“We went the route of tracking the Rogers pack,” Hunter continued, “searching out their holdings in Silver City. It was obvious those fuckers had their hand in this.”
“We didn’t get Blaine though.” Kellan sighed, hands tense on the wheel. “But the rest are dead. They won’t bother you ever again.”
The relief I felt to know that most of that pack had been wiped from this world almost took me out. “Blaine was in the bunker when I woke up,” I said, the memories filtering back in. “That’s why he wasn’t with his pack. He’s still out there with Fletcher, and the Termaine witches, and they’re all dangerous.”
“So are we,” Hunter rumbled, his hands firming along my thighs, as if he was afraid to loosen his hold and have me slip away again.
“I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d all believe the note or not,” I said, voicing the fear I’d felt since the moment magic held that pen in my hand. “At first, I was confident that you and Kel would know through our bond I was being controlled, until I realized the magic locking me down blocked my fears and emotions.”
“None of us believed the note,” Hunter said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. “We knew you were taken by Chelsea from the start. Was Sorenson or anyone else involved? Who betrayed us?”
Holy crap… they knew about Chelsea too.
I’d been dreading having to break the news of that pack’s betrayal, not that I was sure Sorenson was involved, but it was still his pack. His responsibility.
“It was only ever Chelsea that I saw,” I said as Kellan took another sharp right, the helicopter’s whomp finally getting quieter. “She waited outside our compound for days on the off chance I’d open those fucking books. She had a spell hidden in the pages, and it bonded me to her energy so I had to follow her lead. She was the one who penned the note for you all. She delivered me into Fletcher and Talon’s hands.” I had another thought. “Oh, and she bribed a security guard to look the other way when we left Golden Claw. He’d be worth investigating.”
Finley grunted. “He’s dead. No need to worry about him.”
I blinked, but after seeing what he did to Fletcher’s guards, I wasn’t shocked by that admission.
“What did Fletcher say about Talon?” Hunter asked in a careful tone, and I wasn’t surprised by the hint of curiosity I heard buried deep. No doubt he had a lot of questions about this shifter who was the spitting image of his brother.
“Not much. Fletcher treats him like a weapon under his control, but he has to be Slade’s twin or brother or… do you think all dragons look alike?”
“There’s no way to know,” Finley said with a huff. “We’ve never seen another outside of Slade.”
Kellan nodded as he flexed his hands on the wheel. “Talon has to know if they’re related, right? We can ask him when we’re safe and he’s no longer unconscious. I’m sure Hunter’s father told him something about his origins.”
Hunter swore under his breath. “He’s no father of mine. I’ve cut all ties with that bastard, and he will die at my hands sooner rather than later. Slade might not have thought his death was worth pursuing before, but I can guarantee he won’t feel that way now. The second he touched our mate was the second his life ended.”
I slid my hands up Hunter’s arms and clutched him closer. “I’m scared for you guys to go up against him. He’s strong and has magic at his disposal. Magic from an ancient line of power-hungry witches. It’s not a good combo.”
Hunter didn’t even flinch. “He has no idea how powerful and dangerous I can be too. I’ve held back over the years for multiple reasons, but that’s finished now. Slade will have my back, and between the two of us, he doesn’t stand a chance. Especially when Talon is now our prisoner.”
“The four of us,” Finley shot back, leaning down until his scent hit me. “We’re all in this together.”
I liked the sound of that. “Five of us,” I said with force.
I was determined to stand alongside the others in this final fight. I might not ever be as strong as they were, but I was going to train, and hopefully one day soon I’d take them all by surprise.
Especially those who’d underestimated me all along.
CHAPTER 16
KELLAN
There wasn’t time to enjoy the dash across the desert in the awesome ATV. Not with an asshole in a helicopter dogging our steps the entire way. I took the longest possible route back into Marfa in the hopes of losing him, and by the time we switched to the Mercedes, there was no sign of Fletcher.
Hunter took over driving, and Emme fell asleep in my lap in the back seat.
“We might need to look into acquiring one of these when we’re back home,” I said, running my hands over the supple leather. “It’s like a supercar but understated. Blending in when needed but also giving us the speed to get the fuck out of here.”
Finley shifted in the passenger seat and got distracted by our mate, his gaze resting on her beautiful face. His expression was tinged with longing, and I wondered what had happened between my Shortcake and Fin before we’d showed up. The tension had been hard to miss.
“Understated isn’t usually your style,” he finally said, managing to tear his eyes from her to meet mine.
With a shrug, I brushed my hands through her soft hair, my wolf settled now we had her in our arms. “I’m evolving,” Idecided, feeling that truth settle in my bones. I brushed my hand down Emme’s cheek but she didn’t stir, and I hoped like hell that the dark bruises marring the delicate skin beneath her eyes were lessened by the time she woke.
