragon thinks you’re her treasures, but she might go back to seeing you as pests.”
Darian raised a brow at me. “And here I thoughtIwas the one coveting treasure.”
I thought then of what Darian had said a few nights ago:You, my dear, are even more of a treasure than I thought you would be.My smile grew. I knew perfectly well my dragon wasn’t about to stop seeing them as treasure. Now that she’d scented them properly, she wanted to keep them, to hoard them from the world and guard them from harm. She didn’t want to hurt them.
Locke had been silent since I’d told them what had happened with Warrick, and I turned to find him staring at the back of the cave, his face an unreadable mask.
“Locke?” I asked and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.
When his gaze slid to mine, the fury that shone in his onyx eyes made me shiver. “I’ll make him suffer, Raine. When I find him, I’ll make him wish he’d never touched you.”
I didn’t need to ask to know he was talking about his father, Warrick. I also didn’t need to ask to know he was going to make Warrick hurt for what he did tome.
I nodded my head. I wanted Warrick to suffer before he died. The ancient vampire didn’t deserve mercy.
“We should head to Lyr’s place,” Kade said. “We need to get patched up and come up with a plan before we go after him again.”
I turned to Kade. “Lyr’s place?”
“It’s a long story,” Asher answered. “Let’s just say we owe the tiger shifteragain.”
Kade seemed to hesitate before asking me, “Do you think you can shift again and fly us there? Otherwise, it’ll take us half a night to make it back.”
“Shift again?” I rolled my shoulders, releasing the tension. “All right, but no promises I won’t eat you.”
CHAPTER 23
~ Raine ~
