His grunting response didn’t clue me in on what he thought of that, but he didn’t sound happy. There was no time for me to force more conversation, as he paused before a slightly raised panel near the back of the garage. I’d never noticed it before, blending almost seamlessly into the wall, but it was clearly a door. There was no handle, just a keypad, and I covertly watched the code Slade entered for access. A whoosh followed, as if it were pressure sealed, then the panel slid into the wall.
Slade entered without a word, and I followed, breathing in new scents that weren’t connected to the garage. I got hints of maple and metal. The hallway was white and shiny, giving the impression of a sterile environment, and lights flickered to life as we crossed under them, until we finally stepped into a large room with a barred area along one wall.
“This was designed to contain a dragon,” Slade said, gesturing for me to step to his side.
I moved cautiously, searching for Talon in the barred-off section of the larger room. A shadow moved from the back of the cell, and when Talon stepped into the light, his expression was hard until he noticed me beside Slade. The moment I met his dark eyes, he slammed against the bars, his hands clutching them as he locked in on me like a predator.
It had been a week since I’d last seen him, and my wolf howled while the bite on my shoulder pulsed. Talon’s maple scent amplified until I was drowning in it, and when Slade twitched beside me, I knew it was in response to my chocolate and honey tones swelling to match Talon’s scent.
“Scent match,” I breathed, unable to help myself.
I’d had the thought we might be when I first scented him strongly, but this moment here cemented it. Now that my wolf had returned and was back to full strength, her bond with Talon had strengthened too, and there was no denying it any longer. We were also a scent match.
How was it possible, though, and what did this mean for the quintet?
CHAPTER 20
EMME
“Mate,” Talon breathed in his deep rumble.
Slade’s returning rumble was stronger and more menacing. “Don’t fucking call her that. You stole what should have been a sacred moment, and in doing so you condemnedmyomega to possibly being without a perfect quintet of power.Youwill pay for what you’ve done, but it will be so much worse if you keep calling hermate.”
Talon didn’t even glance at Slade, doing that thing where he visually consumed me until I was certain no one else existed in his world. A quick scan over the dragon revealed no injuries, or even tears in his black pants, fitted black shirt, and bare feet. He wore Slade’s clothes, that much I knew for sure, and I didn’t want to examine why that had my stomach flip-flopping.
No doubt being in an enclosed space withtwodragon shifters was simply too much dominance and beauty for one omega.
I could barely keep my thoughts from clouding over with the imagery that identical twins were designed to provoke?—
No.Holy shit.NO!
One of the twins had a touch aversion and the other was a psychopath who owed allegiance to an even bigger psychopath.The mental image of being caged between them as they took their pleasure, and gave me pleasure, was going firmly into the box where all my forbidden thoughts were stored. Never to be looked at again.
Talon pressed harder against the bars, one arm hanging through, his palm up as he gestured for me to step forward. “Mate,” he growled it this time, and I was helpless not to step toward him, only halting when a firm arm wrapped around my waist.
Slade secured me in his hold and full-bodily lifted me to shift our positions so he stood between Talon and me. “Emmeline Anders,” he snapped, dragging my attention up to his face. The menacing sounds of dragon rumble was a soundtrack in the background. “What is Talon doing to you? Tell me what’s happening? I can’t fix a situation without all the information and variables.”
“Heismy mate,” I confirmed, the connection between us pulsing as Talon’s bite tingled. “Our bond is not fully complete, but it’s strong enough that I know we are goddess fated.”
Now that my wolf was back and functioning, the incomplete nature of our tether drew her closer.
“You’re only feeling this way due to the forced bonding,” he said, and even I picked up on his uncertainty despite the statement.
Goddess, I hated hurting them. “It’s a scent match, Slade,” I repeated, forcing the words out. “Tell me you smell his sweet maple and?—”
I was cut off by Slade’s sigh. “Smokiness,” he grumbled, honest as always. “Just like mine.”
My throat tightened, and it spoke of how insane the tension was holding all of us, that it took me until this very second to realizeSlade was still touching me.
More than touching, he had me plastered against his side, and he wasn’t wavering in his hold—I was coming to realize that he handled touch better when he was the one to initiate it.
“It is smoky,” I confirmed, my voice wavering as I tried not to squirm in his grasp. “It has hints of your scent, and he speaks with that same slight accent, which has to bedragon related,right?”
Slade looked like he was being tortured as he bit out, “Yeah, I wasn’t raised around this accent. I’ve always held a slight lilt to my words.Dragon relatedis the most logical explanation.”
My wolf howled, and I barely halted her need to rub against him, scent marking the shifter.
Slade’s expression darkened and I wouldn’t have been surprised if his dragon felt her need. “How can he be your mate when you already have four alphas? How does a fifth fit?”
