My dragon rumbled but he wasn’t upset. Her fire enticed us, and I almost smiled. Emme was an adorable kitten compared to my beast, but I’d let her have her dominance for the moment, especially if it kept her from spiraling into another panic attack.
I never wanted to see that look on her face again as she clawed at her skin, fighting an enemy that I couldn’t destroy—an enemy in her mind.
“Whatever you need, Snow,” I said, reaching for the bowl. Her pretty lips parted; her pupils dilated as I leaned into her and grasped the bowl. She followed my movements, arching forward toward me right as the door was kicked in at the top of the stairs.
The alpha who had upset her before started down the stairs.Blaine.She’d been yelping his name in her panic, and I wanted to tear his head from his shoulders just for breathing the same air as her.
Not bothering to pay him any attention—he was no match for me—I kept my gaze locked on Emmeline. I had a small obsession with observing the constant and quickly changing expressions on her face. She didn’t have any skill in shielding her emotions, flashing everything she felt to the world, which was a part of her I craved.
Somehow, though, she still remained a mystery.
I loved a good mystery.
Blaine reached the bottom of the stairs and let out what he must have thought was an impressive growl as he hovered close to his unconscious pack mate. I had no idea what his issue was;the pathetic excuse for an alpha was still alive. He’d probably even make a full recovery, if his healing was up to par.
I’d been downright generous. They should thank me by leaving us alone until I figured out the safest way to take them all down without Emme getting hurt.
“I’m going to fucking kill you, dragon scum.”
For fuck’s sake. Gnats were annoying until you swatted them dead.
Apparently, I hadn’t delivered enough of a warning with the last one, and with a sigh I set down the stew. As I turned to deal with him, Emme shifted closer to me, her arms trembling as her sweet scent turned acrid with fear.
She hadn’t reacted this way with the other troglodyte, but the entitled alpha bothered her.
This time, when my dragon reared up, he was most definitely irritated. “What did he do to you?” I hissed, barely restraining my beast. “Tell me exactly what he did.In detail. Leave nothing out.”
It was yet to be tested if the magically enhanced cuffs would stop my shift—there wasn’t enough space in this room to try. Hence why I’d been calculating the risks of all the other escape options. But if they threatened Emme in any way, my restraint would end.
“He—” she gasped, and with it, another surge of rage built in the fires in my gut. The fires were always churning and burning with the power of my ancestors, but her fear was a fuel I’d never experienced. I hadn’t lost control in years, but today… I was on the verge.
Eyes unfocused, Emme reached over her shoulder and rubbed her thick, ropey scar. Shifting my stance, my arm shot out to grasp the entitled alpha by the throat. With very little effort, I lifted him until only the tips of his boots dragged on the ground, and slowly hauled him closer. “What did he do toyou, Snow? Tell me everything, and I’ll make his death nice and slow.”
My grip tightened, and he scraped at my hand, even going so far as to partially shift his claws, but it didn’t break my hold. “He helped Mom carve me up,” Emmeline whimpered. “To teach me a lesson. He destroyed her in the end as well. He’s a monster.”
As I tightened my grip, sulfur filtered through the open door at the top of the stairs, and the magically enhanced chains encasing me lit up with energy. I was zapped with enough force to knock out a normal shifter, which loosened my grip, allowing the other alpha to scoot away. He grabbed his pack mate from the floor and hightailed it up the stairs.Pathetic.
Turning away from the sight of him retreating with his tail between his legs, my heart almost stopped as Emme swayed and then tilted forward. I caught her before she hit the floor, my skin itching at the sensation of our touch, but oddly it was far less consuming than usual.Easily ignored. Especially as I focused on checking her vitals, hoping the witch’s zap of power hadn’t done any permanent damage.
A quick assessment indicated that outside of being unconscious, her pulse and heartrate were normal, and her scent, while shrouded in the sulfuric stench of magic, was also normal.
That was why my attack, and our escape, had to wait until my plan was solid. Not that we could wait too long and give them time to add to their forces.
It was a fine timeline, and I would make sure it wasjust rightfor my omega.
Emme took ten minutes to rouse. I used that time to plan my attack while monitoring her pulse and heart rate… and freely touching her as if it wasn’t completely out of character. I’d spent years expecting every brush across my skin to hurt, and it would take lifetimes to break that instinct. Not that I’d ever bothered totry rerouting my brain when it came to touch, but for a moment I wished to be less broken.
“Slade,” she mumbled.
It amused me that she’d never used our titles correctly. We were all strong enough for an entitledAlphabefore our names. Not that Emmeline gave a shit, and for that, she made me proud.
“I’m here,” I said, as I gave her eighty percent of my attention, while the other twenty remained upstairs, where I tracked the dozen or so members of their army. I’d hurt their numbers back in Golden Claw, but not enough. “How are you feeling? They have a witch, or at least access to spells that can debilitate us through these chains. I need to figure out how to remove them before we attempt an escape.”
She pushed herself up and glanced around, her face pale as her striking eyes darkened. “Is it possible to remove magically enhanced cuffs without using magic itself?”
I’d been working on the one around my right ankle since we arrived here, and had dented and damaged the mechanism, but I couldn’t sever the final connection. “I’m not sure. Shifting would break them, but I don’t have the space. I’ll keep working on it while you keep healing. Finish the food for fuel… even the salad.” I’d smashed the first pile of grass, but there was a second bowl on the tray.
She grimaced, but didn’t argue, shuffling forward to pick up the scattered tray. She opened one of the water bottles and took a huge gulp before handing the second bottle over to me. Our fingers brushed as I took it, and she startled, while I forced myself not to react.
