“But that’s the thing,” I said, staring at him. “When I got closer, I could see it wasn’t a communications hub. It was too small and wasn’t made of purely Fae technology. It looked morelike something Drake and Charlie put together with Ventry’s help to boost our communications and security systems signals.”
“How big was it?” asked Ventry, his powerful presence brushing over my skin and raising the hairs on my arms. Oh, he was pissed off about this situation, the sheer weight of his magic testament to that, but the dip of his brows told me he was also thinking over what the technology could be.
“Not much bigger than a shoe box, I suppose.”
“Can you take us to it?”
I couldn’t help but glance at Stone but quickly dropped my gaze when his silver eyes burned into mine. They were full of encouragement, but it made no difference. My heart started pounding, and my palms were sweating. The expectation in everyone’s eyes was too much. His soft, rumbling growl made my stomach tighten further. Shit, I’d pissed him off, but I wasn’t sure if I could find the thing again, and I didn’t want to fuck up in front of my family and my king. “I…”
“Give us a moment,” he rumbled at the others, his tone dripping withdon’t fucking question mevibes.
I marvelled at his braveness for basically telling the most powerful Fae in Faery, not to mention the Shifter King and Queen, to fuck off.
A warm hand gently encircled my throat and tilted my chin up. A kiss warmed my lips, centering me again.
“Shan, you don’t have to do this. If it’s there, we’ll find it. I can shift, find your scent and follow it. It might take a bit longer if I have to go through the vents to track your path, but I’ll do it.”
I closed my eyes. What was I doing? I was better than this. But we’d agreed on honesty and communication; we’d agreed on trust. If I shared my feelings, he’d understand and not just think me weak. “No, it’s fine, I can take you. I-I’m just…” I coughed, clearing my throat. “I’m scared of failing. In front of them.”
His throat bobbed, and he kissed my forehead, a silent thank you for trusting him with my feelings. “There’s no need to be scared of not finding it. All you can do is try. You won’t be alone; if we work together we’ll get there. No one will judge you, Butterfly. Least of all your family. They’re just happy you’re okay.”
“It’s true,” piped up Ember from across the room. “We are.”
“Ember.” Connor’s tone was amused, though he crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow. “That was supposed to be a private conversation.”
Ember grinned. “Yeah, but they know nothing is private if other supes are in the same room. Right, Shan?” She waggled her brows.
Despite my embarrassment at them overhearing my vulnerability, I smiled. “Right.” My family needed to get used to the new me, and I needed to start being honest about who I was and how I felt. I slipped my arms around Stone’s waist and hugged him.
“Thank you,” I whispered into his chest, inhaling deeply before I pulled away.
“Well, fuck me, never thought I’d see Shan hug someone,” Owen drawled, raising a brow.
“Yeah, hey, is that a smile? Should I take a picture before their faces crack? Maybe it’s some new fighting technique where they squeeze each other until one pops.” Lionel chuckled at Stone’s raised middle finger.
“Leave them alone. You’re just jealous.” D’s heavy Russian accent warmed me. I smiled at him as he winked, making Stone growl. D grinned widely.
“Me? I’m not fucking jealous. I get loads of hugs,” Owen said, sounding so indignant I had to chuckle.
“Yeah, yeah, we all know how lucky you are, brother,” Kawan said, giving Owen a pat on the back. Kawan’s beautiful,unblemished face was free from the makeup he usually wore, but no less stunning because of it. He was one tough motherfucker, and part of that was having the confidence to be who he was. Yes, he liked makeup, fashion and wild hair colour. But he was also one of the kindest people I knew. I wished I was more like him.
Kawan came closer, his eyes softening. Stone gave a possessive growl, pulling me into his side but Kawan just smiled reassuringly.
“Calm down, brother, I know she’s yours. Besides, she’s got the wrong anatomy to be my type.” Ignoring Stone’s warning, Kawan leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. “Hey, girl, it’s good to see you.”
My eyes burned. “It’s good to see you, too. All of you.”
Stone held me tighter.
“You too, you moody bastard,” Owen slapped Stone on the back before kissing the top of my head.
Stone growled more viciously, glaring at D and Lionel. “Don’t even fucking think about touching her.”
Part of me preened at him claiming me, especially when the others grinned and raised their hands. Had they been winding him up because they couldn’t scent a mating bond? Any Alpha shifter would react if unmated males got too close to their mates, especially before the bond had been forged. My stomach plummeted again. What if they thought he was still running from our connection without realising the problem was me?
Lionel shrugged, still smiling. “No problem. We’ll stay away, brother…for now.”
“Enough,” barked Connor, shooting Lionel a warning glare.
