It was a loaded question, considering the pulsing bite on my neck. “He didn’t rape or beat me,” I said quickly, offering what little reassurance I could. “There’s so much I need to tell you, including how I was taken and who was responsible for that, but first we need to deal with the dragon fight before Slade gets hurt.”
Or Talon.
Not that I’d mention that out loud until I’d shared all the information, including the fact that our pack was now irrevocably tied to another dragon.
Hunter didn’t release my face, his wolf’s gaze locked onto me. I silently pleaded with him to give me time, and that I’d tell him everything when our pack was no longer in immediate danger. With a heavy exhale, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. A brief touch, no more than a slide of his tongue across mine, and then he released his hold.
Kellan stepped into that space, and his kiss was more passionate as he ran his hands through my hair and pulled me close. His tongue demanded entry, and I gladly obeyed, losing all focus. We needed this reassurance that we were together, alive, and our beasts were all safe.
“We felt your pain,” he whispered when he pulled away, still cupping the back of my neck. He looked exhausted, and I’d bet good money that none of them had properly slept since I was taken. “Hours after you were stolen away, there was a rush of pain, and then you faded from our bond. We knew you weren’t dead, but our connection was being blocked.”
I nodded harshly. “Yeah, they teamed up with the Termaine witches to block us.” And break our quintet. Fletcher had revealed his continued involvement with that coven right after my forced bonding, to really drive home that there was no hope in waiting for my pack to rescue me.
Hunter gaze narrowed on me. “Termaine… you mean the ones from?—”
“Yep, that powerful line who were front and center of the last war. Apparently, they weren’t all killed off, and they’ve been planning this for a long time. They’re involved in my kidnapping, the death of my mother, and a lot of other shit.”
The confusion remained on all their faces as Hunter asked, “What are they trying to achieve? Last time they had an alpha at the helm, but are you saying they’re working alone now?”
Swallowing roughly, I wished I didn’t have to reveal this part, though I doubted he’d be surprised. “Yeah, they still have an alpha, and he wants the same result as last time. The end of quintets and cities, and the return of packs with a single alpha.”
“I will fucking kill Blaine, that piece of shit,” Kellan burst out, grinding his boots into the dirt.
Squeezing my eyes briefly closed, I shook my head. “It’s not just Blaine. He’s involved, but there’s a stronger alpha at thehelm.” Hunter met my gaze, and I saw the resignation on his expression right before I said, “It’s Fletcher Davenport.”
Hunter nodded, having guessed it in the seconds before my reveal. “There’s more too. Blaine called him… Father.”
There was a flicker of gold in the darkest recesses of Hunter’s storm cloud eyes as he said, “I don’t know or care about that part, but I wished I was surprised about Fletcher’s involvement. That fuck has always been obsessed with omegas, which was why I was determined to never allow him near you.”
Swallowing hard, I whispered, “I think he’s killed omegas in the past. I believe he’s been taking them for years, secretly, and experimenting on them. He implied that there weren’t enough to experiment on, but in the same breath told me that my mom’s death was his doing. If we investigated his life, I bet we’d find others.”
There was a surge of Hunter’s rage through our bond. “Did he touch you?”
“No,” I hurriedly said. “Not really. He has others to take care of his dirty work.”
Unintentionally, my gaze lifted to Talon, and as I stretched, the neckline of my sweatshirt slipped, and Kellan’s howl was my first indication that he’d caught sight of my new bite.
As his broken, furious cry filled the air, it caught even the dragon’s attentions, and Slade dropped into a dive, heading straight for us.
Talon right behind him.
I didn’t see what happened next as Kellan wrapped his hands around my biceps and lifted me off the ground. I focused on his paler-than-usual face, hoping this wasn’t the moment my pack was destroyed beyond repair. “Emme,” he choked out. “Baby. What did they do to you?”
I brushed my hand down his cheek in an attempt to calm his raging beast, as Hunter pressed in closer to my side, no doubt wondering what he’d missed.
Finley’s expression was sad as he met mine, and he nodded as if to say he had my back.
“Fletcher has had that dragon under his control for years,” I said, as calmy as I could. “When they first took me, he forced the dragon to bite me, and since I was being controlled by magic, I had no choice but to bite him back.” As their devastated expressions wavered before my tear-filled gaze, I pushed on. “We’re bonded. Me and Talon. Which means you can’t kill him, at least not until we figure out if the bond can be broken.”
Hunter’s expression shattered as he reached out, as if to tear me from Kellan’s shaky hold, only he never got the chance. The thump of Slade’s dragon slamming into the ground distracted us all, as he raced on all fours in our direction. Talon right on his tail.
“Put me down,” I whispered, wriggling against Kellan. “Come on, Golden Boy, you need to pull it together. We’re all still here and able to fight. Don’t give up yet.”
That snapped him out of his daze, and when my feet touched the ground, I turned to run for Slade, only to have Hunter stepping in my path. I ducked to avoid his hold, which was impossible when the damn alpha had arms longer than my body.
“We can’t let them kill each other,” I shouted, fighting his hold. “I’m the only one who can stop it.”
“Not a fucking chance!” Finley snarled, taking both of us by surprise—Hunter’s eyebrows drew together as he attempted to process the bear protecting me. “You will not risk yourself by getting between two fire-breathing dragons. They can take care of themselves. You cannot.”
