“I can’t do anything to change your mind, can I?”
If Harmon had been afraid of Merrick and hadn’t known him as well as he did, Merrick’s glare at him might have made him change his mind.As it was, he knew that Merrick would never hurt him.Hell, he wouldn’t even try to force him to do anything.He knew better.“No.I’m doing it, whether you like it or not,” Harmon confirmed.
“And it’s fine with me,” Kieran added when Merrick turned toward him.“If Harmon wants to go, I won’t stop him.I understand needing to protect your people.”
Merrick huffed.“Fine.”
“Hey, how come you’re letting him go but I can’t?”Alpin argued.
“He’s not my boyfriend.As much as I want to tie him down to a chair and make sure he doesn’t go anywhere near one of the clan dragons again, I can’t do that.”
Alpin wrinkled his nose.“Yeah, that would be awkward.”
What was awkward was this conversation, and Harmon quickly turned back to Kieran, eager to stop listening to Merrick and Alpin.
Kieran nodded at him as if thanking him.Maybe he was, but he didn’t know that Harmon wasn’t truly doing this for him.Yes, he wanted to protect his coven and even Kieran and his pack, but he also needed time and space.Hopefully, he’d find that.
In enemy territory, surrounded by a bunch of dragon shifters who were probably already plotting how to kill him.
This wasn’t going to be a relaxing trip.
“If Harmon is going, I’m going too,” Merrick declared.
Alpin opened his mouth, but nothing came out.Harmon was pretty sure this was the first time he’d seen the man so silent.Alpin hadn’t been quiet for more than a few moments since Harmon had met him.
“All right,” Kieran confirmed.“I think that five people should be enough.Taylor, Luca, I’m sure you still have allies in the clan.”
Taylor nodded.“Yeah, I can reach out and ask them to keep an eye open.The clan isn’t all bad, far from it.We’re normal people who were forced to do things that still haunt my nightmares.”
“But Martin had enough followers to attack the pack,” Harmon pointed out.
What he didn’t say was that even though apparently, a lot of clan members hadn’t agreed with what Martin was doing, they were still going along with his orders.He didn’t blame them.He understood that Martin had been a powerful dragon who’d used fear to guide the clan with an iron fist.Harmon didn’t know all the details, but he could imagine that Martin had threatened and maybe even hurt people to get others to obey his orders, like in Luca’s case.Martin had stuck his son in a cell as revenge for Luca refusing to kill people in the mall attack.He might have done worse if they hadn’t gotten the boy out when they had.
“Which is why you need to be careful,” Taylor said.“I’m not going to say people will welcome you with open arms, but most of the clan only ever wanted a peaceful life.You’ll have to deal with a few of Martin’s supporters, but everyone else should be fine.They won’t be happy to have you there, but they also won’t try to hurt you.”
Harmon hoped he was right because he wasn’t sure how he would explain to Brad that he’d volunteered to spend time with a dragon clan so they could choose their next leader.
Brad was going to be so incredibly pissed.
But Harmon wouldn’t change his mind.He needed this, and not only for himself.Brad would have to deal with it.It wasn’t like he’d abandon the coven to itself while Harmon was away.
There was nothing else to say.Kieran ended the meeting after telling everyone who was headed to the clan that they had to be ready as soon as possible.Harmon was a visitor here, which meant he didn’t have much to pack.That was why he didn’t rush out of the room once the meeting was over—that and because he wanted to stay as far away from Alpin and Merrick as possible since they were still bickering over Alpin not going.
“I’m a good fighter,” he was saying as Merrick guided him out the door.
“I never said you weren’t,” Merrick answered.
“Why aren’t I allowed to go, then?”
“Your brother sure is something,” Harmon told Rex.
“And he’s Merrick’s something.I don’t know what the poor man was thinking when he decided that he wanted Alpin, but he’s braver than I am.”
Harmon smiled.“You love your brother.”
“Oh, I do, even though technically, he’s not my brother.”
“You were turned by the same vampire.It’s like Merrick and me.We might not have been blood related when we were human, but we have been since we were turned.”
