“Can’t I?Because I just did, and I know you’ll obey.”
“Why would I?You take all the fun out of this.”
Merrick leaned closer and whispered something in Alpin’s ear.Rex didn’t know what he said, and he didn’t want to find out.From the way Alpin’s cheeks flushed, though, he could take a wild guess.
He hated it.
“I’ll go,” Arlen offered.
As a dragon shifter and a former member of the clan, it would be good to have him come along.He knew things about the clan and how it worked that would hopefully facilitate this mess.It would also be good to have a dragon on their side, just in case.
Rex had known he wouldn’t be doing this alone, but it was good to see that so many people wanted to help.
“I’d go, but I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Taylor said.
Considering he’d been wounded, it definitely wasn’t.It looked like Taylor wasn’t happy about that decision, but it was the right one.
“I’ll go,” Luca declared.
Everyone in the room groaned.Luca’s heart was in the right place.The problem was that he’d been willing to do anything to get rid of Martin, including sacrificing himself.It drove Rex’s brother Parker crazy, and Rex didn’t blame him.Parker loved Luca.He probably didn’t want him anywhere near the clan.
“No,” Parker said, and that was that.Luca looked like a wounded puppy, but he didn’t argue.He knew he wouldn’t win.
“All right,” Kieran said as he looked around the room.“So we have Rex and Arlen.”
A few hands rose.Rex wasn’t surprised to see that Mallory would be coming along since Arlen was, or that Alpin was still trying to sneak his way onto the team.Merrick glared at him so hard that Rex wouldn’t have been surprised if a hole appeared in his forehead.
Merrick grabbed Alpin’s hand and pulled it down.They stared at each other, and it felt like Rex was encroaching on a private moment.Why they were having it in the middle of a crowded office, he didn’t know, but he wished they’d stop.
“Rex, Arlen, and Mallory,” Kieran said.“Thank you for volunteering.I do think that we need a few more people, though.I don’t want the clan to feel like we’re invading them, but three people are not enough, especially when only one of them is a dragon shifter.It would be great if someone else were willing to go.”
Rex looked around the room.He trusted everyone there, so he didn’t really care who would come.
As long as someone did.
* * * *
HARMON KNEW HE SHOULDN’Tvolunteer.Now that the fight was over, he was supposed to go home to his coven and settle back into his role as leader.Brad was chomping at the bit to return to his former role, and Harmon was sure that his coven members would feel better if he were home with them.
None of that was enough for him to keep his hand down.He raised it, catching Kieran’s attention.When Kieran looked at him, he nodded.“I’ll go, too.”
“What the fuck?”Merrick muttered.
Harmon didn’t look at him.He kept his attention on the alpha as he lowered his hand.Kieran might still tell him that he didn’t want him to go, and Harmon wouldn’t have a choice.Technically, the two of them were on the same level, but they were in pack territory right now, and Kieran had led the fight against the dragons.Even though they were both leaders, Harmon wasn’t in charge.
Kieran watched Harmon for a moment before nodding.“All right.”
“Harmon, what are you doing?”Merrick asked.
“What I have to do to keep my coven safe.”It was only partly a lie.Harmon was going because he wanted to and because he dreaded going home, but he did want to keep his people safe, and the only way to do that was to ensure that the clan wouldn’t attack anyone ever again.
“Your coven isn’t going to be happy when you end up eaten by a dragon.”
“I don’t think that the clan is so dangerous that they’d stand up to Kieran that way.”
“Maybe not most of them, but we don’t know if Martin had supporters who weren’t here during the attack.What if some of them are still with the clan and decide to get revenge?”
“Then I’ll deal with it when it happens.”
